Scholar Star Skill: Critical Thinking
“Growing Our Thinking Tree”
In November, our Scholar Star Skill was Critical Thinking. To help students understand how their thinking grows and strengthens, we completed a hands-on lesson called “Growing Our Thinking Tree.” Students used a tree visual to explore how asking questions, gathering information, solving problems, and making decisions all strengthen their minds, just like branches, leaves, roots, and a trunk help a tree grow.
We began by looking at a picture of a tree and introducing the idea:
“Our brains are like trees!”
Branches grow when we ask questions
Leaves grow when we find information
Roots grow when we solve problems
The trunk grows strong when we make good decisions
The stronger the tree, the stronger our thinking!
Students received a blank tree template.
We asked:
“What’s something you’ve wondered about?”
Students wrote a question on one of their tree’s branches, such as:
“Why do dogs bark?”
“How do planes fly?”
“Why is the sky blue?”
We discussed how questions help our thinking grow—just like branches help a tree spread out and become stronger.
If a tree stops growing branches, it stays small. The same is true for our thinking!
Just like leaves gather sunlight to help a tree grow, our brains gather facts to grow stronger.
Students brainstormed facts they already knew about topics like:
Animals
School
Weather
Nature
They wrote one fact on a leaf on their tree.
This reinforced that collecting information helps us learn and think critically.
Roots keep a tree strong and steady.
Problem-solving does the same for our minds.
We posed a simple problem:
“A bird built a nest on a weak branch. What should it do?”
Students shared a variety of solutions, showing creative and flexible thinking.
Then they wrote one problem-solving strategy on a root, such as:
“Try a new idea.”
“Think carefully.”
“Make a plan.”
This helped students understand that solving problems strengthens their thinking roots.
The trunk holds the whole tree up, just like good decision-making supports our thinking.
We gave a simple choice:
“If you only have time for homework or play, what do you do first? Why?”
Students discussed their reasoning and wrote one word or phrase on the trunk, such as:
“Think first.”
“Choose wisely.”
“Do homework first.”
Students learned that making informed decisions keeps their thinking tree strong and steady.
At the end of the lesson, we reviewed what each part of their tree represented:
Branches: Asking questions
Leaves: Gathering facts
Roots: Solving problems
Trunk: Making decisions
Students saw how their tree had grown, and how their thinking grows too!
We encouraged them to take their tree home and explain to a family member how their thinking becomes stronger with critical thinking.