Building Thinking Skills Book 1 with Answers

SKU
003347
ISBN
9781601441492
Grade 2-4
Neutral
Low Teacher Involvement
Multi-Sensory
Other Materials Required
Spiral
Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.
Our Price
$19.99
Description
Publisher's Description of Building Thinking Skills Book 1 with Answers

This engaging 376-page book develops critical thinking skills necessary for success in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and standardized tests in Grades 2-3. The Building Thinking Skills® series is the bestselling thinking skills program in the world! The engaging, highly-effective activities are developmentally sequenced. Each skill (for example, classifying) is presented first in the semi-concrete figural-spatial form and then in the abstract verbal form. Students also learn important academic vocabulary, concepts, and skills as they analyze relationships between objects, between words, and between objects and words by:

  • Observing, recognizing, and describing characteristics
  • Distinguishing similarities and differences
  • Identifying and completing sequences, classifications, and analogies

These processes help students develop superior thinking and communication skills that lead to deeper content learning in all subjects.

LEVEL 1

Figural-Spatial Skills

  • Describing shapes
  • Figures: compare / describe /copy / enlarge / divide
  • Diagrams: overlapping classes / Venn / branching / cycle
  • Mental pattern folding / symmetry
  • Directionality / Position in space
  • Mental rotation / reflection / tumbling / stacking / folding of 2-D objects
  • Congruence / area / volume
  • Analogies: size / color / orientation / detail
  • Visual motor integration and memory
  • Use of graphic organizers

Verbal Skills

  • Spelling / Vocabulary / Writing: describing things and words
  • Following and writing 1-, 2-, and 3-step directions
  • Antonyms / synonyms
  • Analogies: kind of / part of / used to / association / action
  • Deductive / Inductive reasoning
  • Parts of a whole
  • Map reading
  • Writing directions
  • Logic: if-then / yes-no / true-false
  • Orientation: person / place / time
  • Auditory memory
  • Language acquisition

Teaching Support

Activities are modeled to reinforce skills and concepts. An answer guide is now included, however, a separate Instruction/Answer Guide is also available but is not required. The optional teaching guide includes objectives and focus questions that reinforce analytical skills. See components sold separately above for ordering information about the separate, optional Instruction/Answer Guide.

Category Description for Building Thinking Skills

This is a very complete thinking skills program, covering all of the figural and verbal skills your children are likely to see on a standardized test. The publisher, Critical Thinking Press, states that Building Thinking Skills is "designed to significantly improve verbal and figural skills in four important areas: similarities and differences, sequences, classifications, and analogies. Proficiency in these skills is the cornerstone of success in all academic areas, on standardized tests, and on college entrance exams." They have scads of testimonials documenting the correlation between use of this series and increased test scores. We have no doubt that all the practice you get in using this series would, indeed, improve test scores. More importantly, many of the specific skills practiced here also have application in different professions. Other skills would seem to generally improve your ability to "see things" in different ways or train your mind to stretch in different directions.

The broader goals of this series are translated into specific skills and exercises within these areas. Learning is spiral within skills, within books, and between levels. That is, exercises progress in sophistication and scope within each book, and from level to level. This translates into several hefty worktexts full of practice exercises that children actually enjoy doing! Except for the Primary level, students can work pretty much on their own, proceeding as quickly through the series as they're able. If you're starting an older child in the series, however, use the suggested grade levels for proper placement.

Category Description for Building Thinking Skills Book 1

Use after completion of Primary book or as soon as children can read (or you can read directions to them). Strictly pencil and paper activities here with practice in such things as identifying figural and verbal similarities and differences, sequencing, classifying, developing analogies, following directions and logical connectives (AND, OR). Answers included. 363 pgs. Revised in 2006.

An optional Teacher CD is also available. It contains the full text of the Teacher's Edition in PDF format. Although answers are already included in the worktext, the Teacher CD also features objectives, focus questions and additional background information for the teacher.

The software version features the same activities in an interactive format. There are 10 levels of activities, and players can choose from "mission" mode where they complete activities in order or "practice" mode for review. Approximately 40 activities are included in the software, with over 800 questions in all. Instructions are both spoken and written. System requirements: Windows 98/NT/Me/2000/XP/Vista or Mac OS X (10.3+), PowerPC. 128 MB RAM for either.

Details
More Information
Product Format:Paperback Book
Brand:Critical Thinking Company
Author:Sandra Parks
Grades:2-4
ISBN:9781601441492
Length in Inches:11
Width in Inches:8.5
Height in Inches:1
Weight in Pounds:2.7
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