Tricky Thinking Problems

Advanced Activities in Applied Thinking Skills for Ages 6-11

John Langrehr, Jan Langrehr

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9781134037551
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Classroom questions have traditionally focussed on testing the recall, understanding and application of content and methods. Research suggests that pupils require activities that encourage them to think flexibly about possibilities and to make independent judgements about information.

Tricky Thinking Problems explores the advancement of creative and critical thinking, and the activities are designed to help pupils test and develop such processes. A series of fascinating challenges are used to stimulate cognitive organisation in areas such as categories, similarities, differences, ordering, analysing, predicting and many more.

Pupils will enjoy developing their range of different thinking skills as they complete the resources based on topics such as animals, weather, communications and food. Rather than being told which particular thinking skill to use, the questions are designed to encourage pupils to pick and choose a range of skills and apply them creatively. The resources are fully photocopiable and are suitable for6 -11 year olds.

Suggested Answers

Animals

1. Horse, cow, rabbit – because they are grass eating/non meat eaters.

2. Brain size.

3. He was assuming it was not dead by disease, old age, hit by something.
Evidence needed: saliva in mouth, claw marks-blood, loose feathers.

4. Cat runs quicker, meows, climbs trees. Dog slower, barks, cannot climb trees.

5. So it can use two to hold food, defend itself, run faster.

6. All animals have head, eyes, body, mouth…

7. …is to bird, is to swim, is to bark.

8. Then more insects, more crops eaten by insects or less seeds dispersed by birds and this means that fewer plants/flowers/ crops.

9. For: safer to swim/surf, less people killed
Against: sharks become extinct, food sharks eat will multiply rapidly in food chain.

10. Cats can’t bark, talk, swim underwater, read…

11. Crab and fish both live in sea, swim, have mouth, lay eggs…
Crabs only have shell, legs, claws, can live out of water.

12. On a truck weigh bridge.

13. Relevant factors: cost (buy and feed), size, noisy,can bring inside, colour, breed
Irrelevant factors: time of day to buy it, shop or person to buy it from, who else has one

14. Who else saw it? How far from it? Did the observer use binoculars? Did he/she know what one looks like?

Insects

1. Butterfly only: has 4 wings, antennae, body segments, no blood vessels, 6 legs…

2. Facts are b and c. Evidence of b can be found in many examples; c can be seen by looking at fossils.

3. Generalisation: all insects have 6 legs, wings, can fly, are small, have antennae.

4. Some spare if damage frail legs, easier to hold on and to move in cramped spaces; stripes as camouflage in flowers.

5. …is to fruit, is to 8, is to antenna

6. If then flowers of fruit wouldn’t be fertilised, meaning less fruit and vegetables.

7. For: so insects don’t eat crop
Against: pollute soil and air with poison insecticide

8. Both have antenna, make a noise, hard case…

9. No flies under water, in space, in insecticide factory/can

10. Mosquitoes, fleas, cockroaches, all harmful to humans.

11. Lay eggs, hatch maggots/larvae, form pupae/chrysalis.

Plants

1. Plants and animals both: are living organisms, have cells, need sun/water/air/food.
Plants only: flowers, roots, branches, chlorophyll.

2. The sequence by which water passes through a plant.

3. Relevant: size, cost, drops leaves, activity of roots, poisonous
Irrelevant: name, country where from, if other schools have them.

4. Roses are the prettiest. It’s an opinion because ‘prettiness’ is an individual’s judgement.

5. Sure: that some apples on ground, some on tree.
Unsure: what caused apples to fall, what time they fell, if any will fall tomorrow.

6. All: trees here have leaves, a trunk, roots, branches
Exception: Palm trees … no branches, pine tree – no leaves.

7. Trees can’t move to look for food. Leaves collect the small amount of carbon dioxide from air so need large numbers to get enough to grow.

8. …is to blood, is to oxygen.

9. Then less oxygen, more carbon dioxide, would mean atmosphere hotter.

10. For: more money for poor country/people
Against: some trees extinct, less oxygen and more carbon dioxide in atmosphere.

