Critical Thinking
The following 26 Learning Pathways give students the ability to develop and enhance their future ready skills in critical thinking.
Coding & Computer Science
STORYTELLING WITH DASH AND DOT ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will tell stories by creating code to program Dash and Dot robots.
SKILL LEVEL:Early Childhood
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Early Childhood
AUTHOR(S): Sarah Robinson, Highlands School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Dash Robots, Dot Robots
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility
RETELLING A STORY WITH BEE-BOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will retell the sequence of events in a story by programming a Bee-Bot.
SKILL LEVEL: Early Childhood
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Ages 6-12
AUTHOR(S): Melinda Spampinato, ABC CREATE
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Bee-Bot
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgement + Decision Making
Critical Thinking
Cognitive Flexibility
PROGRAMMING WITH PUZZLETS
OVERVIEW: Students will be able to create a basic algorithm and apply it to programming Puzzlets.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Early Childhood
AUTHOR(S): Holly Wikander + Jaime Siebert, New Kensington-Arnold | Crystal Dellemonache, Kiski Area
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Puzzlets
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
ELEMENTARY PROGRAMMING WITH DASH ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will engage in various stand alone programming activities by grade level (grades K-3)
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades K-3
AUTHOR(S): Melinda Kulick, Ed.D., Burrell School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Dash Robots
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
COMPETING IN THE DRAGON OLYMPICS WITH FINCH 2.0 ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will use FinchBlox to program a Finch 2.0 robot to participate in the ‘Dragon Olympics’.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Ages 6-12
AUTHOR(S): Melinda Spampinato, ABC CREATE
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Finch 2.0
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgement + Decision Making
Critical Thinking
Cognitive Flexibility
BRINGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO LIFE WITH FINCH ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will demonstrate the daily travels of a community member by creating a simple algorithm to guide a Finch 2.0 robot to various locations on a map.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grade 3
AUTHOR(S): Carmen Loughner, Franklin Regional School District | Melinda Spampinato, ABC CREATE
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Finch 2.0
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgement + Decision Making
Critical Thinking
Cognitive Flexibility
CONSTRUCTING GOLF COURSES & MAZES FOR SPHERO ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will create a golf course and mazes and code their Sphero robots to complete them.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 4-8
AUTHOR(S): Lindsey Lamm, North Allegheny School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Sphero Robots
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility
ANIMATING BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY WITH FINCH ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will bring to life the book Balloons Over Broadway through this cross-curricular unit by interpreting the book within its historical context, creating a balloon float, advertising their balloon float, plotting and measuring the distance of the parade route, and coding a Finch Robot to take their balloon floats through the parade route.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades K-5 (some K-1 activities may require teacher demo)
AUTHOR(S): Kelly Pratt, Penn Trafford School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Finch
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
DESIGNING AERIAL OBSTACLE COURSES FOR DRONES 1
OVERVIEW: Students will create a drone obstacle course using crafting materials and fly a Parrot Mambo drone through their created obstacle courses using the Free Flight Mini app.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 4-8
AUTHOR(S): Lindsey Lamm, North Allegheny School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Parrot Mambo Drones
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Negotiation
DESIGNING AERIAL OBSTACLE COURSES FOR DRONES 2
OVERVIEW: Students will create a drone obstacle course using crafting materials and fly a Parrot Mambo Drone through their created obstacle courses using the Tynker app.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 4-8
AUTHOR(S): Lindsey Lamm, North Allegheny School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Parrot Mambo Drones
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Negotiation
MAKING A ROBOTIC CREATION USING HUMMINGBIRD DUO AND ARDUBLOCK
OVERVIEW: Students will create and code a robot of their choosing using Hummingbird Duo and Ardublock.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 6-8
AUTHOR(S): Erin Cawley, Former Avonworth Teacher | Lisa Lang, Former Fox Chapel Teacher
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Hummingbird Duo
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
USING HUMMINGBIRD ROBOTS IN A VIRTUAL OR HYBRID CLASSROOM
OVERVIEW: Students will create and program their own robots, in a virtual or hybrid classroom, using Hummingbird Robot Kits and MakeCode.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: High School (9-12)
AUTHOR(S): Angel Stahl, Apollo Ridge School District | Melinda Spampinato, ABC CREATE
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Hummingbird Bit
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment + Decision Making
Critical Thinking
Cognitive Flexibility
SOLVING MATH EQUATIONS WITH PYTHON CODING
OVERVIEW: Students will solve basic math equations by writing code in the Python programming language and the repl.it website. The Pathway is written for students with no prior CS experience.
