Day 29: Critical and Logical Thinking

Short List

1. Attendance Check and Warm-up
2. Example of Critical Thinking
3. What We Are Doing and the Chess Example
4. What the Author Did, What We Do, and Problems Along the Way
5. Practice Outthinking the Author

Homework:
Add these analyses to your own articles.  This is not something I am checking but will make the task easier when we are writing the essay.

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The Details
Schedule of events:

1. [5 minutes] Attendance Check and Warm-up:
Define "critical thinking" and say one reason why it is so important.

2. [10 minutes] Example of Critical Thinking:
First, we are going to start by looking at a video in which critical thinking happens.  What do you notice about their critical thinking; what process are they following.  

3. [10 minutes] What We Are Doing and the Chess Example:
We are writing a rhetorical analysis in which we will examine closely and critique.  We are trying to outthink the writers.

Now, before continuing on, we will watch a short presentation on chess that will help us get a better understanding of the task that is before us.

4. [5 minutes] What the Author Did, What We Do, and Problems Along the Way
For just a few minutes, we will take a look at this short presentation about various arguments that authors might use, the critical thinking the author does, the critical thinking that we will do in analyzing, and problems that both the author and we might experience.

5. [20 minutes] Practice Outthinking the Author
Read this fun article asking these questions:

1. What arguments does the author use?
• Common sense? 
• Solid outside sources?
• Logic?
• Something else?
2. Are there logical fallacies? 
3. What kind of logical fallacies? 

Write your answers here:

Homework:
Add these analyses to your own articles.  This is not something I am checking but will make the task easier when we are writing the essay.

Attribution: This lesson is from Mien-Jen Wu's 2014 original. I have adapted it to fit my teaching style and classroom atmosphere.