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The Teaching Librarian Volume 10, no. 3 21 CRITIQUE THE PIECE Students assess the merits/shortcomings of a designated figure, product or performance (may be teacher provided or stu- dent produced) l Determine the appropriate punctual- tion for this "stripped- down" version of the song Galileo l Is My Left Foot an appropriate choice for study in our schools? l Are the results of this experiment to be trusted? l Is the information on this web site credible? l Are our questions about WWII powerful? l Has the author provided a fair and full account of what actually happened? PROMPTS ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS SCIENCE SOCIAL STUDIES JUDGE THE BETTER OR BEST Students judge from among two or three options (teacher provided or student generated) which one(s) best meets the identified criteria. l In Hamlet, who is the more noble character: Laertes or Hamlet? l Is the Wolf in the True Story of the Three Little Pigs good or bad? l Who has the greatest mind: da Vinci, Newton or Einstein? l The earth is long over due to be struck by some kind of heavenly object. Which should be most feared - being hit by a meteor, an asteroid or a comet? l Which is the more effective form of trans- portation in the Arctic: the dog sled or the snowmobile? l Should your family move to Weyburn or Prince George? l Which of the five nominees is the most impressive legacy of ancient Egypt? REWORK THE PIECE Students transform a product or performance in light of additional informa- tion or an assigned focus, perspective, genre, etc., l Write two editorials - one supporting, another refuting- that the charge of the Light Brigade was "That glorious blunder of which all Englishmen are justifiably proud." l Given data on the behaviour of a specified object in the earth's gravity, reconstruct the results if this object was on Mars. l Rewrite an historical account using the R-A-F-T-S approach. l Write a letter of reference for Thomas More. DECODE THE PUZZLE Students suggest and justify a proposed solution, explanation or interpreta- tion to a confusing or enigmatic situation. l Deconstruct the message embedded in the ads. l Drawing on corrobo- rating references from elsewhere in the story, explain what the author is saying in this section. l Based on the findings from the simulated dig of dinosaur remains, write a short account explaining what occurred on this site. l Find a powerful metaphor that richly characterizes an aspect of Canadian life. l Identify and support with evidence the R-A-F-T-S in a fellow student's writing. DESIGN TO SPECS Students develop a product that meets a specific set of specifications/conditions. l Prepare briefing notes for the premier on today's front-page news, dealing comprehensively but succinctly with all relevant topics. l Create an anti-smoking poster using at least four techniques of persuasion. l Build a structure using the materials provided that will achieve the specified results. l Design a rich habitat for the assigned animal. l Create six questions for the end-of-unit exam, that are clear, non-trivial, manage- able and require more than recall of information. PERFORM TO SPECS Students perform or undertake a course of action that meets a given set of specifications/ conditions. l Develop and implement a realistic plan to pursue your English/Language Arts learning priorities for this term. l Carry out an experiment with paper airplanes establishing which combination of four specified design variations(nose weight, size of paper, stiffness of paper, shape) will result in the farthest flight. l What might you do personally to make a lasting but respectful contribution to someone else's life? l Implement a campaign to boycott products by companies that exploit their workers. DESIGNING CRITICAL CHALLENGES © C op yr ig ht T H 2 , us ed w ith p er m is si on . In supporting teachers to develop their own critical challenges, the developers of the TC2 model have identified six types of tasks or questions that invite students to make reasoned judgments.