Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical framework categorizing cognitive learning into six levels—Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create—helping educators design activities that develop thinking skills from basic to advanced.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy?
Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification system for educational objectives developed in 1956 by a committee led by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom. The framework organizes cognitive learning into hierarchical levels, from basic knowledge recall through increasingly complex thinking skills. The revised 2001 version—now more commonly used—identifies six levels: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. For homeschoolers, Bloom's Taxonomy provides a practical lens for evaluating whether lessons develop genuine thinking skills or merely test memorization. Understanding the levels helps parents design questions, activities, and assessments that push beyond surface-level learning.
Key Takeaways
- Six levels progress from lower-order thinking (Remember, Understand, Apply) to higher-order thinking (Analyze, Evaluate, Create)
- The revised 2001 taxonomy places Create at the top, emphasizing synthesis and production over evaluation
- Each level has associated action verbs that help design appropriate questions and activities
- Effective education moves through all levels rather than staying stuck at recall and comprehension
The Six Cognitive Levels
**Remember** involves retrieving information—recalling facts, dates, definitions. **Understand** means grasping meaning, summarizing, explaining concepts. **Apply** uses knowledge in new situations, solving problems with learned procedures. **Analyze** breaks material into parts, examining relationships and structures. **Evaluate** makes judgments based on criteria, critiquing arguments, justifying decisions. **Create** produces new work by combining elements in novel ways—designing, composing, constructing. Each level builds on those below; students need basic knowledge before they can meaningfully analyze or create.
Why It Matters for Homeschoolers
Many educational experiences never progress beyond the lower levels. Worksheets testing recall, quizzes checking comprehension—these have their place, but education that stops there fails to develop critical thinking. Homeschoolers have unique freedom to push beyond memorization into genuine intellectual engagement. Bloom's Taxonomy provides a framework for ensuring lessons develop higher-order thinking: not just "What happened in the Revolutionary War?" but "Why did the colonists succeed against a superior military force?" and ultimately "Design a propaganda campaign from either perspective."
Practical Question Starters
**Remember:** What is...? Who was...? When did...? Can you list...?
**Understand:** Can you explain why...? How would you summarize...? What does this mean...?
**Apply:** How would you use...? What examples can you find...? How would you solve...?
**Analyze:** What are the parts of...? How does X compare to Y...? What evidence supports...?
**Evaluate:** Do you agree with...? What is your opinion of...? How would you justify...?
**Create:** What would happen if...? Can you design...? How would you improve...? What alternatives exist...?
Applying Across Subjects
In history, move from recalling dates (Remember) through explaining causes (Understand) to evaluating leadership decisions (Evaluate) to designing alternative outcomes (Create). In science, progress from identifying parts (Remember) through explaining processes (Understand) to designing experiments (Create). Literature study might start with plot summary (Understand) and build to character analysis (Analyze) and crafting original stories (Create). The taxonomy applies universally, making it a versatile planning tool regardless of subject or grade level.
The Bottom Line
Bloom's Taxonomy gives homeschoolers a powerful framework for elevating education beyond memorization and comprehension. While foundational knowledge matters, the real goal is developing thinkers who can analyze complex situations, evaluate competing claims, and create new solutions. The taxonomy's hierarchical structure helps parents intentionally design lessons that build cognitive skills progressively. When planning any unit or lesson, ask yourself: "At what level is my student thinking?" and "How can I push toward higher-order engagement?" This simple framework transforms how you approach teaching across every subject.
