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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Promoting Reasoning Skills

My sister teaches college (can you tell how opposite we are-I teach Kinder she teaches college-although she has the same handwriting issue apparently! :). She was telling me about how her students really lack any kind of reasoning skills. They can't justify an opinion or really evaluate anything properly. Well, I told her, you just have to get my kids when they get older because we do this every morning.

I tie it into our GT icon of ethics. In our whole group reading activities, I have several smartboard slides. When this one comes up, I have them turn to a partner and discuss a topic.
We have discussed everything from what's more important: hands or feet? reading or math? heart or brain? cars or airplanes? being smart or pretty? We've asked if girls make good soldiers/would make a good president, better to be an only child or have siblings?

I absolutely love this part of the day because you can hear these little future lawyers making a case for their view. "It's more important that....". And it's showing up in their writing, they are really starting to include the "because" part of their answer, not just yes or no...but why!




6 comments:

  1. Love this idea! We could easily tie the discussion page in our morning routine flipchart! Thanks!! We will try some of your topics above. Would love more when you get a chance.

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  2. My parents played this as a game with my siblings and I when we were children. We LOVED it and begged for it continuously. Now, as a former elementary teacher turned homeschooler I play this "game" with my own children. I would love it if you created a list of these for us to use. I am certain you have a ton I have never considered. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. I will do a list of topics. I have to ask the kids, they'll remember the questions we've done better than I will. :)

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  4. Would love to have a list too! I'll ask my kids if they can come up with some good ones and I'll share them with you, if you'd like.

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