• Analyze, evaluate, and apply information
• Look at things or ideas from different perspectives
• Look at causes and effects, pros and cons, consequences of actions or decisions
• Look at alternative choices, ideas, solutions, etc.
• Take apart ideas or information and study the various pieces

• Math Strategies (make a list, look for a pattern, guess and test, draw a picture, work backwards)
• Logic Problems (matrix logic and analogies)
• Mystery Can (questioning strategies)
• Chess

Students learn to:

• Look at ideas in new, different, or unusual ways
• Take an idea and create a new idea from it; going beyond what already exists or has been tried before
• Combining ideas for new solutions, ideas, creations
• Generating ideas, solutions that are different from the "norm" for one's peers

• Creative Problem Solving
• Transformations
• Introduce creative thinking components (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration)

• Determine questions to investigate
• Search out information to answer those questions
• Read critically - picking out important, relevant information concerning the topic or questions
• Compile information in order to organize and/or share it with others

• Endangered Species Research Project
• Parts of a book and how to use them
• Introduction to library skills
• Note taking
• Products - how to make and use various products as a way to share information

• Develop a positive attitude about oneself, one's abilities, and one's learning
• Develop the ability to direct and be responsible for one's own learning
• Develop the ability to cooperate and work with others

"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome." --Dr. Samuel Johnson

• Quotes
• Centers

The students experience a night at the zoo. They take several night walks to observe the nocturnal animals in their natural environment. They are allowed to hold and examine animals that they may not ever have another opportunity to hold.