Higher Order Thinking Questions

1. Higher Order Thinking Questions Based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

2. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

3. Remembering Remembering has a number of key verbs associated with it: Recognizing, listing, describing, identifying, retrieving, naming, locating, finding. Question 1: What are the names for the notes shown below? This is an excellent question to gauge whether or not the students can recognize the notes after the lesson and then identify them with the proper name. Teachers can ask this either later in the initial lesson, or the day following it (such as when doing homework) to assess basic recognition of concepts.

4. Understanding Understanding has a number of key verbs associated with it: Interpreting, Summarizing, inferring, paraphrasing, classifying, comparing, explaining, exemplifying. Question 2: What are the differences between the following notes? Taking it a step further from the previous slide, question 2 asks students to compare the notes and explain what is different about each one. Consequently, the students come to classify each note as a note with certain qualities. Teachers can ask this either later in the initial lesson, or the day following it (such as when doing homework)

5. Applying Applying has a number of key verbs associated with it: Implementing, carrying out, using, executing. Question 3: Can you imitate a performed rhythm correctly? Teachers can use this question in the form of the game “Rhythm Telephone” (see the “Related Activities” section of my website). In this game, students are required to carry out the rhythmic concepts covered in the lesson. This gives them practice in using rhythm. Teachers can gauge student understanding through whether or note the students properly execute the rhythm all the way to the end of the game. Question 4: “Can you notate the rhythm of a simple song, using the note values we have learned?” Teachers can use this question in relation to the homework to be assigned at the end of the lesson. Students must go home and be able to rhythmically notate a simple song, such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” This requires them to implement their knowledge of how beats and basic rhythm works. They also receive practice in carrying out, using, and executing proper rhythms.

6. Analyzing Analysis has a number of key verbs associated with it: Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, attributing, outlining, finding, structuring, integrating. Question 5: Does the beat seem to be faster or slower depending on the tempo? Teachers can play two songs with drastically different tempos, and then pose this question. This can happen while the teacher is playing the students’ songs that they brought with them and having them conduct/tap beats. This requires students to compare the 2 or more songs, to find where and how often the beat occurs, and determine the overall structure of the measures. Question 6: What are the different ways in which your peers notated their individual rhythm? Teachers can use this question when going over the “Mary Had a Little Lamb” homework. This question asks students to compare each other’s work, as well as deconstruct it to understand that person’s thought process.

7. Evaluating Evaluation has a number of key verbs associated with it: Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging, testing, detecting, monitoring. Question 7: Can you notate this song using only the note values that we have learned? For this question, the teacher would pick a melody that can obviously not be notated with the simple note values. This causes students to judge whether notation is possible with the simple note values. Question 8: What would happen if there were more than 4 beats in 1 measure in a 4/4 time signature. Teachers can use this question after talking about how many beats are supposed to be in a regular measure of 4/4. This can lead into conversations about ties (which allow notes that are too big to extend over barlines). This question requires to students to hypothesize the outcome of “incorrectly” notating rhythm. It also allows them to experiment with more complicated concepts that will come into play later. Question 9: What changes to ____’s work would you recommend? Teachers can use this question while going over the homework. It allows students to critique another students work so that they can be better informed. It also asks them to detect error and judge the accuracy of the completed assignment.

8. Creating Creation has a number of key verbs associated with it: designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing, devising, making. Question 10: Can you create your own rhythm? Teachers can use this in conjunction with the “Mary Had a Little Lamb” homework assignment. Instead of notating a well-known song, the student may compose an original song and notate the rhythm. This asks the students to construct their own musical idea, which requires them to plan and design, which relies on their knowledge of basic rhythm.