Designed with busy teachers in mind, this presentation can be used right away. It reinforces the student work cards in the student notes booklet. It is designed to enable teachers to create custom topics for student learning. All ten tools in CoRT 1 are covered.
4. 4
Key Points:
• Think using one thinking tool at a time.
• There is no one right order to these thinking tools.
• Use the thinking tools that make sense for your
thinking challenge.
• The tools emphasize thinking as a deliberate act
rather than a reactive one.
• The tools are designed to be used objectively with
an open mind—to broaden perception instead of
defending a particular point of view.
13. 13
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
14. 14
Project Topic #1
All cars should be
banned from city
centers so that people
can walk about freely.
23. 23
Practice Topic #4
You have received a
grant of $100,000 to
design a new theme
park ride for
Disneyland. Do a CAF
on the factors you
would need to consider.
24. 24
Practice Topic #5
There is a plan to turn a
public golf course at the
edge of a growing town into
a new shopping center. This
is backed by store owners
and shoppers but opposed
by environmentalists and
golfers. What factors should
be considered in the final
decision?
27. 27
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
34. 34
Practice Topic #1
Your class needs to
create some new rules
for parents to obey
while attending
student events at your
school. Think of four
new rules.
36. 36
Practice Topic #3
Many students use their cell
phones or PDA’s during
class time. New rules are
being created for cell phone
and PDA use in class. Do a
CAF on this situation. Think
of three new rules that
should be considered.
37. 37
Practice Topic #4
A group of people sail away to
an island to start a new life.
They abolish money, property,
and all the old rules. They
soon find that no one wants to
do the hard work needed to
grow food and build houses.
Do a CAF on this situation and
then invent some rules.
38. 38
Practice Topic #5
A new rule is suggested
for marriages. Married
couples have to renew or
cancel their marriages
every ten years. Do a PMI
on this new rule.
41. 41
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
42. 42
Project Topic #1
If you were running an
Italian restaurant,
what rules for staff
would you insist on?
43. 43
Project Topic #2
If you were organizing
a competition to award
$50,000.00 for the
best new hobby for
kids, what rules would
you make for this
competition?
48. 48
Practice Topic #1
A new electronic robot
is invented to replace
all human labor in
factories. The
invention is
announced. Do a
C&S on the use of this
new tool.
49. 49
Practice Topic #2
A new device makes it
possible to tell
whenever someone is
telling a lie. Do an
immediate, short-term
and long-term C&S.
Define the timeframes.
50. 50
Practice Topic #3
A decision is suggested that
would allow school children to
leave school and start earning
a living as soon as they want
to after the age of 12. Do a
C&S on this from the point of
view of a student who leaves
early, from the point of view of
the school, and from the point
of view of society in general.
51. 51
Practice Topic #4
The price of houses and
condominiums rises to
the point where young
adults cannot afford to
buy them. What do you
think will happen? Do an
immediate and short-
term C&S on this.
52. 52
Practice Topic #5
A new law is introduced
which allows Canadians,
Americans, and
Mexicans to travel, live or
work anywhere they want
to in North America.
What will change? Do a
full C&S.
55. 55
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
64. 64
Practice Topic #3
We have to eat food to live.
Different people have
different objectives for food.
Do an AGO for the following
people: parents, chef,
grocery store owner, frozen
food manufacturer, dairy
farmer, and vegetarian.
65. 65
Practice Topic #4
Do an AGO for having
the police ride bicycles
instead of motorcycles
or squad cars.
66. 66
Practice Topic #5
You are the commander
of a spacecraft
approaching Earth from
another planet. Do an
AGO to show the
objectives you might
have.
69. 69
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
70. 70
Project Topic #1
Mr. Fisher owns a house
in the country. Mrs.
Chavez wants to buy the
farm next door and build
50 houses on the land.
Do an AGO for each
person. See if they share
any AGO’s.
71. 71
Project Topic #2
You are setting out to
design a completely
new type of house.
What would your
objectives be?
76. 76
Practice Topic #1
The mayor wants to do
something about the
graffiti that keeps getting
sprayed on city buildings.
What objectives and
factors should the mayor
consider? Do an AGO
and a CAF.
77. 77
Practice Topic #2
Lay out a plan that the
mayor could use to
reach his AGO’s.
Divide the plan into
three stages.
79. 79
Practice Topic #4
Your goal is to make money
using your choice of any three of
the following items: three
skateboards, a camel, 500 used
CD’s, one ton of red paint, one
10-pound bag of rice, a violin,
perfume bottle, and an umbrella.
Make a plan showing how you
would use your choice of three
items to make money.
80. 80
Practice Topic #5
How would you plan to
catch the thief who
has been stealing
bicycles at the local
pool? Think of at least
two plans and do a
PMI on each.
