Like many other educators, I use the Bloom’s taxonomy cognitive domain list to help form my curriculum, assessment and lesson plans. While there are many Bloom’s charts and cheat sheets for educators out there, I couldn’t find one that met my specific lesson plan framework and philosophies, so I made my own!
I relied upon six sources (referenced, as always) including books, charts, and peer-reviewed research. You’ll find many of the verbs, activities, assessments and question prompts used in my unit and lesson plans.
Remember
Retain, recall and recognize knowledge
Verbs
| cite | match | record |
| define | memorize | relate |
| describe | name | repeat |
| identify | outline | reproduce |
| label | recall | select |
| list | recite | state |
| locate | recognize | tabulate |
Activities
- basic searches
- curation
- drill and practice
- flashcards
- games
- highlight key
- words
- list
- memory activities
- reading materials
- timelines
- watching
- presentations and videos
Assessments
- clicker questions
- fill-in-the blanks
- label
- match
- multiple choice
- quizzes
- timeline
- true and false questions
Prompts
- List the…
- How would you describe…?
- How would you explain…?
- When did […] happen?
- How would you show…?
- Select the…
- Which one…?
- Who was…?
- Why did…?
Understand
Translate and interpret knowledge
Verbs
| classify | express | recognize |
| compare | extend | report |
| convert | generalize | restate |
| defend | identify | review |
| describe | infer | rewrite |
| discuss | interpret | summarize |
| distinguish | locate | translate |
| estimate | paraphrase | |
| explain | predict | |
Activities
- advanced search
- blogging
- case studies
- concept map
- demonstrations
- diagrams
- flowcharts
- gamification
- group discussions
- mind map
- matrix activity
- play/sketches
- summarize
- think-pair-share
Assessments
- concept map
- create a summary
- essay
- diagrams
- infographics
- matrix activity
- one-minute paper
- presentation
- provide examples
- quizzes
- short answers
Prompts
- State in your own words.
- Which are facts?
- What does this mean?
- Is this the same as…?
- Give an example.
- Select the best definition.
- Condense this paragraph.
- What would happen if…?
- State in one word…
- Explain what is happening.
- What part doesn’t fit?
- Explain what is meant.
- What expectations are there?
- What are they saying?
Apply
Apply knowledge to different situations
Verbs
| act | employ | produce |
| apply | illustrate | relate |
| calculate | interpret | schedule |
| choose | manipulate | show |
| compute | modify | sketch |
| construct | operate | solve |
| demonstrate | practice | use |
| dramatize | prepare | |
Activities
- case studies
- concept map
- demonstrations
- flipped classrooms
- gallery walk
- gamification
- group work
- interview
- lab experiments
- map
- presentation
- problem-solving tasks
- short answers
- role play
Assessments
- discussion board post
- journal
- portfolio
- lab reports
- one-minute paper
- presentation
- problem-solving tasks
- scrapbooking
- short answers
- tests
Prompts
- What examples can you find to…?
- How would you organize…?
- How would you apply what you have learned to develop…?
- What other way would you plan to…?
- What questions would you ask in an interview with…?
- What elements would you choose to change…?
- How would you classify…?
- What would result if…?
Analyze
Break down information to look at relationships
Verbs
| analyze | differentiate | point out |
| appraise | discriminate | question |
| categorize | distinguish | reframe |
| classify | divide | relate |
| compare | examine | select |
| contrast | infer | separate |
| criticize | measure | subdivide |
| diagram | outline | test |
Activities
- case studies
- compare/contrast
- concept map
- debates
- discussions
- flowchart
- graph
- group investigation
- mind map
- questionnaires
- report/survey
- reverse engineering
- think-pair-share
Assessments
- analysis paper
- case studies
- evaluation criteria
- critique hypothesis, procedures etc.
- diagram
- media mashup
- muddiest point
- one-minute paper
- research paper
- review paper
Prompts
- What is the function of…?
- What’s fact? Opinion?
- What assumptions…?
- What statement is relevant?
- What motive is there?
- Related to, extraneous to, not applicable.
- What conclusions?
- What does the author believe?
- What does the author assume?
- Make a distinction…
- State the point of view of…
- What is the premise?
- State the point of view of…
- What ideas justify the conclusion?
- What’s the relationship between?
Evaluate
Make judgments based on evidence found
Verbs
| appraise | criticize | manage |
| argue | critique | prepare |
| assess | defend | rearrange |
| choose | estimate | reconcile |
| compare | evaluate | set up |
| conclude | judge | synthesize |
Activities
- compare/contrast
- concept map
- court trial
- debates
- investigation
- journal
- product testing
- pros and cons list
- mind map
- reflecting
- review paper
- simulation
- survey
Assessments
- argumentative or persuasive essay
- debates
- discussions
- presentation
- provide alternative solutions
- report
Prompts
- What fallacies, inconsistencies appear?
- Which is more important, moral, better, logical, valid, appropriate?
- Find the errors.
- Is there a better solution to?
- Judge the value of…?
- Can you defend your position about…?
- Do you think…is a good or a bad thing?
- How would you have handled…?
- What changes to…would you recommend?
- Do you believe…?
- How effective are…?
- What do you think about…?
Create
Retain, recall and recognize knowledge
Verbs
| arrange | develop | plan |
| assemble | devise | prepare |
| combine | formulate | produce |
| compose | generate | rate |
| construct | invent | revise |
| create | modify | write |
| design | organize | |
Activities
- brainstorm
- decision-making tasks
- develop and describe new solutions or plans
- performances
- presentations
- remixing
- research projects
- written assignment
Assessments
- brainstorm
- decision-making tasks
- develop and describe new solutions or plans
- performances
- presentations
- remixing
- research projects
- written assignment
Prompts
- How would you test…?
- Propose an alternative.
- Solve the following.
- How else would you…?
- State a rule.
- Can you design a…?
- Can you see a possible solution to…?
- If you had access to all resources how would you deal with…?
- What would happen if…?
- How many ways can you…?
- Create new and unusual uses for…?
- Can you develop a proposal which would…?
Aligning assessments to SLOs. (n.d.) University of Florida. Retrieved from http://citt.ufl.edu/online-teaching-resources/assessments/aligning-assessments-to-slos/
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D.R., eds. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Allyn and Bacon.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Learning Activities and Assessments. (2019). University of Waterloo. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/blooms-taxonomy-learning-activities-and-assessments
Bloom’s Taxonomy “Revised” Key Words, Model Questions, & Instructional Strategies Prompts https://wcupa.edu/education-socialWork/assessmentAccreditation/documents/Blooms_Taxonomy.pdf
Carrington, A. (2016). The Padagogy Wheel English V5. Retrieved from https://designingoutcomes.com/english-speaking-world-v5-0/
Stanny, C. (2016). Reevaluating Bloom’s Taxonomy: What Measurable Verbs Can and Cannot Say about Student Learning. Education Sciences, 6(4), n/a. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6040037