After a theory explanation, the students receive a worksheet. In the left column, there are various terms, and in the right column, the explanations of these terms. The explanations are not in the correct order (or next to the correct term).

The goal is for students to find the correct combination.

Indoors: ensure that the (class-)room is quiet enough to allow focus and thoughtful discussion and explanations during research. The children also need to be able to write, so it is best if they sit at a desk.

This activity develops students’ critical thinking by:

• Analyzing information: Students carefully read the descriptions and break down the meaning, which develops their ability to examine information in detail.
• Comparing and contrasting: By comparing different descriptions, students learn to identify similarities and differences, a key step in evaluating options critically.
• Making reasoned decisions: Students make deliberate choices based on evidence and reasoning rather than guessing, which strengthens judgment and reflective thinking. – Evaluating alternatives: They consider why some descriptions do not fit, which trains them to question assumptions and think logically about cause and effect.

As a result of this activity, students:

• are able to critically evaluate descriptions, make informed matches, and clearly explain their reasoning.

Ideally, you also include one extra term without a description. Because there is one description missing, the students really have to think about which one does not fit and eliminate it.

Key tip: Choose terms that belong to the same general theme, but still contain enough variety and doubt, so that students must think about why something does or does not fit into a category – this triggers critical thinking.

An example for worksheet:

Teacher’s role: the teacher is mentoring, inquisitive and supportive, encouraging thinking, explaining and rethinking

• Let students explain their choices (e.g., “Why do you think these belong together?”) → encourages argumentation
• Exploring alternatives (e.g., “Could you have hesitated between two concepts?”) → discussing doubts and alternatives
• Reflecting on how they arrived at their answer (e.g., “How did you decide?”) → encourages reflection on their choices
• Questioning descriptions (e.g., “What makes you think this description doesn’t fit?”) → promotes critical evaluation

• Encourage students to explain their choices and reasoning.
• Ask guiding questions to help them reflect on their decisions.
• Allow time to reconsider and explore alternatives.
• Break complex problems into smaller steps, e.g., eliminate obvious mismatches first.
• Pair or group students strategically to support learning.
• Emphasize that mistakes are learning opportunities.

When using smart match as a working form with students aged 6 to 10, you can easily differentiate at three levels: beginner, advanced and expert.

Beginners:

Advanced learners:

Experts:

• How did you decide which match was correct? What reasoning did you use?

• Were there any options that seemed correct at first but didn’t fit? Why?
• What alternative solutions did you consider, and why did you reject them?
• How did your thinking change after reviewing or discussing the matches?
• What strategies helped you evaluate information more carefully?