HOT Skills Challenge #1: ORIGINALITY (1.3) & ELABORATION (1.4)

 We’re embracing 

ORIGINALITY and ELABORATION, 
 as our third and fourth skills.  
Let's first warm up with more practice on skills one and two -

FLUENCY and FLEXIBILTY!

Our new HOT Skills Challenge 1.3 and 1.4 of ORIGINALITY and ELABORATION come after the first two HOT Skills, that were introduced on this blog:

1) FLUENCY

2) FLEXIBILITY.

If you have not followed the plan for introducing/practicing HOT Skills 1.1 & 1.2, it’s important that you do that before continuing with these activities.  1.1 and 1.2 are discussed below, before introducing 1.3 and 1.4.  If you need more understanding of 1.1 and 1.2, please go to my previous blog post for more detail.  

HOT Skills Challenge 1.3 and 1.4:

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING:  Using CREATIVE THINKING skills can help a person think and write something that is original and detailed.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:  How do I prepare for and write something that's original and detailed?

GOAL:  I can prepare for and write an original and elaborated sentence, paragraph, letter, story, essay, or report. 
 

HOT Skills Challenge 1.1 -  FLUENCY

a.  FLUENCY LIST OPTIONS - choose one to assign to your class:  (NOTE:  The options listed below can be hooked to your state standards in reading, writing, grammar, and math - in addition to social studies).

•  i. Write a FLUENCY LIST of all the states/countries that you’ve been to. 
• ii. Write a FLUENCY LIST of all the places you’ve ever been to.
• iii. Write a FLUENCY LIST of all the places you’ve been to locally. 
• iv.  NOTE 1:  Write a FLUENCY LIST that more closely connects with something you are or have been studying. 
• v. NOTE 2:  If students are too young to do this, on their own, they can dictate to you their FLUENCY of ideas while you write a class FLUENCY list on board.  

b.  FLUENCY DIRECTIONS FOR YOUR LEARNERS:   "The word FLUENCY means 'having many ideas'.     Today, I want you to write a FLUENCY LIST of __________________.  You are to write your own list, without numbering or counting the list.  I will give you _____________ minutes/hours to complete your list." 

 NOTE:  Emphasize that the focus should be 

on generating thought, not counting to interrupt the Creativity. 

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c. TIMER:  Set a timer for 10, 15, or 20 minutes, depending on what you are asking your learners to list.

or, use timer on SMARTboard via a website like:

 http://www.online-stopwatch.com/

 It's important to know that under the pressure of a time limit, 

FLUENCY of thought often increases.

 d.  COUNTING / NUMBERING:    

Once time is up, have students number their list of items and write the number for the total FLUENCY generated at the top of the page.  (If doing it as a whole group, class can count the ideas, in unison).

e.  OPTIONAL SHARING:   Sharing with a partner, group, or whole class is optional.  Once a FLUENCY list is generated, you’ll want to move on to increasing FLUENCY lists via FLEXIBILITY. 

 

 HOT Skills Challenge 1.2 -  FLEXIBILITY

 Collecting the FLUENCY lists and waiting until the next day or week to introduce how to expand FLUENCY with FLEXIBILITY is certainly workable.

6)        


           
      a.  FLEXIBILITY DIRECTIONS :  

 

   

  
i.  "I DO":  The teacher models how to divide the class FLUENCY list into categories, via a graphic organizer - like a web (FSM - Figural thinking)  



Examples of categories - (CAP - Analytical thinking):

• 1) If listing states/countries where you've been, categories might include, but not be limited to: northern states, southern states, western states, eastern states, "Midwestern states", countries in the southern hemisphere, and countries in the northern hemisphere.
  

• 2) If listing "all the places you've ever been", categories might include those categories listed in (1) and/or categories like on the water, in the mountains, in town, in the country, in my home, in my school, etc.  

• 3) If listing places around town or nearby,  categories might include, but not be limited to:  homes, schools, churches, stores, theatres, parks, gyms/recreation places, hospitals/clinics, offices, rooms, vehicles/transportation, roads...  (some of the most creative kids may even include places within their own homes). 

