Lesson Title: The Good Thinker’s Tool Kit: Critical, Complex & Philosophical Thinking in the Context of GlobalIssues
Course: Global Issues

Grade Level: 11th and 12th

School: Mid-Pacific Institute

School Context/Classroom Culture: Mid-Pacific Institute is an independent school located in Manoa Valley. It isa “college-preparatory community founded on Christian values,” which focuses on developing students’ intellectual,emotional, artistic, spiritual and physical strengths so that they become compassionate and responsible life longlearners and global citizens. The Global Issues class that this lesson was designed for is made up of 7 girls and 13boys who are all Juniors and Seniors. The students in this class predominantly identify as Asian or Mixed-Ethnicity,and three of the students identify as Caucasian. None of the students in the class qualify for Special Education or
are English Language Learners. Global Issues is the final Social Studies half credit (0.5) that upperclassmen take tomeet our graduation requirements. It is a Semester course, which is followed by another half credit course (eitherWorld Cultures, Asian Studies, or Hawaiian Studies).
Duration of the Lesson: 1 one and half-hour class period
Larger Learning Segment of this Lesson/C3 Dimension: This lesson is part of a larger unit/learning segment
titled, “The Impact of Globalization on American Culture.” It is the first unit/learning segment of Global Issues,
which is taught at the beginning of the course. In this unit/learning segment the students are introduced to the four
dimensions of the C3 Framework Inquiry Arc. In this particular lesson the students will learn how to use the Good
Thinker’s Tool Kit to “Develop Questions and Plan Inquiries” (Dimension 1, C3 Framework). The students will beintroduced to the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit and apply it to asking critical, complex and philosophical questions
about the photographic series titled, Material World Global Family Portrait. The purpose of this lesson is to equip thestudents with questioning tools for meaningful learner-centered inquiry. Following this lesson, students will berequired to use the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit to generate philosophical questions that they genuinely wonder aboutat the beginning of their inquiries.
Standards and Benchmarks That Are the Target of Student Learning in this Lesson:
Hawaii Content and Performance Standards
Philosophical Inquiry Standard 1: Philosophical Community of Inquiry
Benchmark SS.PI.1.3 Identify, explain and apply the seven reasoning tools of The Good Thinker’s Tool Kit (whatdo you mean by, reasons, assumptions, inferences, truth and implications, examples/evidence, and counterexamples/counter-evidence) to make progress in a philosophical inquiry.
Common Core English Language Arts
Speaking and Listening 11 -12 (SL.1.C) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one- on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building onothers’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. C. Propel conversations by posing and responding
to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue;
clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
C3 Framework
Dimension One: Individually and with others students construct compelling questions.
Compelling Question of the Lesson:
What are some examples of how I can apply the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit to constructing critical, complex andphilosophical questions?
Supporting Questions in the Lesson:
What does each letter of the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit stand for?
What is the thinking skill that is represented by each letter of the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit?
What are some question stems and claim starters for each letter of the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit?

For each letter of the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit, what are some examples of questions/claims about the Material
World Global Family Portraits?
Student Learning Objectives

Student Assessment ActivitiesAssessment Tools

Students and teachers will:
1. Identify the seven tools of the“Good Thinker’s Tool Kit”
(GTTK) that are used for
critical, complex andphilosophical thinking.
2. Explain the “thinking move”
that is represented by each letterof the GTTK.
3. Describe how each letter of theGTTK can be used to ask
questions or make claims.
4. Initiate and participate in a small
group discussion in which all
members of the group work
together to apply each letter of
the GTTK to generate questions
and make claims about theMaterial World Global Family
Portraits.

Students will:
1. Write each letter of the GTTK at
the top of each page of their
GTTK Book.

Teachers will:1., 2. & 3. Use the GTTK Handout
created by the Uehiro Academy tocheck for accuracy in the students’
GTTK Books, including each letterof the GTTK, an explanation ofeach “thinking move” represented
by each letter of the GTTK, andquestion/claim stems for each letterof the GTTK.

5. Listen to a full range ofquestions generated about each
Material World Global Family
Portraits, identify divergent andcreative perspectives and selectone sample of a GTTK question
or claim to write down.

2. Write an explanation of each“thinking move” of the GTTK
in their GTTK book.
3. Write question and claim stems
for each letter of the GTTK in
their GTTK book.
4. Discuss with their small groupmembers how each of letter of
the GTTK can be used to ask aquestion or make a claim about
the Material World Global Family
Portraits that they are provided.
This will include generating
sample GTTK questions andclaims about each Material World
Global Family Portraits picture.
5. Listen to each small group share
the GTTK questions and claims
that they generated about theMaterial World Global Family
Portraits. Write down at least one
sample GTTK question or claimin their GTTK book.