83. 83
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
84. 84
Project Topic #1
You get permission to
use the school as a
recording studio on
weekends. Do a PMI
on this idea and make
your plan.
85. 85
Project Topic #2
Rome and Paris are
popular destinations
for school trips. Some
students want to go to
Beijing instead. Do an
AGO, a CAF, a PMI,
and a C&S to plan the
school trip.
90. 90
Practice Topic #1
Do a CAF on selecting
a house to buy. If you
had to pick the top
three priorities from
these factors which
ones would you
choose? Why?
91. 91
Practice Topic #2
A mother learns that
her twelve-year-old
daughter has stolen
an expensive bottle of
perfume. What should
the mother’s priorities
be in dealing with her
daughter?
92. 92
Practice Topic #3
Do an AGO on
planning a graduation
party and then do a
FIP on the objectives.
93. 93
Practice Topic #4
A nineteen-year-old boy
asks his parents for
some money because he
wants to spend a year
traveling around India.
What should their
priorities be in deciding
whether to help him or
not?
94. 94
Practice Topic #5
When people vote to
elect a politician, what
do you think their
priorities should be?
Do an AGO and list
four priorities.
97. 97
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
99. 99
Project Topic #2
If you were buying a
laptop, what features
would you look for?
Do a CAF and then a
FIP.
100. 100
Project Topic #3
You lead a committee
that must decide how
to spend the budget
money to renovate an
aging sports complex.
What would your
priorities be?
104. 104
Practice Topic #1
A man goes into a bar and
asks for a drink of water.
The bartender gives him a
drink of water and then
suddenly screams. What
possible explanations are
there?
105. 105
Practice Topic #2
The Post Office is
losing a lot of money.
What alternatives can
you think of to help the
Post Office to make
money?
106. 106
Practice Topic #3
You can’t sleep
because your
neighbor plays loud
music every night.
What choices do you
have?
107. 107
Practice Topic #4
Fewer students want to
study to become
scientists. What are
some possible actions
that can be taken to
encourage more students
to be scientists?
111. 111
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
118. 118
Practice Topic #1
A police officer notices
a strange light in a
warehouse at night
and has to make a
quick decision on what
to do. Do an APC for
the police officer.
119. 119
Practice Topic #2
The school jazz band is the
best in the country and receives
many invitations to perform in
other cities. The band has just
received two fantastic
invitations for the same dates-
the Montreal Jazz Festival and
the Newport Beach Jazz
Festival. How will they decide
which event to attend?
120. 120
Practice Topic #3
Your parents are planning
a family camping trip. You
are allowed to invite three
of your cousins. It’s hard
to choose. You have
seven cousins and you all
get along great. How will
you decide what to do?
121. 121
Practice Topic #4
You have to decide
whether to accept
$100 now or $200 in a
year’s time. Do a
C&S on both choices.
Which do you
choose? Explain your
reasons.
122. 122
Practice Topic #5
You have to set the
rules for watching TV
at the child care
center at your work.
Do an AGO and a
CAF. Decide on three
rules. Explain your
reasons.
125. 125
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
126. 126
Project Topic #1
You have been saving to buy
a cell phone. Your friend
offers to sell you a great new
phone that he says he found
on the street. The price is
much lower than stores are
asking for this kind of phone.
How do you decide what to
do?
127. 127
Project Topic #2
A majority of students at
your school are against a
new dress code that the
principal had announced.
They want to get the
dress code revoked. How
can they decide what to
do?
132. 132
Practice Topic #1
Parents forbid their
underage teenagers to
go to restricted movies
at the local movie
theatre. What is the
view of the parents,
teenagers, and theatre
owner?
133. 133
Practice Topic #2
The local factory that produces
household cleaning products
wants to close and move to a
country with cheaper labor and
lax environmental laws. Do an
OPV for the factory owner, the
workers, local government,
and environmentalists.
134. 134
Practice Topic #3
There is a city bus
strike. Do an OPV for
bus drivers,
passengers, parking
lot owners, employers,
and bus mechanics.
135. 135
Practice Topic #4
Your next door
neighbor cuts down
the shade trees on his
property line between
your homes. Do an
OPV.
139. 139
Principles
• Pick out the
principle you think is
most important.
• Make up a new
principle.
• Criticize a principle.
In your work groups,
refer to your student
work cards and
140. 140
Project Topic #1
A developer applies
for a zoning change in
order to convert a
pineapple plantation
into a solar farm.
141. 141
Project Topic #2
The city is considering
converting 300 rental
apartments to luxury
condos.
142. 142
Project Topic #3
Season ticket holders
want the salaries of
pro baseball players’
frozen for the next five
years.