Daily Mind Builders: Social Studies - Quick, Fun Brain Energizers for Grades 5+
- PDF
Description
A 137-page printable PDF ebook for grades 5 and up to wake up sleeping brains with fun daily doses of critical thinking!
This book is comprised of intriguing social studies themed activity pages to wake up sleepy brains for the day's lessons. Each activity page takes about 5-15-minutes to solve and develops the most important reading comprehension skill found on all standardized reading tests. Synthesizing disparate information and using the result to produce a reasonable conclusion is an essential skill assessed on standardized reading tests. This comprehension skill usually determines a student's reading score–and every Daily Mind Builders: Social Studies activity develops this skill.
The first puzzle is a short, true mystery. Its solution requires careful reading, inferential reasoning, and deductive thinking. The second puzzle involves deductive thinking, and is designed to build vocabulary and associative thinking skills. This puzzle uses a process of elimination involving the meanings of words or relationships between words. Try a sample and you'll be hooked!
The best use of these books is when presented as a non-threatening, non-graded, fun activity where students are praised for all logical answers even if they don't happen to be the correct answers. Remember, in critical thinking, the journey is as important as the destination, and all reasonable efforts at critical thinking should be commended.
These intriguing puzzles can also be used as a:
- Motivational beginning activity as an addition to the curriculum.
- Culminating activity after a lesson or at the end of the day.
- Fill-in activity when there is an awkward time break during the school day.
- Valid educational activity for students who finish assigned activities earlier than their classmates.
Optional Thinking Map!
Some students benefit by filling out the optional reproducible Daily Mind Builders Thinking Map each time they solve an activity page.
Skills
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
- Evidence
- Critical Reading
- Inferential Reasoning
- Deductive Reasoning
- Drawing Conclusions
Awards
- Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year
- Creative Child Magazine Media of the Year
- Dr. Toy Best Smart Play / Smart Toy Product
- Learning® Magazine Winning Resource for Successful Teaching
- Mom's Choice Awards Gold Medal for Excellence
- Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented Legacy Book Award Nominee