4. Use the GTTK Handout tofacilitate and check for accuracy
during the small group discussions.

5. Use the GTTK Handout toevaluate the accuracy and relevancy
of each group’s sample GTTK
question or claim.

Objectives for the Next Lesson:
1. Apply the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit as you read Having a Color Blind Approach to Racism is Actually Racist and write
text annotations.
2. Generate one Good Thinker’s Tool Kit question based on the text that you genuinely wonder about and wantto think about and discuss with this class.
Description of the Instructional Strategies Used in this Lesson
1. Student Created Reference Books – In this teaching strategy, students use origami (paper folding methods) tocreate a their own personal small reference book that they can take notes in and apply to course assignments
throughout the semester.
2. Learner-Centered Good Thinker’s Tool Kit Questions/Claims - The Good Thinkers Toolkit is a heuristic
device that is designed to promote and evaluate the student’s development as responsible and critical thinkers,
and in this teaching strategy students learn about the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit so that they can initiate, identify,
and evaluate the type of thinking needed to move an inquiry to an intellectually deep level (i.e. “scratch beneaththe surface”). As a part of this process they are explicitly taught and given multiple opportunities to practice theseven cognitive components of the “Good Thinker’s Toolkit” (Jackson, 2001, pg. 463). The seven indicators forcritical, complex and philosophical thinking included in the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit are: W- what do you meanby that? R- what are the reasons? A- what is being assumed? Or what can I assume? I – can I infer ____ from

_____? Or where are there inferences being made? T- is what is being said true and what does it imply if it istrue? E – are there any examples to prove what is being said? C – are there any counter-examples to disprove
what is being said? Students are encouraged to back up any claim or insight, such as an inference, with relevantevidence or reasons to identify hidden assumptions and so on.
3. Direct Instruction/Small Group Inquiry – In this instruction al strategy the teacher provides each individual
student with direct instruction about content specific topic or how something is done (e.g. how to ask critical,complex and philosophical questions). After each instructional segment (e.g. a letter of the GTTK is introduced)
the teacher asks the students to apply what they were given during direct instruction to initiate a discussion andinquire together with a small group (e.g. generating a GTTK question or claim about a group of photographs).
After each group has been given enough time to think together, and develop their inquiry they are asked toshare what they inquired about with the large group.
4. Community Ball - The community ball is a learner-centered instructional strategy that provides students with atool for mediating turn taking during large group discussion. By passing the community ball from person toperson during class discussions, students learn how to take turns in a well-regulated group discussion. The ball
gradually empowers the students to feel comfortable in calling on each other and to take ownership of theirinquiry. The community ball does this by establishing making concrete certain rules and agreements necessary
for a fruitful; discussion to take place: 1) only the person with the community ball can speak; 2) students andteachers always have the right to pass; and 3) the person with the community ball chooses who speaks next.
These rules for engagement help teachers and students keep philosophical discussion at the heart of most majorclassroom activities.
5. Daily Reflection – At the end of each class period students complete a written reflection that responds to thefollowing questions: How does what you learned today connect to your life and the world you live in? Do you
see a different perspective or point of view? Use textual evidence AND ideas/quotes from classmates/teacher
to support your response.
List of Resources/Materials Used in this Lesson:
Resources
1. Printed and mounted Material World Global Family Portraits photographs. There should be at least two
different family portraits for each small group.
2. One Uehiro Academy Good Thinker’s Tool Kit Handout for each student.
3. Daily Reflection handout
4. The class community ball.
Materials
1. One piece of computer paper for each student.
Agenda:1. Construct “My Good Thinker’s Tool Kit Books”
2. Fill In” the Contents of Our Good Thinker’s Tool Kit Booksa. Identify and write each letter of the GTTK
b. Explain what each letter of the GTTK is used forc. Small Group Inquiry – apply each letter of the GTTK to asking a questions/making claims about
Material World Global Family Portraits
d. Orally share examples of GTTK questions/claimse. Write down GTTK examples
3. Reflect on today’s class
Annotated Agenda:
Agenda:8:00 Arrange the room into six small group clusters. Each chair in each small cluster will need to be able to see theboard. Write down today’s objectives and agenda on the white board. On another white board create the following
chart:WRA

