"Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies"

"Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies" is an amusing approach to understanding fallacies. It associates 24 types of fallacies with an image, provides a definition and an example, and connects the type of fallacy to the real world by explaining where it is often used. Look at all those "best practices" in action! Bonus: If you like the "Thou Shalt" information, you can download a free PDF poster for you and your students here. (Scroll down to the bottom to find the free PDF, or if you really like it, you can pay for a large, colorful poster.)

"Logical Fallacies or Fallacies in Argumentation"is more straight-forward by providing a list that includes definitions for 20 types of fallacies, along with two examples of each type. Students could build upon this by creating a visual summarization and/or coming up with the real-world application.

Paired Texts from ReadWorks

ReadWorks is a non-profit online reading comprehension tool, and it is FREE for educators to create an account and access ALL of their materials. (How often is the entire access free?! Woo-hoo!)

One of the newer features of ReadWorks is the expansion of their paired texts sets, which now includes a number of passages that are deemed 9-10 reading level or 11-12 reading level (according to their Lexile scores). Within the paired texts sets, teachers have FREE access to literary texts, non-fiction texts (some of which are primary sources), artwork, and question sets; all of the pieces are available for print or as a PDF download, which could then be shared with students via an online classroom (such as Google Classroom or Edmodo).

The question sets appear to follow this format:

• a few questions pertaining to text #1
• a few questions pertaining to text #2
• a few questions requiring the synthesizing of information from both texts

The purpose of the questions appears to focus on student ability to state an answer and support it with evidence from one or both texts. The questions could easily be used as is, but they would be enhanced by adding a few questions that look at other aspects of the Informational Text standards or research skills.

To view all of the passages available in the paired texts sets, click here. Filter the list keyword, grade, Lexile, topic, text type, or skill.

Chunk-Challenge-Chew-Chat-Check

You may be familiar with the concept of chunk-and-chew, where you break the content into chunks and allow the students time to chew (ie. process) the information.

It is time to take the chunking and chewing to the next level.

ASCD posted a Road Tested article​ that takes the concept further by adding a challenge, a chance to chat, and a quick check (formative assessment!). By expanding the traditional chunk-and-chew, teachers can walk away with a better understanding of the student learning going on (or not going on) in the classroom, and students can become more involved and engaged in the learning process. That's a win-win!

Exploring Credibility Through Hoax Sites

Many teachers already utilize hoax websites to help students think critically about website credibility. Here are a few of my favorites, as well as a few that are new to me. (Click on the images to access the websites.) If you have used others that have worked well in the classroom, please share them in the comments.

Please remember to always preview resources before using them. If you plan to use any of these websites, double check that they are still active and that the content is appropriate for your audience. (Links to hoax websites tend to die as the creators discontinue maintaining them.)

Google Tap

Caribou Clear Coffee

Annncng: Twttr (Basic Free Service - Can't Use Vowels)

Order Meringue Instead of Making It!

Vacation on the Moon!

Don't Miss...Scenic Mankato, MN!

The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency

Dihydrogen Monoxide

RYT Hospital

Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie

Webb Leveling Questions

A colleague recently shared this document from the SD Department of Education website. The first two pages list the verbs that tend to be paired with each level and explore how to plan lessons that cover multiple levels. What I really like is the second half of the document. Pages three and four provide not only a more in-depth list of descriptors for each level, but also questions that correspond with each level. This is a great resource for thinking about what level of questions are being asked during the class period; it could also be helpful when writing a test to make sure questions are asking for higher level thinking.

Fate-Led Critical Thinking?

Remember making these? Origami fortune tellers (aka cootie-catchers) were all the rage back in, what...middle school? Maybe further back in elementary school? Bet you didn't anticipate that they would make a comeback as an interesting way to approach critical thinking!

The inspiration for this post came from a Romeo and Juliet lesson I saw by Creative English Classroom on Teachers Pay Teacher. (For $1, you can get her digital template, but you can easily make your own for free.)

The origami fortune teller fits quite nicely with a story like Romeo and Juliet where fate, destiny, the stars, and the like play (possibly) a large role. Students use the fortune teller (fate?) to lead them towards critical thinking questions about the text. It could be used as an actual in-class activity (a humorous way to approach pod discussions?) or the fortune teller could be available for those who finish early and need something productive to occupy their time.

If it has been a while since you last made one (or if you have never made one!), follow these folding instructions. (If you don't have square paper, you can start with a normal 8 1/2 x 11. Once you do the first large triangle fold, cut off the extra paper above the folded section.) Follow the directions through step 11 ("Write the numbers 1-8...") and then adapt according to your needs. Suggestions for adapting follow the illustrated instructions.

Possible Adaptation:

In step 12 ("Add your 8 fortunes..."), replace the fortunes with your set of critical thinking questions.

In step 13, replace the color or object with a symbol or word pertinent to your lesson. (For Romeo and Juliet, it could be character names, the family names, or words such as love, hate, fate, etc.)