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 ii.  "WE DO":  Once you, the teacher, have drawn out a web   (on the SMARTboard or dry erase board), each student can share one "idea" from his/her list to add to your sample web.  (If you have done it as a class, you can begin transferring the FLUENCY list of ideas into their different categories on the FLEXIBILITY web.

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 iii. "YOU DO":  This step happens if your learners have made their individual FLEUENCY lists.  Each learner will design his/her own web,with the different categories the teacher has introduced-using his/her individual FLUENCY LIST.   The number of categories, of course, will be determined by the fluency list itself.  

• NOTE:  Timing of FLEXIBILITY during "YOU DO" can be done in a block of time (with you setting a timer), but usually it is given as extra seat work to be completed throughout the day or at centers.

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b.  ADDING CATEGORIES - (CAP - Analytical thinking):     Each child will determine his/her own additional categories needed. Once FLUENCY LIST is embedded in FLEXIBILITY organizer, each learner can begin adding a FLUENCY of "more ideas" in each category.  Each learner writes new FLUENCY total of "ideas" and also the number of categories generated at the top of the chart/web.

c.  Additional ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS - (CAP - Practical thinking):  Students are reminded to ask themselves, "What have I learned from these FLUENCY / FLEXIBILITY activities today, that I can apply to future learning/thinking activities?"  Answers may include, but not be restricted to the following:   

•  When I am working on a FLUENCY of ideas and get stuck, I can look at the different categories that I already have.  Then, I can come up with more ideas in each category.  Once I do that, I can decide if there are more categories that I can add.
• I am learning the being FLEXIBLE can increase my FLUENCY of ideas!

 

  HOT Skills Challenge 1.3 -  ORIGINALITY

 

a.  Give each learner some time to determine what his/her most original idea(s) is/are.  In fact, by sharing individual FLEXIBILITY webs with classmates, additional perspectives will be gained.

b. Have learners choose one ORIGINAL idea to write/tell about:

• in 3-5 sentences
• during accountable talk time 
• in paragraph(s) 
• in a letter 
• in an essay 
• in a report

c.  You may want to record students' choices of their ORIGINAL ideas.  

HOT Skills Challenge 1.4 - ELABORATION

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a.  So, your students are ready to talk or write about their ORIGINAL ideas!  Encourage ELABORATION of each idea to include the details that come from asking  6-8 questions:
 

• 6 question starters: 

• 1. Who?  

• 2. What? 

• 3. Where? 

• 4. When? 

• 5. Why? 

• 6. How?

• Additional question starters:  What if?  Why not?

 
b. Practicing ELABORATION works well:
 during "accountable talk".  When learners turn and talk with a friend, they can roll dice to determine the questions they will ask each other or that will guide their detailed explanations of what they read.    during whole group discussions, when teacher uses SMARTboard to roll dice to determine the type of question class will "turn and talk" about:

• http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/maths/dice/index.htm

 c. When ready to write something with ELABORATION:  Each learner takes his/her most original idea(s) and ELABORATES on it with one of the following writing assignments:

• Option 1:  Take one of your ORIGINAL ideas and write a minimum of 3 sentences about it, by answering the 6 "dice questions".
• Option 2:  Do either Option 1 or 3 and add to it by answering the questions:  "What if?" and "Why not?"
• Option 3:  Take 2 or 3 of your original ideas and write 3-5 paragraphs about them.  Be sure to answer the "6 dice questions" for each of your ORIGINAL ideas.  Also, compare and contrast your ideas in the final paragraph.

      d. CLOSURE/ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:   

•  There are many ideas that can be recalled when pushing with FLUENCY and FLEXIBILITY.
• My ideas/experiences might be very ORIGINAL, unique, and interesting to others.
• By using the skill of ELABORATION, I can paint a picture with words that will help others connect more vividly with what I am thinking.

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Example of P. Sikes' own ELABORATION, after following steps of FLUENCY, FLEXIBILITY, and ORIGINALITY:

     I have lived in many places, over my lifetime, including the country of France.  My family and I were living in Nancy, France, during the decade after World War II, because my dad was part of the United States military.  They were helping with the reconstruction of Europe, after the war.  I remember feeling so sad, when I rode the school bus (with my nose pressed against the window), as we passed miles and miles of bombed buildings. As a first grader, attending a French school, I already understood how important it was to help those in need and was thankful we could make a difference in their lives - even if it meant traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to do so. 

