Thinking Moves:

Essential Steps in Developing Deep Understanding

Thinking Moves
Observing closely and
describing whats there
Making connections

Wondering and asking

questions
Building explanations
and interpretations

Observable Thinking Behaviours

Notice parts and features
Take detailed notes to record observations
Describe parts and features in detail
Connect new information with whats
known
Identify patterns and perspectives
Identify areas of agreement and
disagreement between sources
Imagine possible connections and
implications
Relate ideas to emotions and values
Create questions to propel further inquiry
Examine similarities and differences
Hypothesize and test ideas
Apply theories to explain phenomenon

Reasoning with evidence Search for evidence to support claims

Check for validity and soundness
Verify sufficiency of detail to support claims
Uncovering complexity
and going below the
surface

Considering different
viewpoints and
perspectives

Capturing the heart and

Identify and reject simplistic explanations

Search for alternative evidence and
explanations
Examine all parts of issues to explore
complexity
Search for deep causes
Search for alternative explanations
Evaluate the evidence of opposing
perspectives
Self-assess and revise own arguments in
light of alternative explanations and
evidence
Capturing the essence of a concept

Questions to Drive Thinking

What do you see and notice?
What are the facts here?
How does this fit?
How does this relate to other
concepts, or what I already
know?
What am I curious about
here?
Why does ____?
Whats similar and different
here?
How can I explain ________?
Are these claims logical and
supported by convincing
evidence?
What lies beneath the surface
of this?

Whats another angle on this?

How might someone argue
against this or see it
differently?

forming conclusions

Whats at the core or centre

of this?
Whats the Big Idea here?
NOTE: Thinking for Deep Understanding is NOT a linear processit is recursive! There are
logical steps, but they usually need to be repeated multiple times, often in different orders, to
really dig down deep into complex concepts. Thinking for Deep Understanding is rarely easy
and orderly; its usually difficult and messy at first, which is all the more reason to develop
detailed, organized notes.

Thinking Moves
Observing closely
and describing
whats there

Forming a reasoned judgement based on

foregoing thinking

Observable Thinking
Behaviours
Notice parts and features
Take detailed notes to record
observations
Describe parts and features in
detail

Actions that Demonstrate Deep Thinking

Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or traitor?
Snowden is a whistleblower
For many people
Snowden is a hero because he put
his freedom at stake to reveal US
ugly secrets
He did not sought money
for his action
Americans found:
Surveillance
of phone and text
Servallene of
world leaders
ability to
search every use of internet
around the world
Snowden is a traitor
He broke rules and
embarrassed some of the most
powerful leaders of the world
Snowden broke the rules
that the two political parties are
playing around
Clinton said if Snowden
really wants to be a whistleblower,
the government have many

protections for him and why didnt

he choose that path?
Evidence from the past
shows that the whistleblower
protection is a joke
Kerry asked Snowden to
come back to the US and receive
justified trial.
Obama refused to give
Snowden a regular trial but a Special
Administrative Measures
People certainly dont like Snowden
but they also do not trust their
government
A Tennessee store put up a no gay
allowed--and its totally legal
Not like the discrimination against
African Americans or other racial
minorities, this discrimination is legal not
only in Tennessee but also in 31 states
More than half of the gay population
live under laws that a owner can fire one
because he or she is gay
Some states, such as Massachusetts
and Utah, protection does not apply to
public accommodations
Enforcement also varies from state
to state
This misconception of Americans
thinking about their federal and state laws
Most Americans want to protect
LGBT rights, but most of them do not know
what these are not in their laws
When people think these protection
are in place, it would be hard to motivate
them to push for this cause
Satanists Demand Religious Exemption

from Abortion Restrictions

Hobby Lobby decision allowed forprofit companies to claim a religious
exemption to Obamacares contraception
mandate
The Satanists seek to claim religious
exemption on certain anti-abortion laws
The Satanists argue that the
Supreme Court ruled in favor for them in
the Hobby Lobby case
They are glad when the governor of
Florida passed a law to allow prayers in
schools, saying that children are not
available to pray to satan
Informed consent, which women
have to receive a biased counseling before
being allowed to proceed to abortion
procedure, is placed in 31 states
Pregnant, and No Civil Rights
With the success of Republican
election, the ban of abortion could
successfully continue
Anti-abortion poses a risk on all
women
Both the mother and the child died
when the 27 years old ill woman was
forced to undergo a cesarean section
The mother was charged attempted
fetal homicide when she fell down the
stairs
Health care measures judged that a
twins mother, which one twin died, is
charged with fetal homicide
Anti-abortion reasons are also
justified for reasons to arrest pregnant
women who attempts to commit suicide
413 cases of women being arrested
during 1973 to 2005

