• Students will analyze their thinking.

• Students will examine how they are impacted by point of view, assumptions, consequences, facts, experiences, judgments, and concepts or theories when making decisions.

• Students will practice the "thinking wheel" process in groups.

• Students will write a response about their thinking.

• Students will assess their peers' writing.

• Introduction to vocabulary used in the wheel:  point of view, assume or assumptions, implications, consequences, concepts or theories

• Display of vocabulary

• Butcher paper pies for each team to make a wheel

• Specific colored markers for each team

• Tape

• Overhead of the thinking wheel

• "Thinking wheel" sheet for each team

• Writing rubric for each student

DAY ONE
1.  Ask students what major international event is currently taking place.
2.  Hand out a sticky note to each student, have students write their name on the note, and answer the question: Would I attend the Olympics in Sydney, Australia ALONE if given the opportunity?  Collect and display the tabs somewhere in the classroom.
3.  Ask students to recall their memories about learning to tie their shoes, leading them into a discussion about who taught them, how old they were, and how they felt while learning and when they finally got it.
4.  Tell students that we are going to analyze our thinking by using a process called a "thinking wheel" to answer a question.
5.  Tell students that we are going back in time to when we were about three years old, sitting with our sneakers on while waiting for someone to tie them.  Tell them we are contemplating the question, "Do I want to learn to tie my shoes?"
6.  Using an overhead of the thinking wheel, record the question in the appropriate piece of the pie.
7.  Lead students in answering each question, developing the vocabulary at the same time.
8.  Option:  Hold an Olympic trial for Shoe Tying.

DAY TWO
1.  Review the "thinking wheel" and vocabulary.
2.  Tell students we are going to practice analyzing our thinking in groups of  four to seven to answer the question, "Would I attend the Olympics in Sydney, Australia ALONE if given the opportunity?"
3.  Hand out a set of precut pieces of pies recorded with each thinking question to each team along with the same color of markers for each team. (Each team must have a unique color.)
4.  Explain that each person in the team is responsible for recording the thoughts of team members as they examine each thinking question. Some members will have more than one piece of the pie.
5.  After a few minutes of recording have students rotate clockwise to the nearest team, taking their markers with them.  Have students read the other team's ideas and record additional thoughts. Continue rotating once more if time and then have students return to their teams to add any additional thoughts.
6.  Have students put their pies together with tape and display them throughout the room and examine the ones they have not yet seen.
7.  Lead a discussion about the similarities and differences in the thinking process.
8.  Ask students to reexamine the question to decide if they would go to Sydney or not ALONE. Has their answer changed or is it the same?
9.  Continue to discuss, probing to see if students are identifying how our thinking is impacted by our experiences, assumptions, etc.
10.  Have students record their current answer to the question including their thoughts about each thinking question.  Ask them to also address how they were influenced by others' thinking. Give them the scoring rubric as a guide.
11.  Exchange papers for peers to assess responses.  Encourage discussion for clarification as needed.
12.  Option:  Hold the Olympic Shoe Tying finals.

• Go to the glossary at www.criticalthinking.org for information about the vocabulary.

• Use the "thinking wheel" handout for students and overhead (attached).

• Review the "thinking wheel" teacher guide (attached).

• Hopefully students will see how interconnected and quickly our thinking can actually be AND that our thoughts may not have any particular order.

Official Sydney Olympics 2000 Site : Detailed information and resource guide to the Olympics

• To assess students who have difficulty with writing, have them discuss their thinking process with you or a peer orally.  Give them a wheel as a guide and prompt student as needed.

Gifted Students : These extensions are suitable for enrichment for any students.

• Have students research data and facts to become more informed to make their decision. Some questions to be considered could be:
  - Must I be a certain age to travel by air to Sydney alone?
  - What requirements does Australia have for foreign visitors who are underage?

• Have students create an itinerary including flight arrangements, hotel accommodations, events to attend, etc.

• Have students create a budget.

• Thinking Wheel Teacher's Guide
• Thinking Wheel Handout for Students
• Thinking Wheel Assessment Rubric