This practical, very effective resource helps middle and high school teachers and curriculum leaders develop the skills to design instructional tasks and assessments that engage students in higher-level critical thinking, as recommended by the Common Core State Standards. Real examples of formative and summative assessments from a variety of content areas are included and demonstrate how to successfully increase the level of critical thinking in every classroom! This book is also an excellent resource for higher education faculty to use in undergraduate and graduate courses on assessment and lesson planning.

Rebecca Stobaugh received a PhD from the University of Louisville. As a middle-school and high-school teacher, she was named Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Kentucky Council for Social Studies in 2004. In her position as a middle-school principal, she focused on aligning curriculum, increasing the level of critical thinking in assessments and instruction, and establishing a school-wide discipline plan. Currently, she serves as an assistant professor at Western Kentucky University, teaching assessment and unit-planning courses in the teacher education program. She supervises first-year teachers and consults with school districts on critical thinking, instructional strategies, assessment, technology integration, and other topics.

Chapter 1 1 Importance of Critical Thinking; Chapter 2 2 Applying Bloom's Taxonomy in Your Classroom; Chapter 3 3 Misconceptions, Challenges, and a Solution; Chapter 4 4 Scenarios and Real-World Applications; Chapter 5 5 Visual Materials; Chapter 6 6 Quotations; Chapter 7 7 Establishing a Culture of Thinking; Chapter 8 8 Conclusion;