Student Name: Linda Escamilla

ID #: 600140

Essential Skills
Evidence Form
StandardThink Critically and Analytically
Skills
1. Identify and explain the key elements of a complex event, text1, issue, problem or
phenomenon.
2. Develop a method to explore the relationships between the key elements of a
complex event, text1, issue, problem or phenomenon.
3. Gather, question and evaluate the quality of information from multiple primary
and secondary sources.
4. Propose defensible conclusions that address multiple and diverse perspectives.
5. Evaluate the strength of conclusions, differentiating reasoning based on facts from
reasoning based on opinions.
Description of Activity/Task/Experience that demonstrates I am at or above standard in
the specific skills for the standard mentioned above:
A complex event that I encounter with the skills listed above was my engineer class that I
took my freshman year. What was difficult about this course was that students were
require to use their ideas and apply critically thinking of how their product will be
successful to pass the exam. My team and I were assigned to build a bridge that will be
able to hold 15 pounds of weight or more. To construct our bridge we were only given
popsicles and could not use any outside tools that was not provided by my instructor. My
teammate and I organized a plan so we could figure out what will be the strongest
pinpoints that can support the massive weight. We began to design the bridges dynamic
and tested it out by adding 5 pounds to figure out what location will need more support.
Throughout the process everyone had different opinions of where should we add more
popsicles to hold support. Everyone had a different perspective that was tested. Many
questions were developed and suggested to construct the size or shape of the bridge. In
order to get a conclusion we discussed about the pros and cons of our ideas and plan out
what will be best.

Explanation/Reflection of how the activity/task/experience described above meets or

exceeds the specific skills of the standard mentioned above:
Fortunately my team and I received an A and our bridge was able to hold 15 pounds. This
was a very stressful event because of all the critically thinking that was implied for a
bridge. This experience taught me how its important to develop a method to attack a
project successfully. It was a lot of work to deal with because I had to only use popsicles
but my team and I made it possible.

Text includes by is not limited to all forms of written material, communications, media, and other representations in words, numbers,
and graphics and visual displays using traditional and technological formats.