Bloom's Critical Thinking
Strategies for Cornell Notes Left Side Questioning
LEVEL 1- KNOWLEDGE
exhibits previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basicconcepts and answers.
KEY WORDS: WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, OMIT, WHERE, WHICH, CHOOSE, FIND, HOW, DEFINE, LABEL,
SHOW, SPELL, LIST, MATCH, NAME, RELATE, TELL, RECALL, SELECT
Level 2 - COMPREHENSION
Demonstrating understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and
stating main ideas.
KEY WORDS: COMPARE, CONTRAST, DEMONSTRATE, DESCRIBE, INTERPRET, EXPLAIN, EXTEND,
ILLUSTRATE, INFER, OUTLINE, RELATE, REPHRASE, TRANSLATE, SUMMARIZE, SHOW, CLASSIFY, INFER
LEVEL 3 -APPLICATION
solving problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.
KEY WORDS: APPLY, BUILD, CHOOSE, CONSTRUCT, DEMONSTRATE, DEVELOP, DRAW, EXPERIMENT WITH,
ILLUSTRATE, INTERVIEW, MAKE USE OF, MODEL, ORGANIZE, PLAN, SELECT, SOLVE, UTILIZE,
LEVEL 4 - ANALYSIS
Examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes; making inferences and finding evidence to
support generalizations.
KEY WORDS: ANALYZE, CATEGORIZE, CLASSIFY, COMPARE, CONTRAST, DISCOVER, DIVIDE, EXAMINE,
GROUP, INSPECT, SEQUENCE, SIMPLIFY, DISTINGUISH, DISTINCTION, RELATIONSHIPS, FUNCTION,
ASSUME, CONCLUDE
LEVEL 5 - SYNTHESIS
Compiling information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions
KEY WORDS: COMBINE, COMPILE, COMPOSE, CONSTRUCT, CREATE, DESIGN, DEVELOP, FORMULATE,
IMAGINE, INVENT, MAKE UP, ORIGINATE, PLAN, PROPOSE, SOLVE, SOLUTION, SUPPOSE, DISCUSS,
MODIFY, CHANGE, IMPROVE, ADAPT, MINIMIZE, MAXIMIZE, DELETE, ELABORATE, IMPROVE
LEVEL 6 - EVALUATION
Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a
set of criteria.
KEY WORDS: AWARD, CHOOSE, DEFEND, DETERMINE, EVALUATE, JUDGE, JUSTIFY, MEASURE, COMPARE,
MARK, RATE, RECOMMEND, RULE ON, SELECT, AGREE, APPRAISE, PRIORITIZE, SUPPORT, PROVE, DISPROVE,
ASSESS, INFLUENCE, VALUE
EXAMPLE LEFT SIDE QUESTIONS:
What judgment would you make about . . . ? Can you think of an original way for the . . . ?
What is your opinion of . . . ? What changes would you make to solve . . . ?
How would you prove . . . ? disprove . . . ? How would you improve . . . ?
Can you assess the value or importance of . . . ? What would happen if . . . ?
Would it be better if . . . ? Can you elaborate on the reason . . . ?
What would you recommend . . . ? Can you propose an alternative . . . ?
What data was used to make the conclusion . . . ? How would you adapt _____ to create a different…
How would you rate the . . . ? How is _______ related to . . . ?
How would you evaluate . . . ? Why do you think . . . ?
What choice would you have made . . . ? How would you classify . . . ?
How would you prioritize . . . ? What conclusions can you draw . . .?
Based on what you know, how would you explain __? How would you categorize . . . ?
What information would you use to support the view . . . ? What evidence can you find . . . ?
What could be done to minimize/maximize . . . ? What is the relationship between . . . ?
What way would you design . . . ? Can you make a distinction between . . . ?
What could be combined to improve . . . ? What ideas justify . . . ?
Suppose you could ___ what would you do . . . ?
