Index of Critical Thinking Challenges - Grade 5
The CPR: A Symbol of Triumph or Tragedy?
Students will assess the position of the various peoples affected by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (Eastern Canadians and the Native Peoples). Was the railway a symbol of "Triumph" or a symbol of "Tragedy"?
Dimensions of Light: Formulating Powerful Questions
Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the impact of both natural and artificial light upon the earth, and to explore scientific discoveries and inventions involving light, as well as the cultural impact of light through the process of Powerful Interviews.
Father: Cruel or Loving?
Students will form a judgment regarding the punishment enforced by Mr. Ingalls in the novel Little House in the Big Woods. Is Father cruel or loving?
Formulating "Awesome" Questions
Students will be asked to interview a person who has immigrated to Canada. Students will be required to use higher thinking skills to formulate questions that require extensive answers.
Gold Fever: To Go or Not To Go
Students will form a judgment about whether they would have caught 'gold fever', and headed off up north to get rich quick during the gold rush.
Gold Rush: Good or Bad for B.C.?
The students will become familiar with the geographic regions influenced by the BC Gold Rush. They will analyze the impact the Gold Rush had on economic development and lifestyle as seen from the differing perspectives of local native peoples and those who might profit from subsequent business developments. Students will form a judgment about whether or not the Gold rush was beneficial for B.C.
Hero or Hologram?
Students will identify, define, and validate a contemporary hero of their choice and critically evaluate their criteria for choosing that hero. Participants will learn to access tools they can use to become conscious of the distinction between hero, celebrity, and role model.
Hudson's Bay Company Contracts
Do you feel the conditions of your contract with the Hudson's Bay Company are fair or unfair? Based on your feelings, will you renew your contract with the Hudson's Bay Company?
Immigrants In Canada
Students are asked to compile a list of ideas, points, and arguments for a specific side on an issue about immigration. In two groups, students choose the most important four to five points, and debate them with the other half of the class.
Investigating the Morality of a Story Hero
Students are asked to identify good and bad character types. Their task is to label characters as good or bad, and to determine whether a character can have both traits.
Jack Vs. The Giant
In preparation for a debate/character trial as a culmination to a study of Fairy Tales, students study a classic version of this story, and then brainstorm criteria for a powerful question to be presented by the "Prosecutor", "Judge", or "Defending Lawyer" at a trial (we determined that the Giant would remain alive after his fall). Students learn about Canadian Judicial procedures, and apply them in this setting.
Our Cultural Mosaic - Designing a Celebration
Ensure that the students have a knowledge of various cultural traditions involving "Celebrations of Light" and are able to compare/contrast differences in beliefs, practices, and values. It is hoped that students are becoming familiar with how societies borrow and adapt these celebrations in order to reflect their own changing cultural values and beliefs.
Some Toys Are Real
Students will become familiar with the story, The Velveteen Rabbit. After discussing various aspects of the story, the students will then be asked to write their own story about how a toy becomes REAL.