ITEC

What it isused forQuestion/
claim stem
Example---bell rings--8:10 Encourage the students to find a group that they work well with for today’s lesson. Help students move intodifferent groups if they are not making good decisions about who to work with.
8:15 Read through today’s lesson objectives and provide the students with multiple reasons that explain how theywill benefit from learning about the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit. Make sure to incorporate a class reason (e.g. need touse the GTTK to generate questions for our discussions), school reason (e.g. help you make connections between
what you are learning in different classes), job reason (e.g. to provide employees with reasons why your company
has certain policies), relationship reason (e.g. to explore with your boyfriend or girlfriend what you mean by love),and introduce students to Plato’s notion of the “unexamined life being not worth living.” (Before moving on to thenext activity make sure that the students are in their groups and that each student can see the board). I will also
explain that today’s activities will provide us with tools to help us think philosophically about the concepts andcontent that we will be studying in Global Issues.
8:20 Pass out one piece of blank computer paper to each student. Show the students a sample Good Thinker’s ToolKit Book. Walk the students step-by-step through the origami process of folding the paper to make their Good
Thinker’s Tool Kit books: (1) Hot-dog fold. (2) Hamburger fold. (3) Fold the hamburger in half. (4) Open up thehamburger fold and tear to the middle crease. (5) Hot-dog fold and make a diamond in the middle. (6) Collapse thefolds into an eight-page book. Have the students create a title book for their page, “My Good Thinker’s Tool Kit
Book,” and have them write their name on this page.
8:30 Reference the chart on the board and explain to the class the process that we will be going through tocomplete their GTTK books. For each page of their book this will include:a. The letter of the GTTK detailed on that pageb. An explanation of what the letter of the GTTK is used forc. A Small Group Inquiry – where the group works to apply each letter of the GTTK to asking
questions/making claims about Material World Global Family Portraits
d. Orally sharing examples of GTTK questions/claims that the teacher will write on the board
e. An example of GTTK question or claim that made sense to you
8:35 Start with the W. Tell the students “write with me” as I put the W on the board. Explain that the W is used for“seeking clarity.” Tell the students to “write with me” as I begin to fill out the remainder of the chart. For W I cangive them the example “what do I mean by love” to illustrate what the W question looks like. Next I will give themthe question/claim stems for W by writing them on the board. Again I will say “write with me.” I will check in withthe students to see that they understand what the W is used for.
8:38 I will then pass out the Material World Global Family Portraits to each group. I will make sure that each group has
at least two portraits from two different countries. I will give the explanation/direction, “Each group is now getting
two portraits of two different families from two different countries in the world. Each family is sitting outside of
their house with all of their material possessions. What I would like you and your group members to do is shareyour observations about what you see in each picture. Then work together to generate a list of ‘W’ questions about
one of the pictures or a comparison of the pictures. Remember, ‘W’ questions are for asking about things that areunclear. What is unclear in your pictures. You will have three minutes to discuss and inquire with one another.
When the three minutes are up. Your group will need to select one question to share with the class.

8:40 Walk around the room and visit/facilitate each group individually as they work together to generate their Wquestions. Give a one minute warning at the end of three minutes.
8:44 Bring everyone’s attention to the front of the room. Have the students use the community ball to facilitate thesharing. After each group shares their example I will write it underneath the W area of the chart on the board. Asthe students share their W questions I will formatively assess their responses and make sure they are accurate. I willverbally make corrections, and if I need to I will work with the students to think through how the questions/claims
can be re-phrased before I write them on the board. After each group is done sharing I will ask the students to pickone W question to record on the W page of their book.
8:47: I will repeat this process for each letter of the GTTK. However, when it is time for the small group inquiries Iwill have each group pass their Material World Global Family Portraits one group to the right. For the last letter of theGTTK (letter “C”) I will take all of the Material World Global Family Portraits and place them all at the front of theroom. I will have the entire class generate counter-example questions and/or claims based off of all the pictures
together.
WRAITECWhat it isused forSeeking clarity

Asking why
Multiple

Bringing toattention what
we take for
granted as
truth

An
assumption
based on astarting point

Thinking
about what we
think is true,
and possible
implications ofthat truth

Evidence/
examples areused to provethat a claim istrue

Question/
claim stem

What do you
mean by?
The author
means…

What are thereasons?
One reason…

Is it
reasonable toassume?
An underlying
assumption inthis argument
is…

Is it
reasonable toinfer _____
from ______.
If ______
then _______.

If ______ istrue does that
imply ______?
Is what’s being
said true?
What are theimplications?

What aresomeexamples of...?
An example toprove that____ is true
is…

Counterevidence/
counterexamples areused todisprove aclaim
What aresome counterexamples
to…?
A counterexample toshow that_____isn’t
true is…

ExampleAfter the entire book is completed, I will pass out the Uehiro Academy GTTK handout to each student. I will ask
them to take it home with them and use it as a reference when they don’t have their GTTK book with them.
9:35 When there are five minutes left of class I will have the students use the “Daily Reflection” handout provided
to them to write a reflection. It will require that the students answering the following questions: How does what you
learned today connect to your life and the world you live in? Do you see a different perspective or point of view?
Use textual evidence AND ideas/quotes from classmates/teacher to support your response. I will ask the students
to keep their GTTK books and this “Daily Reflection” in their class folder.