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Thinking Skills For Teaching Literature in EFL
Thinking Skills For Teaching Literature in EFL
The English Inspectorate highly recommends the teaching of higher-order thinking skills
(HOTS). The teaching of HOTS not only enhances students ability to analyze literature,
but also gives them the ability to better answer reading comprehension questions in
expository texts, and improves their writing skills as well as their thinking skills.
Teachers have to teach at least six HOTS from the list below. The HOTS should be
chosen in accordance with their selected literary texts.
Classifying categorize the elements of the text Categorize the characters according to
according to criteria. their relationships/values.
Comparing and find similarities (comparing) and Compare and contrast the conflicts/
contrasting differences (contrasting) and draw problems/dilemmas in two stories or
conclusions when appropriate. poems.
Compare and contrast the text and the
film.
Compare and contrast characters in a
text.
Higher-Order Thinking Skills (continued)
Evaluating make judgments about different aspects What makes this a good story?
of the text and justify opinions. Explain.
Is ___ a believable character?
Explain.
Is the resolution of the conflict
satisfying? Explain.
Explaining describe and explain the causal What were the results of ___s
cause and relationships between actions or events action?
effect in a text. What caused ___ to think that ___?
Generating generate alternatives and/or create new Create a new character for the story
possibilities ideas and/or expand on existing ideas, and explain how s/he will affect the
based on information from the text. development (or outcome) of the
Identifying explain how the parts function together story.
How does one part of the story
parts and within the whole text. Add an element/an
contribute event to the of
to your understanding
whole existing
the wholetext that influences the
text?
development
How does theand/or the outcome
title/ending relate toof
the plot. parts of the text?
different
Higher-Order Thinking Skills (continued)
Inferring infer implicit meaning from the text by What do you think the character
being able to read-between-the-lines. meant when s/he said, ___?
What does ___s behavior suggest?
What different meanings can be
inferred from this line in the poem?
Predicting predict the content or the outcome of the How do you think ___ will react?
text, either before or during reading How do you think the story will end?
based on available information.
Problem identify a problem/dilemma and either Define the problem facing the
solving identify its solution in the text or suggest protagonist.
a possible solution, taking into account How should ___ decide what to do?
the constraints and the options present in What should ____ take / have taken
the text. into account?
What dilemma does ___ face at this
point in the story? What are possible
solutions?
Sequencing explain how the sequence of events in a Sequence the events in chronological
text, when not in chronological order, order.
affects understanding of the text. How do flashbacks affect your
understanding of the text/plot?
Why do you think the events are not
in chronological order?
Higher-Order Thinking Skills (continued)
Synthesizing change their thinking about the text as What event changed your thinking
they read. about a characters behavior?
How did what you learned at the
end of the story change your
understanding of ___s actions?
While reading the text, how did
your understanding of the
events/characters behavior change?
Uncovering identify motives that explain the Why do you think that __ did __?
motives characters behavior and support this Support your answer.
with evidence from the text. What made ___ change his/her mind?
Give supporting details.