This series develops the critical thinking skills necessary for success in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and standardized tests. These award-winning books comprise the best-selling thinking skills program in the world! The engaging, highly-effective activities are developmentally sequenced. Each skill (for example, classifying) is presented first in the semi-concrete, figural-spatial form and then in the abstract verbal form. Students also learn important academic vocabulary, concepts, and skills as they analyze relationships between objects, between words, and between objects and words by:
- Observing, recognizing, and describing characteristics
- Distinguishing similarities and differences
- Identifying and completing sequences, classifications, and analogies
These processes help students develop superior thinking and communication skills that lead to deeper content learning in all subjects.
LEVEL 1 (Grades 2-3) | LEVEL 2 (Grades 4-6)
Figural-Spatial Skills
- Describing shapes
- Figures: compare/describe/copy/enlarge/divide
- Diagrams: overlapping classes/Venn/branching/cycle
- Mental pattern folding/symmetry
- Directionality/Position in space
- Mental rotation/reflection/tumbling/stacking/folding of 2-D objects
- Congruence/area/volume
- Analogies: size/color/orientation/detail
- Visual motor integration and memory
- Use of graphic organizers
Verbal Skills
- Spelling/Vocabulary/Writing: describing things and words
- Following and writing 1-, 2-, and 3-step directions
- Antonyms/synonyms
- Analogies: kind of/part of/used to/association/action
- Deductive/Inductive reasoning
- Parts of a whole
- Map reading
- Writing directions
- Logic: if-then/yes-no/true-false
- Orientation: person/place/time
- Auditory memory
- Language acquisition
LEVEL 3 FIGURAL (Grades 7-12+)
Figural-Spatial Skills
- Describing shapes
- Figures: compare/describe/copy/enlarge/divide
- Diagrams: overlapping classes/Venn/branching/cycle
- Mental pattern folding/symmetry
- Directionality/Position in space
- Mental rotation/reflection/tumbling/stacking/folding of 2-D objects
- Congruence/area/volume
- Analogies: size/color/orientation/detail
- Visual motor integration and memory
- Use of graphic organizers
- Symmetry/Tessellation of solids
LEVEL 3 VERBAL (Grades 7-12+)
Verbal Skills
- Spelling/Vocabulary/Writing: describing things and words
- Following and writing 1-, 2-, and 3-step directions
- Antonyms/synonyms
- Analogies: kind of/part of/used to/association/action
- Deductive/Inductive reasoning
- Parts of a whole
- Map reading
- Writing directions
- Logic: if-then/yes-no/true-false
- Orientation: person/place/time
- Auditory memory
- Language acquisition
- Denotation and connotation/degree of meaning
- 38-43 activities, 800-900+ questions
- Multi-user login
- Can be played in adventure mode or practice mode
- Detailed spoken and graphical instructions for each question
- On-screen and printable guide
- Adjustable scoring rubric for varied abilities
- Self-grading
- On-screen and printable student data
- Saves unfinished activities
- Fun word search reward games
- On-screen and printable reward certificates
The Primary level book requires both attribute blocks and interlocking cubes. See below for order information for these manipulatives.
North Carolina Case Study
