Think Board

 Last year, I found a copy of Thinking Skills for grades 3-4, from Evan-Moor Publishers, in a stack of obsolete items in an unused classroom.  As I was looking through the book, I thought, "Wouldn't it be fun to share these with students and see how they respond?"  The only issue was how to share these puzzles/sheets with the students in a library setting.  So my solution was to create a Think Board.

The purpose of the Think Board is to get students to think beyond right or wrong answers.  The questions and puzzles in this book challenge the reader to use logic, think creatively, and problem solve.  I felt that it would be a great way to have students practice critical thinking skills, if only for five minutes during students' library visits.

The Think Board isn't a board.  Its butcher paper I've pinned to a section of our story corner.  Perhaps next year it will upgrade to a more formal platform.  There's a "Think" title, and instructions to post answers using a sticky note (which I provide).  Each week, I post a page from the book on the Think Board, and encourage students to post their answers/solutions on a sticky note.  

Here's a photo of the first week's board:

Here's a close up of some of the answers:

After three weeks, participation remains steady at about 30 answers per week.  The pages for the first few weeks were about thinking outside the box, and I am seeing a lot of creativity!  This week is the first week that I will pin a page that will require problem-solving,  I am curious to see the level of participation where problem solving is required.

I'm now looking for other questions and puzzles similar to those presented in this book, and look forward to challenging my students to think critically.