SKILL LEVEL: Advanced
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: High School
AUTHOR(S): Tamar McPherson, Plum Borough School District | Stephanie Reilly, Fox Chapel Area School District
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
Engineering
PROBLEM SOLVING & BUILDING SIMPLE MACHINES WITH LEGO
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
PROBLEM SOLVING & CODING WITH LEGOS
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
Service Orientation
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility
BUILDING SIMPLE MACHINES WITH LEGO
OVERVIEW: Students will investigate and understand the operation of simple machines found in everyday life by building simple machines using the LEGO Early Simple Machines set.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 1-3
AUTHOR(S): Sarah Robinson, Highlands School District
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
PRODUCING A PIANO WITH MAKEY MAKEY
OVERVIEW: Students will produce a working piano using a Makey Makey circuit board and Scratch code.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 3+
AUTHOR(S): Michele Thomas, Kiski Area School District | Jessica Berberich, Freeport Area School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Makey Makey
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
CREATING A HIGH FIVEABLE CHARACTER WITH HUMMINGBIRD ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will create a high fiveable character by programming a Hummingbird Bit.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 4-12
AUTHOR(S): Lorin Ervin, New Kensington Arnold School District | Kelsey Derringer, BirdBrain Technologies
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Hummingbird Bit
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Judgment and Decision Making
Data Fluency
CREATING DATA VISUALIZATIONS WITH CHIBITRONICS
OVERVIEW: Students will develop their data fluency by creating data visualizations using Chibitronics and analyzing EarthTime stories.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 3+
AUTHOR(S): Sue Mellon, Allegheny Valley School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): N/A
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Cognitive Flexibility
TESTING BESSBUG ABILITIES WITH THE INQUIRY DESIGN PROCESS
OVERVIEW: Students will ask a question and hypothesize about the Bessbug, plan an experiment to test their hypothesis, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions about the bessbug’s abilities. This lab introduces and guides students through the inquiry design process in which they design their own experiment to test a bessbug’s speed or strength.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grade 8
AUTHOR(S): Suzie Gardner, Riverview School District
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
IMPROVING AIR QUALITY WITH SPECK
OVERVIEW: Students will create an air quality improvement plan by identifying a challenge, designing an experiment and analyzing air quality data using the Speck indoor air quality monitor.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grade 8
AUTHOR(S): Suzie Gardner, Riverview School District| Amy Barley, Leechburg School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Speck
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Service Orientation
STORYTELLING WITH DATA VISUALS & BIG DATA SETS
OVERVIEW: Students will tell a story and/or advocate for a position that is supported through their data findings by finding an existing “big data” set from the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center, EarthTime or another open source big data site, develop an inquiry question to explore from looking at the data and scrub and analyze the data.
SKILL LEVEL: Advanced
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Intermediate/High School
AUTHOR(S): Brett Slezak, Allegheny Valley
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
DEVELOPING HUMAN RIGHTS & REFUGEE STORIES WITH EARTHTIME
OVERVIEW: Students will analyze and compare refugee situations globally, create EarthTime stories to peer teach, and commit to take an action as a result of their learning.
SKILL LEVEL: Advanced
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: High School
AUTHOR(S): Michelle Dickerson & Laura Fleischer Proaño, Highlands High School
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
Creative Design
AUTHORING BLACKOUT POETRY WITH MAKEY MAKEY
OVERVIEW: Students will write poetry that stays on topic, read poetry with appropriate tone and make poetry interactive using Scratch code and Makey Makeys.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grades 3-6
AUTHOR(S): Andrew Lynch, Highlands School District | Becky Mentecky, Highlands School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Makey Makey
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
PLANNING A FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS WITH PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
TIPS AND TOOLS FOR TEACHING SCIENCE IN A VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
OVERVIEW: Students will actively engage in interactive, fun and collaborative learning through the use of hybrid learning tools such as Google Slides Interactive Notebooks (INB’s), Jamboards, EdPuzzle and more.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grade 6
AUTHOR(S): Courtney Barbiaux, Burrell SD
Melinda Spampinato, ABC CREATE
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Critical Thinking
Cognitive Flexibility
ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE WITH HYBRID LEARNING
OVERVIEW: In this pathway, students will learn about the physical and behavioral characteristics of animals as part of a grade 6 Science unit on the Diversity of Living Things. This pathway was not created as a resource for teaching science content. It was instead created to highlight some activities, tools and resources that can be used to promote student engagement and collaboration in a hybrid classroom.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Grade 6
AUTHOR(S): Courtney Barbiaux, Burrell SD
Melinda Spampinato, ABC CREATE
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Hummingbird Bit, Hummingbird Duo
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Cognitive Flexibility
TELLING A STORY OF EMPATHY WITH COSPACES VIRTUAL WORLDS
OVERVIEW: Students will tell a story of empathy by creating a virtual world in 3D using CoSpaces Edu. Their world can then be viewed and shared on Smartphones and/or inexpensive virtual reality viewers.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: Middle/High School
AUTHOR(S): Laura Fleischer Proaño, Highlands School District Stephanie Reilly, Fox Chapel Area School District
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): VR Viewers
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility
MODELING SUSTAINABLE HOMES WITH HUMMINGBIRD ROBOTS
OVERVIEW: Students will design and model sustainable Ecuadorian homes using Hummingbird Robots.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
IMPLEMENTATION SHOWN: High School
AUTHOR(S): Ms. Laura Fleischer Proaño, Mr. Michael R. Santucci Highlands High School Teachers
Sydney Altfather, Bryce Eddy, Alaina Geppert
Highlands High School Students
RESOURCE LIBRARY TOOL(S): Hummingbird Bit, Hummingbird Duo
FUTURE READY SKILLS:
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Coordinating with Others
Judgment and Decision Making
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility