Higher Level Thinking Skills

Bloom's Taxonomy

It is essential that the teaching of language arts incorporates the use of higher level
thinking skills. One model of thinking skills is Bloom’s Taxonomy which focuses on six
levels for the students to practice.

• Knowledge – Recall or locate information

• Comprehension – Understand learned facts
• Application – Apply what has been learned to new situations
• Analysis – “Take apart” information to examine different parts
• Synthesis – Create or invent something; bring together more than one idea
• Evaluation – Consider evidence to support conclusions

In order to teach the standards of the curriculum framework, teachers, as a matter of course, cover
the knowledge, comprehension and application skills. They are encouraged to incorporate the skills of
analysis, synthesis and evaluation in their language arts lessons/activities. The following pages are a
resource for teachers to enable them to better teach these skills to students.
 Bloom’s Taxonomy
Sentence Skeletons

Level 1, Knowledge

1. What is the definition for ?

2. Trace the pattern .
3. Review the facts .
4. Name the characteristics of .
5. List the steps for .

Level 2, Comprehension

1. Tell why these ideas are similar.

2. In your own words retell the story of .
3. Classify these concepts.
4. Relate how these ideas are different.
5. What happened after ?
6. Tell some examples.
7. Make a model of .
8. Take notes on .
9. Draw a picture to .
10. Give the proper sequence for .
11. If A is related to B, then X is related to .
12. Act out what happened .

Level 3, Application
1. Graph the data.
2. Demonstrate the way to .
3. Which one is most like ?
4. Practice .
5. Act out the way a person would .
6. Use whatever means necessary to .
7. Calculate the .
8. Complete the solution for .
9. Use the technique of to solve the problem.

Level 4, Analysis
1. What are the component parts of ?
2. Which steps are important in the process of ?
3. If , then .
4. What other conclusions can you reach about that have not been
mentioned?
5. The difference between the fact and the hypothesis is .
6. The solution would be to .
7. What is the relationship between and ?
8. What is the pattern of ?
9. How would you make a ?
10. Which material is the most valuable in enabling to ?
Level 5, Synthesis
1. Create a model that shows your new ideas .
2. Devise an original plan or experiment for .
3. Finish the incomplete .
4. Make a hypothesis about .
5. Change so that it will .
6. Propose a method to .
7. Prescribe a new way to .
8. Give a book a new title.
9. Speculate on questions that experts in the field need to answer to solve the problem of
.

Level 6, Evaluation
1. In your opinion .
2. Appraise the chances for .
3. Grade or rank the .
4. What do you think will be the outcome ?
5. What solution do you favor and why?
6. Which systems are best? Worst?
7. Rate the relative value of these ideas to .
 Bloom’s Taxonomy
Definitions/Examples
Definition
Knowledge Recall or locate information.
Comprehension Understand “learned” facts.
Application Apply what has been learned
to new situations.
Analysis “Take apart” information to
examine different parts.
Synthesis Create or invent something;
bring together more than one
idea.
Evaluation Consider evidence used to
support conclusion.
Sample Activity
Knowledge: Define,
recognize, recall, identify,
label, understand, examine,
show, collect.
- What is the definition of a
cell?
Comprehension: Translate,
interpret, explain, describe,
summarize, extrapolate.
- In your own words,
explain photosynthesis.
Application: Apply, solve,
experiment, show, predict.
- Which character in this
story is most like someone
you know?
Analysis: Correct, relate,
differentiate, classify, arrange,
check, group, distinguish,
organize, categorize, detect,
compare, infer.
What other conclusions can
you reach about ?
that have not been mentioned?
- What steps are important in
the process of ?
Synthesis: Produce, propose,
design, plan, combine,
formulate, compose,
hypothesize, construct.
- Change so that
it will .
- Propose an alternative for
.
Evaluation: Appraise, judge,
criticize, decide.
- What do you think will be
the outcome?
- In your opinion .
 Bloom’s Taxonomy
Questioning Clue Words

KNOWLEDGE COMPREHENSION APPLICATION ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS EVALUATION

Define Explain Demonstrate Organize Compare Judge

Who Conclude Use it to solve Why do you Create Argue

support

When Compare How can you use What are the Suppose Will it work
it causes

Where Summarize Illustrate List the Imagine Defend your

problems position

Name Reconstruct In what ways Arrange Devise Rate in order of

preference

Tell Organize Where does it How would Form a new

lead you you start

How many Tell why Tell the Explain How many What
consequences new ways Conclusion

List Tell in your What other Distinguish Plan Decide which

own words reasons between

Identify Describe What would Analyze Propose Rate

happen if

State Translate Interpret Examine Design Assess

Does Restate Apply Question Formulate Choose

Locate Discuss Employ Solve Construct Evaluate

Recognize Use Relate Set up Select

Express Dramatize Categorize Prepare

Report Differentiate Develop

What does it mean Compare

and contrast

What reasons What was

the purpose

What is the difference

 Bloom’s Taxonomy
Model Questions & Key Words to Use in Developing Questions

1. Knowledge (eliciting factual answers, testing recall and recognition)

Who Where Describe Which one

What How Define What is the one best
Why How much Match Choose
When What does it mean Select Omit

2. Comprehension (translating, interpreting, and extrapolating)

State in your own words Classify Which are facts, opinions

What does this mean Judge Is this the same as
Give an example Infer Select the best definition
Condense this paragraph Show What would happen if
State in one word Indicate Explain what is happening
What part doesn’t fit Tell Explain what it means
What restriction would you add Translate Read the graph, table
What exceptions are there Outline This represents
Which is more probable Summarize Is it valid that
What are they saying Select Which statements support the main
What seems to be Match idea
What seems likely Explain Show in a graph, table
Represent
Demonstrate

3. Application (to situations that are new, unfamiliar, or have a new slant for students)

Predict what would happen if

Choose the best statements that apply
Select
Judge the effects
What would result
Explain
Identify the results of
Tell what would happen
Tell how, when, where, why
Tell how much change there would be

4. Analysis (breaking down into parts, forms)

Distinguish What is the function of What’s the theme, main idea,

Identify What’s fact, opinion subordinate idea
What assumptions What statement is relevant, What inconsistencies, fallacies
What conclusions extraneous to, related to, not What literary form is used
Make a distinction applicable What persuasive technique
What is the premise What does author believe, assume What relationships between
What ideas apply, not apply State the point of view of
Implicit in the statement is the idea What ideas justify conclusion
of The least essential statements are
5. Synthesis (combining elements into a pattern not clearly there before)

Write (according to the following limitations)

Create How would you test Make up
Tell Propose an alternative Compose
Make Solve the following Formulate a theory
Do Plan How else would you
Dance Design State a rule
Choose Develop

6. Evaluation (according to some set of criteria, and state why)

Appraise What fallacies, consistencies, inconsistencies appear
Judge Which is more important, moral, better, logical, valid
Criticize appropriate, inappropriate
Defend Find the errors
Compare