Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Dalton Intermediate School
Radford, Virginia
Mrs. Swope

Welcome to Critical Thinking! Your experiences in this semester-long exploratory course help you identify and develop your intellectual strengths and creative abilities. You will do both individual and group work. Your grades will come from projects, classwork, homework, and quizzes.

Critical Thinking students participate in the Egg Toss assignment.

Max shows us his invention, which won third place in the 2009 Spring Invention Fair.

PARENTS: You can contact me at school by phone (731-3649, ext. 6619) or by email lswope@rcps.org . I have asked your child to provide your email address, and I will email you about our class. Also, check at http://new.schoolnotes.com/lswope58 for weekly updates about what we are doing in class.

STUDENTS: You will need a folder with pockets and some notebook paper for this class! Also, bring a jump drive and your pen or pencil everyday! In this class, we will focus on higher level thinking skills and different learning styles. We will work on listening, communication, inventiveness, and creativity. Our units will be based on topics such as: The Brain and How We Think, Inventiveness and the Invention Project, Debate, Self-Knowledge and Interpersonal Relationships, and The United States During the Twentieth Century. We also will work on teambuilding, reasoning, and writing. During the last six weeks, we will read either a novel or a book and work on reading comprehension skills.

There are four very important rules for this class:

We work everyday.

We listen to the teacher and to each other.

We participate in class activities.

We respect each other.

NOTE: During the 2009-10 school year, a second section of Critical Thinking will be taught during sixth period. This course will be taught as an exploratory course that is twelve weeks long and will cover some of the same topics addressed in the semester-long course.