11. Same because can sit in, take in/give off gases, many parts, different types, strong, can’t talk/think.

12. No flowers at North Pole, in dark/under ground, inspace/vacuum, in a fire.

13. Wind/storm, sunlight/sap, leaves fall/change colour, bees attracted.

Whales

1. Both: live in sea, swim, tail, skin, eyes…
Whales only: higher intelligence, blubber, warm blood, mammals.

2. Whales, cows, dogs…because all mammals: warm blood, suckle young.

3. Facts: whales are mammals, they migrate, very large.
Opinions: they are nicer than sharks, no-one should kill them.

4. To take in large volumes of water containing small plankton; don’t eat meat, filter off plankton to swallow.

5. …is to chicken, is to reptile, fat is to…

6. Then no whale watchers, would mean less tourism for some places.

7. For: basic food in diet of some people
Against: becoming extinct.

8. Both move long distances, streamlined shape, make a noise...

9. Did anyone else see it? How far away was it? Have he/she ever seen one before? Did he/ she use binoculars? Does he/she have good eyesight? Has he/she ever reported before?

Weather

1. Both: contain water, odd shapes, move in wind
Clouds only: no shore, no tides, can’t swim in, disappear.

2. Lightning, thunder, rain, flood – the order they occur in sequence.

3. Wind, tornado, breeze – all moving air.

4. 4b – both made of water.

5. Causes: sun on rain drops, lightning flash.
Effect: no rain causes drought.

6. Disadvantages: spokes break, material tears, water comes in from sides.
Changes: bigger covering, flexible spokes.

7. No air in space, in a vacuum, inside light globe, in a rock.

8. …air is to (made of), is to thunder (causes), barometer (measures).

9. Then we wouldn’t know if/when/where going to rain/storm. This would mean that we might get wet without taking umbrella, more plane and boat accidents, people caught outside in storm.

10. Barometer, sun, water vapour, wind, tornadoes/gusts.

Planets

1. Both: round, heated by sun, solid, mountains, spin around sun.
Earth only: water on it, air, planet, rivers, living things.

2. Distance of planet from sun.

3. Fact 3c: evidence from lunar landings proves it.

4. Round: gases or molten matter being thrown into shape as they spin rapidly

5. …is to star.

6. All planets: spin around sun, vary in size, average temperature less than 500 degrees, minimum year 88 days.

7. Then no more moon light meaning darker nights, no more tides meaning poor fishing.

8. What is the closest star? What allows life on Earth? What is the centre of our solar system?

9. Who else saw the comet? What size telescope was used? What is the experience of the astronomer? What is the reputation of the astronomer? Was he/she drunk or drugged?

10. Predict only: Jupiter 1000 days, - 200 degrees, 4 moons.

11. Moon not a planet, Sun is a star, Earth only one with life on it.

Birds

1. All birds are feathered (or winged), vertebrates with two legs, that lay eggs.

4. Food chain order: each being eaten by the next.

5. Relevant: black feathers,yellow beak, parrot.

6. Mouse – good: cheap to feed; bad: smelly,
Bird – good: sings, active; bad: should be free,
Fish – good: active; bad: can’t hold
Factors: cost to feed, easy of holding, activity, cleanliness.

7. Eagle: eats other birds, penguin-swims in sea or emu can’t fly or magpie black and white, hawk-curved beak/eats mice.

8. Trimming wings, string on foot…

9. For: pretty, talks, active, view easily, leave for days with food
Against: noisy, messy, costly to feed, can’t handle easily, cruel to cage.

10. Then many more insects, means more plants eaten…

11. a. Short beak-seeds/nuts
b. Fish/water animals -webbed feet for wading ,
c. Nectar in flowers or insects in bark, beak to get into bark/flowers
d. Meat/ animals, claws and beak for tearing flesh.

Communications

1. Both: on paper, index, title, authors, rectangular, printed
Papers only: daily, many authors, current news, advertisements, few pages.

2. Order of amount of information / number of pages.

3. 3b.

4. Assuming that: no newspaper strike, no-one stole it, not under bush, not thrown next door. Evidence: ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Introduction
• Thinking Processes
• Useful Questions
• Suggested Question Use
• Animals
• Insects
• Plants
• Whales
• Weather
• Planets
• Birds
• Communications
• Energy
• Metals
• Pollution
• Dinosaurs
• Food
• Disasters
• Suggested Answers