Possible critical thinking statements/questions for Romeo and Juliet fortune tellers can be found in this previous post. The critical thinking questions listed below are adapted from questions I've used in the past and the Teachers Pay Teacher lesson. Really, you could use any set of questions.

• Was Juliet's nurse a good friend? What does she (or doesn't she) do to make you feel that way?
• Do Romeo and Juliet truly fall in love? What is your definition of love? How do they fit (or not fit) your definition?
• Do Juliet's parents truly love her? Why or why not?
• Who/what is most at fault for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Why?
• How could Romeo's parents have handled the situation better? How could Juliet's parents have handled the situation better?
• What would be the best alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet? Would your ending improve the play? Why or why not?
• What is Friar Lawrence's biggest mistake?
• Which character makes the wisest decisions throughout the play? Explain the wisdom behind the decisions.

Opinionated Romeo and Juliet Discussion Statements

I came across a few opinionated statements regarding Romeo and Juliet this afternoon, and it occurred to me that they could be great fodder for Socratic Circles or pod discussions. They are worded in a way that students would be apt to respond strongly one way or another. Plus, they would have to practice bringing evidence to the table. Without further ado, here are the (mostly) statements from Trent Lorcher at BrightHubEducation:

• Love vs. Lust: Romeo and Juliet are obsessed, infatuated, out of control, and irrational. Sounds like lust to me.

• Prejudice: The feuding families create tension and conflict, not unlike feuding cultures in today's society.

• The Role of Fate: Shakespeare calls the two lovers "star-crossed." Does fate, however, play a greater role than the numerous stupid choices made by Romeo and Juliet?

• Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts: Friar Lawrence knew a lot. Most of it was useless. After all, he had no real world experience. He just walked around all day collecting herbs.

• Suicide: It's the gigantic green elephant in the room. You might as well talk about it.

• The Role of Women: Verona society did not hold much for women, which makes Juliet's strength stand out even more.

• The Role of a Husband: Romeo's weakness dooms the relationship from the start.

• Friendship: Romeo's friend, Mercutio, causes his banishment. His other friend, Friar Lawrence, causes his death. Juliet's friend, the Nurse, abandons her in her time of need.

• Communication: Juliet and her father need to sit down and have a nice long talk.

Happy discussing!

Calling Mulligan

Oops! Calling Mulligan is actually nothing like calling the Culligan man.

As someone who is not a golfer, I did not fully understand the title of this article until I read the piece (and then looked up the origins of the term). In ASCD's "Education Update" newsletter, the last page features a "Road Tested" technique or strategy from an educator. February's road tested idea focuses on two discussion/questioning techniques as explained by Lisa Arter in "Calling Mulligan! Two Rules for Dynamic Discourse."

In this quick read, Arter, a former middle school teacher and current college assistant professor, explains her version of academically "calling Mulligan" and the 5 Rs of Academic Discourse that she utilizes within some of her large group discussions. In short, calling Mulligan allows students to retract statements that come out wrongly or are misinterpreted, while the 5 Rs (respond, repeat, restate, rebut, reinforce) help encourage students to think more critically about their classmates' responses. If you'd like to hear more about these two ideas in action, take a few minutes to read her article.

"I Am Biased, Obviously and Enormously"

It's not every day that the author of a piece flat out proclaims his/her bias regarding the topic at hand. While students are unlikely to come across bias laid out this clearly during research, perhaps author Neil Gaiman's honesty and explanation of what contributes to his own bias on the topics of libraries and literacy may help students understand what to look for when bias is less obvious.

"It's important for people to tell you what side they are on and why, and whether they might be biased. A declaration of members' interests, of a sort. So, I am going to be talking to you about reading. I'm going to tell you that libraries are important. I'm going to suggest that reading fiction, that reading for pleasure, is one of the most important things one can do. I'm going to make an impassioned plea for people to understand what libraries and librarians are, and to preserve both of these things.

"And I am biased, obviously and enormously: I'm an author, often an author of fiction. I write for children and for adults. For about 30 years I have been earning my living though my words, mostly by making things up and writing them down. It is obviously in my interest for people to read, for them to read fiction, for libraries and librarians to exist and help foster a love of reading and places in which reading can occur.

"So I'm biased as a writer. But I am much, much more biased as a reader. And I am even more biased as a British citizen.

"And I'm here giving this talk tonight, under the auspices of the Reading Agency: a charity whose mission is to give everyone an equal chance in life by helping people become confident and enthusiastic readers. Which supports literacy programs, and libraries and individuals and nakedly and wantonly encourages the act of reading. Because, they tell us, everything changes when we read.

"And it's that change, and that act of reading that I'm here to talk about tonight. I want to talk about what reading does. What it's good for."

Click here for the full article.

Source: Gaiman, N. (2013, October 15). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming