Stepping Stones A Path to Critical Thinking by Vera Schneider Grades K–2
Stepping Stones is a new series of workbooks designed to introduce
students to critical thinking skills that they will use throughout their academic
careers. All too often, critical thinking skills are not presented to young
students in a systematic way. The books in the Stepping Stones series
strive to present critical thinking in a way that is clear and not threatening
to young children. Puzzles cover language arts, math, science, and social studies
subjects.
The exercises in Stepping Stones are visually appealing and task-oriented,
and an important feature is that many of the puzzles are open-ended. There is
a strong emphasis on students' ability to justify and explain their answers.
This pushes students to think carefully and rationally about their answers rather
than just choosing an answer randomly.
Skills Addressed
Language Skills
• Alphabet sequencing
• Beginning sounds
• Capital and lowercase letters
• Compound words
• Comprehension
• Encoding
• Ending sounds
• Letter recognition
• Letter-sound association
• Listening
• Punctuation
• Rhyming
• Singular and plural noun forms
• Syllables
• Verb tense
• Vocabulary development
Math Skills
• Counting (rote, skip)
• Equations
• Even and odd numbers
• Graphs
• Lines
• Measurement
• Money
• Numeral recognition
• Ordinal numbers
• Patterns
• Sets
• Shapes
• Time
Social Studies
• Community Helpers
• Geography
• Rural
• Urban
• Cultures
Concept Words
• In
• Out
• On
• Above
• Below
• Opposite
• Right side up
• Upside down
• Up
• Down
• Before
• After
• Right
• Left
• Same
• Different
• Similar
• Fewer
• Least
• Top
• Bottom
• Behind
• Beneath
• Beside
• Between
• Beyond
