Do you remember the game “Six Degrees of
Kevin Bacon” that went around the internet a few years ago? In the game,
players try to see how many degrees of separation are between any single actor
and Kevin Bacon, who has been in wide variety of movies.
For example, Elvis Presley’s
Bacon Number is 2. Elvis was in Blue Hawaii with John Archer who was in the
Little Sister with Kevin Bacon.
The game, which has spawned two
websites and several apps as well as a Google search (‘Bacon number: Elvis
Presley’) is even touted as the “precursor to social media”. Twitter thanks
you, Kevin Bacon!
It’s fun to make connections.
Like we talked about last week,
our students really struggle with Level 3 thinking. Level 3 thinking often
involves thinking abstractly, making connections, and planning with evidence.
I want to challenge you to have
your kids use Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (or a number of connection strategies
below) to help them think about connections within and outside of content.
Here are my caveats:
a.
Don’t tell them the answers! Please..... no matter how “off”
they are. Make THEM come up with better answers.
b.
Model the Thinking! Demonstrate how you would do this. Show
them what it looks like!
c.
Gradually Release it! You do the strategy. Then, try it
whole-class. Then, do it in small groups. Then have them do it on their own.
That’s how skill-learning works!
So here are a BUNCH of strategies
to help kids practice Level 3 thinking. I challenge you -- I double dog dare
you -- to try to use one every day. Mix it up or keep it consistent. But do
SOME Level 3 thinking every day.
1.
Agree or Disagree – WITH EVIDENCE
a.
How? Have kids decide if they agree or
disagree with a particular statement AND give evidence from text.
b.
Like? Statements like “The Red Cross
is the most helpful International Organization” or “Brown vs. Board was the
biggest event in the Civil Rights movement” or “The executive branch has more
power than the judicial branch”
c.
Why? If they can use evidence to
justify their opinions, they can recognize when it’s used elsewhere.
2.
Hypothetical Situations
a.
How? Have kids create plausible
hypotheses about what they know about government – and defend their hypotheses
with evidence.
b.
Like? For example: “Abraham
Lincoln would believe _____ about federal income taxes based on…..” Or “If
there was a major hurricane to hit Tampa Bay, the organization _____ would be
the biggest help to people in need because … ”
c.
Why? One of the “types” of Level 3
thinking is making predictions and using evidence as support.
3.
Reason and Draw Conclusions –
a.
How? Help the students to practice
drawing conclusions based on a reading that doesn’t explicitly state them.
b.
Like? For example, have students draw
conclusions about what group(s) the 14th
amendment was talking about when it was passed and what groups might be debated
about, under the 14th amendment today.
c.
Why? One of the types of Level 3
thinking is “reasoning and drawing conclusions”.
4.
Now and Then –
a.
How? Have kids apply certain
principles to historical and modern scenarios.
b.
Like? For example. What might have
been an example of the “right to bear arms” during colonial times and what
might be a modern example – and why are the two examples different?
c.
Why? Another facet of Level 3 thinking
is applying a concept to a new situation
5.
Compare and Contrast (with nuances) –
a.
How? Have students compare two
different constitutions, amendments, court cases, international organizations.
They need to come up with more than just one similarity or difference and they
need to get past the obvious.
b.
Like? For example, Plessy vs.
Ferguson and Brown vs. Board are not just different because they had different
“answers” to separate vs. equal. They’re different because one involved an
adult, the other, a child. One led to MORE segregation and the other to LESS segregation.
Look at the justice’s opinions they gave.
c.
Why? Comparing and contrasting with
evidence and nuances is a Level 3 skill.
6.
Explain a pattern –
a.
How? Have kids explain a certain
pattern.
b.
Like? For example, give them two
different years’ electoral maps and have them explain the difference in the
voting results. Give them two different federal budget categories and have kids
hypothesize or explain why spending rose, fell, or held steady.
c.
Why? Explaining a pattern is another
example of Level 3 thinking
7.
New Situation –
a.
How? Give kids a scenario and see if
they can apply a Civics concept to that new scenario.
b.
Like? For example, how does the 1st amendment
of free speech apply to online bullying? How does the concept of social
contract apply in areas with extremely low civic participation?
c.
Why? Being able to apply a principle
or concept to a different scenario is another example of Level 3 thinking.
8.
Evaluate effectiveness –
a.
How? Have kids evaluate the
effectiveness of an event, a law, or a concept, using evidence.
b.
Like? How well did Brown vs. Board
desegregate schools? How well did it desegregate America as a whole? Where did
it work best? Where did it work least? How well did the Federalist Papers
influence Americans and modern politics? In what aspects of modern life do
people still believe in its concepts? Where don’t they?
c.
Why? If students can evaluate the
effectiveness of something, they first know enough and second think deeply
enough about a topic to make those decisions. They key is WHY
I double-dog dare you to try one
of these every day until your EOC to give your kids consistent practice in
Level 3 thinking.
Did you try one? Or more than
one? As always, let me know! And who’s your favorite Bacon connection?
By the way, my Bacon Number is
infinity. Because, you know, I haven’t been in any movies. But Charlie Chaplin
has a Bacon Number of 2! Who knew?
-Tracy
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