Curriculum designers and instructional coordinators
Designing a new course syllabus or learning outcomes
Use cases
About
The Cognitive Domain mind map template organizes Bloom's Taxonomy into six hierarchical levels—Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation—each with 4–6 actionable verbs. Designed for educators, instructional designers, and students, this fishbone diagram provides a visual cheat sheet for classifying learning objectives and assessment tasks. Key nodes include 'Critique' under Evaluation, 'Hypothesize' under Synthesis, and 'Categorize' under Analysis. The template helps users quickly identify appropriate cognitive verbs for lesson planning, curriculum mapping, or exam design. With 39 total nodes across a single sheet, it offers a concise yet comprehensive reference for the revised taxonomy.
Terms and ConditionsWhen to use this template
Teachers and exam developers
Creating formative or summative assessment questions
K–12 educators and higher education faculty
Aligning existing lesson plans with cognitive rigor levels
How to use this template
Step 1
Open and Review the Hierarchy
Open the template in Xmind to explore the fishbone structure representing the six hierarchical levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
Step 2
Customize Verbs and Visual Styles
Edit existing cognitive verbs or add new nodes while using colors and icons to differentiate between lower and higher-order thinking.
Step 3
Export for Educational Planning
Save your completed cognitive map as a PDF or image to integrate these learning objectives into your lesson plans and curriculum.
Frequently asked questions
The template covers all six levels of Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Each level includes 4–6 specific action verbs, such as 'Critique', 'Hypothesize', and 'Categorize', arranged in a fishbone diagram layout.
Open the .xmind file in Xmind, then select the cognitive level you want to target (e.g., Analysis). Use the listed verbs like 'Compare' or 'Contrast' to design learning objectives or assessment questions that match that level.
Yes, the template is fully editable in Xmind (desktop, web, or mobile). You can add, remove, or modify nodes. It can also be exported as an image or PDF for printing.
Review the fishbone diagram regularly, focusing on one level at a time. Use the visual hierarchy to associate each level with its verbs, and practice by creating sample objectives for each verb.
Absolutely. In Xmind, you can rename any node, add new verbs, or reorganize the branches to align with your specific curriculum or assessment framework.
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