Name: ______________________

Bloom’s Taxonomy emphasizes learning through high levels of intellectual questions. These questions foster critical thinking on subjects by using key words. Six levels exist.

Knowledge – Exhibits previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.

Comprehension – Demonstrating understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions, and stating main ideas.

Application – Solving problems by applying acquiring knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.

Analysis – Examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes; making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations.

Synthesis – Compiling information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.

Evaluation – Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about information, validity or ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.

Knowledge, comprehension, and application are considered lower thought patterns (the easy questions). Higher-level thoughts, the questions that will make your sources think (the tough questions) are analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. As reporters, we want to make sources think. That is where good, informative answers come from, so these are our focus areas.

FOR EACH QUESTION YOU COMPOSE, ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS MUST APPEAR SOMEWHERE IN IT. THREE AREAS EXIST, SO WRITE FOUR QUESTIONS FOR EACH AREA FOR A TOTAL OF 12.

For analysis, the key words that must appear in your questions are as follows:

analyze, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, discover, dissect, divide, examine, inspect, simplify, survey, take part in, test for, distinguish, list, distinction, theme, relationships, function, motive, inference, assumption, conclusion.

I.E. Explain the motive behind the new tardy policy at school?

Distinguish how the tardy policy has changed?

Analyze the impact the tardy policy will have on students?

For synthesis, the key words that must appear in your questions are as follows:

build, choose, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, design, develop, estimate, formulate, imagine, invent, make up, originate, plan, predict, propose, solve, solution, suppose, discuss, modify, change, original, improve, adapt, minimize, maximize, delete, theorize, elaborate, test, improve, happen, change.

I.E. Can you elaborate on the reason for the rule change?

New policies must work. How will the new policy be tested for

effectiveness?

In developing the new plan, what facts were compiled?

For evaluation, the key words that must appear in your questions are as follows:

Award, choose, conclude, criticize, decide, defend, determine, dispute, evaluate, judge, justify, measure, compare, mark, rate, recommend, rule on, select, agree, interpret, explain, appraise, prioritize, opinion, support, importance, criteria, prove, disprove, assess, influence, perceive, value, estimate, deduct.

I.E. Please compare the new policy to the old.

Obviously, the administration feels this is a worthwhile policy. What

information would you use to support the view of the administration?

Would you agree that it would be better to phase this plan in?