Grades 2-3 This engaging 320-page book develops the critical thinking skills necessary for success in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and standardized tests in Grades 2-3. The Building Thinking Skills® series is the bestselling thinking skills program in the world! The engaging, highly-effective activities are developmentally sequenced. Each skill (for example, classifying) is presented first in the semi-concrete, figural-spatial form and then in the abstract verbal form. Students also learn important academic vocabulary, concepts, and skills as they analyze relationships between objects, between words, and between objects and words by: - Observing, recognizing, and describing characteristics - Distinguishing similarities and differences - Identifying and completing sequences, classifications, and analogies

These processes help students develop superior thinking and communication skills that lead to deeper content learning in all subjects. LEVEL 1 Figural-Spatial Skills

Describing shapes Figures: compare / describe /copy / enlarge / divide Diagrams: overlapping classes / Venn / branching / cycle Mental pattern folding / symmetry Directionality / Position in space Mental rotation / reflection / tumbling / stacking / folding of 2-D objects Congruence / area / volume Analogies: size / color / orientation / detail Visual motor integration and memory Use of graphic organizers Verbal Skills

Spelling / Vocabulary / Writing: describing things and words Following and writing 1-, 2-, and 3-step directions Antonyms / synonyms Analogies: kind of / part of / used to / association / action Deductive / Inductive reasoning Parts of a whole Map reading Writing directions Logic: if-then / yes-no / true-false Orientation: person / place / time Auditory memory Language acquisition Teaching Support Activities are modeled to reinforce skills and concepts. An answer guide is included.