 Since 2005, there are additional 380

cases
These cases highlight what is so
often missed when the focus is on
attacking or defending abortion, namely
that all pregnant women are at risk of
losing a wide range of fundamental rights
that are at the core of constitutional
personhood in the United States.
stop working on abortion issues and
start working to protect the personhood of
pregnant women
No women should lose their civil
rights just because they are pregnant
The true cost of gun violence
The cost of a single gun incident
may cost more than 5 million (Mother
Jones)
Each year more than 11,000 people
are murdered with a firearm, and more
than 20,000 others commit suicide using
one
there is no definitive assessment of
the costs for victims, their families, their
employers, and the rest of usincluding
the major sums associated with criminal
justice, long-term health care, and security
and prevention
National Rifle Association and other
influential gun rights advocates have long
pressured political leaders to shut down
research related to firearms
Gun control and violence researchers
might be threatened by political leaders
Medical care can last longer than
expected
How to control guns?

Legal Scholar: Jim Crow still exists in

America
Literacy tests are trying to prevent
black from serving on juries
Minor crimes had locked blacks in
the jails forever
Today there are more AfricanAmericans under correctional control in
prison or jail, on probation or parole
than were enslaved in 1850, a decade
before the Civil War began

Making
connections

Connect new information with

whats known
Identify patterns and
perspectives
Identify areas of agreement and
disagreement between sources

The Ending Myth of black Criminality

Criminal Justice vs. Social Problems
The Constitution is written in a way
that it does not grant black people equal
rights
The Constitution is written in way
that it limits black peoples freedom and
liberty
Economic and cultural situations
might lead to the higher imprisonment of
black people
It is difficult for the federal
government to control guns of individuals
since it is a state matter
There are people who commit
suicide when they are pregnant because of
their emotional problems instead of the
will to get rid of their children
In the Hobby Lobby case, the
Supreme Court ruled that for-profit
institutions can express their religious
freedom
Many Americans do not realize how
discriminating their nation is against gay
people
Snowden is seen as a traitor in the
US government, but some people actually

Wondering and
asking questions

Imagine possible connections

and implications
Relate ideas to emotions and
values
Create questions to propel
further inquiry

Building
explanations and
interpretations

Examine similarities and

differences
Hypothesize and test ideas

Reasoning with
evidence

Summarize the main idea

Search for evidence to support
claims
Check for validity and
soundness
Verify sufficiency of detail to
support claims

like his actions to reveal the dark secrets

that the government would never give to
the people
How are anti-abortion laws a good
cause to humanity since it is so harmful is
so many cases yet it also benefits the
majority?
Due to the claim in Legal Scholar:
Jim Crow still exists in America and The
Ending Myth of black Criminality that
African Americans are still being
mistreated in various ways. Is the
American public willingly to allow this to
happen? Or do they not know the situation
and believe that these African Americans
deserve to be mistreated?
In the Satanist article, it claims that
states give false information about the
risks of abortion. Why do states want to
give false information? And why does sex
education varies so differently in different
states? Are the state governments taking
away its people right and freedom to learn
the correct information in schools?
In Legal Scholar: Jim Crow still exists
in America and The Ending Myth of black
Criminality, they both talk about how the
Constitution and reality mistreat the
African American population in the US.
The states have no idea what are teachers
teaching in schools since there is no standard
way to teach sex education.

Uncovering
complexity and
going below the
surface

Identify and reject simplistic

explanations
Search for alternative evidence
and explanations

People always fight for their religious

freedom, yet they do not always
understand to what extent is their religious
freedom to.