• Who?  my family and I
• What? traveled to help with the reconstruction of Europe
• Where?  Nancy, France / Atlantic Ocean
• When?  the 1950's
• Why?  because the United States military was helping France to rebuild

• How did I feel?  sad and thankful
• How were we making a difference?  by helping to rebuild France

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Teachers across our country are realizing that adopting this paradigm, that has often just been a focus in Gifted/Talented programs, is an awesome way to engage students.   Moving from FLUENCY of thought to asking questions is an amazing way to engage students in not only CREATIVE THINKING, but INQUIRY. 

This blogger captures some food for thought about the process:
http://gtignite.com/creative-thinking-tools-gifted-students/

Please contact me, if you would like me to model one or more "FFOE" lessons in your Gibbs' classroom.  

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HOT Skills Challenge #1 - FLUENCY (1.1) & FLEXIBILITY (1.2)

It is generally accepted that CREATIVITY is one of the highest, if not the highest of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).  Yet, we also know that critical thinking skills, including analysis and inquiry, require some form of CREATIVE THINKING.  

So, for our HOT Skills Challenge #1 activities, let's come in the back door and engage our learners with some CREATIVE THINKING activities.  These two activities can go hand in hand; do them together or do them separately.  

Known throughout the world as the “father of CREATIVITY,” Dr. E. Paul Torrance dedicated his life's energies toward developing ways to assess creativity in children and adults. His nearly 60 years of research has done much for the understanding of CREATIVE THINKING, including his identifying of "the four components of CREATIVITY". 
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The first 2 skills/components of CREATIVE THINKING are FLUENCY and FLEXIBILTY:

• 1.1 - FLUENCY - the ability to generate quantities of ideas
• 1.2 - FLEXIBILITY - the ability to create different categories of ideas, and to perceive an idea from different points of view

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Some people might call pushing for many ideas  "brainstorming"; we'll call it FLUENCY.  Some people are good at FLUENCY, but are stuck on one track, not being able to "change it up" (FLEXIBILITY).  It takes both to be good at CREATIVE THINKING.    

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HOT Skill Challenge 1.1:  FLUENCY

DIRECTIONS:

1)  INTRODUCTION:  What is a topic you are working on (or have worked on) this school year that would generate a list of multiple items?  Here's a fluency list of possibilities:

• Write a fluency list of words you know that begin with __
• Write a fluency list of words you know with this short vowel sound:___
• Write a fluency list of words you know with this long vowel sound:___
• Write a fluency list of words that rhyme (following one pattern). 
• Write the fluency list of animals that you know.
• Write a fluency list of vegetable and fruits.  
• Write of fluency list of things in nature.
• Write a fluency list of states (or cities or countries) that you know.
• Write a fluency list of metaphors or similes.
• Write a fluency list of main characters of the books you've read this year.
• Write a fluency list of book titles of the books you've read since you began reading.
• Write a fluency list of all the different settings that could be used when writing a book.
• Write a fluency list of all the terms that you've learned in math (or science or social studies) since you began your first year of school.  
• Your own idea for a fluency list...

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2)  DIRECTIONS:  Choose one of the activities, from above, assigning it to your class - to be done individually in a designated amount of time - without numbering or counting the list.  (Focus should be on generating thought, not counting).
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3)  TIMER:  Set a timer for 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes, depending on what you are asking them to list - preferably displayed on the SMARTboard via a website like:
 http://www.online-stopwatch.com 
   
 (Under the pressure of a time limit, fluency of thought often increases.)
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4)  COUNTING / NUMBERING:   Once time is up, have students number their list of items and write the number for the total fluency generated at the top of the page.   
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5)  OPTIONAL: Go around the room, recording the total FLUENCY score of each of your learners.  Next, pair up your top scorer with your bottom scorer... then, your second top scorer with your second bottom scorer... until everyone has a partner.  (Do not tell students how you paired them up).  Now, have them combine their lists onto another sheet.  Once done, give them an additional 10 minutes to generate additional fluency on their combined list.
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6)  CLASS FLUENCY:  On the dry erase board or giant post-it write the class FLUENCY list, as students dictate to you from their own lists.  Explain that each time someone shares his/her item, everyone who has that item, should put a check mark beside that item on their individual list. The total class FLUENCY should be much more than any one individual's FLUENCY.  When finished have learners keep their papers for the follow-up activity.   
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7)  CLOSURE / ENDURING UNDERSTANDING:  Students ask themselves, "What have I learned from this FLUENCY Activity today, that I can apply to future learning/thinking activities?" Answers may include, but not be restricted to the following:
      a.  When I start, I may not think that there's very much to think about, but by the end I had a lot more on my list than I thought I would.
      b.  Giving myself a time limit makes me think harder and faster.
      c.  When I run out of ideas, discussing it with someone else might be helpful.
      d.  My list of ideas may not be the same as others.  It's not right!  It's not wrong!  It's just different!