Examine all parts of issues to

explore complexity
Considering
different
viewpoints and
perspectives

Capturing the
heart and forming
conclusions

Search for deep causes

Search for alternative
explanations
Evaluate the evidence of
opposing perspectives
Self-assess and revise own
arguments in light of alternative
viewpoints
Capturing the essence of a
concept
Forming a reasoned judgement
based on foregoing thinking

Because of religious reasons, states

have their own stances on certain issues
and they do not want to cross the borders
of their strongest religious group in the
region.

The state governments have their

own regulations.
Edward Snowden wanted to reveal
US ugly secrets, but he does not want to
get captured by the US.

Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or traitor?

Snowden is a whistleblower
For many people Snowden is a hero because he put his freedom at stake to reveal
US ugly secrets
He did not sought money for his action
Americans found:
Surveillance of phone and text
Servallene of world leaders
ability to search every use of internet around the world
Snowden is a traitor
He broke rules and embarrassed some of the most powerful leaders of the world
Snowden broke the rules that the two political parties are playing around

 Clinton said if Snowden really wants to be a whistleblower, the government have

many protections for him and why didnt he choose that path?
Evidence from the past shows that the whistleblower protection is a joke
Kerry asked Snowden to come back to the US and receive justified trial.
Obama refused to give Snowden a regular trial but a Special Administrative
Measures
People certainly dont like Snowden but they also do not trust their government
A Tennessee store put up a no gay allowed and its totally legal
Not like the discrimination against African Americans or other racial minorities, this
discrimination is legal not only in Tennessee but also in 31 states
More than half of the gay population live under laws that a owner can fire one because he or
she is gay
Some states, such as Massachusetts and Utah, protection does not apply to public
accommodations
Enforcement also varies from state to state
This misconception of Americans thinking about their federal and state laws
Most Americans want to protect LGBT rights, but most of them do not know what these are not
in their laws
When people think these protection are in place, it would be hard to motivate them to push for
this cause


Satanists Demand Religious Exemption from Abortion Restrictions
Hobby Lobby decision allowed for-profit companies to claim a religious exemption to
Obamacares contraception mandate
The Satanists seek to claim religious exemption on certain anti-abortion laws
The Satanists argue that the Supreme Court ruled in favor for them in the Hobby Lobby case
They are glad when the governor of Florida passed a law to allow prayers in schools, saying
that children are not available to pray to satan
Informed consent, which women have to receive a biased counseling before being allowed to
proceed to abortion procedure, is placed in 31 states
Members of the Temple of Satan are encouraging all women who share their belief in medical
accuracy to seek their own exemption from these laws, even if they dont personally identify as
Satanists.
Pregnant, and No Civil Rights
With the success of Republican election, the ban of abortion could successfully continue
Anti-abortion poses a risk on all women

 Both the mother and the child died when the 27 years old ill woman was forced to undergo a
cesarean section
The mother was charged attempted fetal homicide when she fell down the stairs
Health care measures judged that a twins mother, which one twin died, is charged with fetal
homicide
Anti-abortion reasons are also justified for reasons to arrest pregnant women who attempts to
commit susicide
413 cases of women being arrested during 1973 to 2005
Since 2005, there are additional 380 cases
These cases highlight what is so often missed when the focus is on attacking or defending
abortion, namely that all pregnant women are at risk of losing a wide range of fundamental rights
that are at the core of constitutional personhood in the United States.
stop working on abortion issues and start working to protect the personhood of pregnant
women
No women should lose their civil rights just because they are pregnant
The true cost of gun violence
The cost of a single gun incident may cost more than 5 million (Mother Jones)
Each year more than 11,000 people are murdered with a firearm, and more than 20,000
others commit suicide using one
there is no definitive assessment of the costs for victims, their families, their employers, and
the rest of usincluding the major sums associated with criminal justice, long-term health care, and
security and prevention
Gun control and violence researchers might be threatened by political leaders
Medical care can last longer than expected
How to control guns?
Legal Scholar: Jim Crow still exists in America
Literacy tests are trying to prevent black from serving on juries
Minor crimes had locked blacks in the jails forever
Today there are more African-Americans under correctional control in prison or jail, on
probation or parole than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began
The Ending Myth of black Criminality
Criminal Justice vs. Social Problems
The Constitution is written in a way that it does not grant black people equal rights