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HOT Skill Challenge 1.2:  FLEXIBILITY

DIRECTIONS:
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1)  INTRODUCTION: This activity can be immediately after the FLUENCY activity or days later.  It will be jump started by both their Individual FLUENCY lists and the Class FLUENCY list, from HOT Skill Challenge 1.1.
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2) DIRECTIONS:  
    a)  "I DO":  The teacher models how to divide the Class Fluency List into categories.  

     Examples of categories:

• If listing animals, categories might include: animals with different types of homes, like dens, caves, holes, nests, barns, fields, houses, etc. OR animals with different types of coverings, like scales, spines, shells, feathers, armor, fur, etc.
• If listing words that rhyme, categories might include one or two or three or four letter words or syllable words.
• If listing similes, categories might include: similes with animals or with food or with plants, etc.
• If listing book settings, categories might include: in the city, on the farm, in the desert, in the mountains, etc. 

.     b)  "WE DO":  Once you pick out the first few categories for the class web, then learners can chime in with additional ideas for categories, telling you which item is listed in which category.  Class participation continues until Class FLEXIBILITY Web/Chart is complete.  

•      By looking at the different categories, are there now other items that can be added to each category list that will increase the total class FLUENCY?

      Once more ideas are generated, write your increased FLUENCY score and how many categories are represented on this FLEXIBILITY web/chart.
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    c)  "YOU DO":  Each learner will then return to his/her original Individual FLUENCY list and divide it into the different categories via a graphic organizer of his/her choice:  a chart with columns or a web. The number of categories, of course, will be determined by the FLUENCY list itself.
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3)  TIMING:  This activity (turning individual FLUENCY lists into FLEXIBILITY Webs) can be done in a block of time (with you setting a timer) or as extra seat work, completed throughout the day.  
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4)  COUNTING CATEGORIES:   Each child will determine his/her own categories, referring to the class FLEXIBILITY web/chart, when necessary.  Once time is up, give learners  a few additional minutes to determine if additional FLUENCY of items can be listed in each category.  Each learner writes their FLUENCY total and also write the number of categories generated at the top of their chart/web.   
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5)  CLOSURE / ENDURING UNDERSTANDING:  Students ask themselves, "What have I learned from this FLEXIBILITY activity today, that I can apply to future learning/thinking activities?" Answers may include, but not be restricted to the following:

•       When I am working on a FLUENCY of ideas and get

stuck, I can, look at the different categories that I already have and then come up with more ideas in each category.   Once I do that, I can decide if there are more category lists that I can add.

•       I am learning that my FLEXIBILITY can increase my FLUENCY of ideas!

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 Interested in furthering your understanding?

In their book, The Thinkers' Guide to the Nature and Functions of Critical and Creative Thinking, Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder make a case for how these two types of thinking are intertwined.  On page 8, they write,

"REASONING AS A CREATIVE ACT:  In the broad sense, all thinking is thinking, within a system, and when we have not yet learned a given system - for example, not yet learned the logic of the internal combustion engine, the logic of right triangles, or the logic of dolphin behavior - our minds must bring that system into being, create it in the logic of right triangles, or  the logic of dolphin behavior - our minds must bring that system into being, create it in the fabric, within the structure of our established ways of thinking.  Hence, when we are thinking something through for the first time, to some extent, we are creating the logic we are using.  We are bringing into being new articulations of our purposes and our reasons.  We are making new assumptions.  We are forming new concepts.  We are asking new questions.  We are making new inferences.  We are working out our point of view in a direction entirely new to us."






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