Year 2 Critical thinking: Summer 2 worksheet

“Spotting assumptions” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 2 critical thinking unit “Critical thinking: Summer 2”, for children aged 6 to 7, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 31 to 36 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Spotting assumptions

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 2 · Critical thinking · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can spot an assumption and check it with two questions.

A Look back3 min

1.
Ben says: ‘Every shape has four sides.’ Look at this shape. Is Ben right?
2.
Circle the colour with the most ticks.
redbluegreen
3.
How does this chart show which snack the class likes best?

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ella says something about her class. Ask: ‘Am I sure?’ and ‘Is that always true?’ Then check with the chart.

Watch me

Ella says everyone likes dogs best.

The chart shows 9 chose dog, 6 chose cat and 4 chose fish.

Not everyone chose dog, so ‘everyone’ is an assumption.

Now you

1.
Lee says: ‘Everyone in our club likes football best.’ Is that always true? Say why.

C Your turn6 min

Some sentences were checked. Others are only believed. Put each sentence in the right box.

A classroom shelf with a bowl of apples, a fish tank and a pile of books

1.
Write each sentence in the right box.
Everyone in our class likes apples.We counted 5 apples in the bowl.
Needs checking Already checked
2.
Write each sentence in the right box.
Every bike in the shed has two wheels.We looked, and our bike has two wheels.The bus is always late.
Needs checking Already checked
3.
Write each sentence in the right box.
Dogs always bark at the postman.We watched our dog at the postman today.All trees lose their leaves in winter.We saw a bee in our window box.
Needs checking Already checked
4.
Write each sentence in the right box.
It always rains on Mondays.We wrote down the weather all week.Everyone in Year 2 has a library card.We counted the library cards: 24.
Needs checking Already checked

Say it out loud: Which words made you want to check? Say them out loud, and say why.

D Spot the mistake3 min

A tissue box and a glass of water on a classroom table

Kit says: “Priya has a cold, so everyone in our class has a cold.”

1.
Is Kit’s sentence always true? Write why not.

E Think deeper3 min

A school gate with a bike rack, a bus stop and a path, with no people

1.
Write one assumption someone might make from this chart. Then write one question that would check it.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Spotting assumptions · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. Look for: Says no, because this shape has three sides, so it breaks Ben's rule.

2. red

3. Look for: Says the tallest bar or the most votes shows the favourite, such as crisps with the most.

B

1. Look for: Says no, because the tally shows some children chose swimming or chess, so 'everyone' is an assumption. If your child just says ‘yes’, ask: did you see every child in the club? Point to the word ‘everyone’.

C

1. Needs checking: Everyone in our class likes apples. · Already checked: We counted 5 apples in the bowl. If your child puts ‘Everyone likes apples’ under checked, ask: did you ask everyone? Until you check, it is an assumption.

2. Needs checking: Every bike in the shed has two wheels., The bus is always late. · Already checked: We looked, and our bike has two wheels.

3. Needs checking: Dogs always bark at the postman., All trees lose their leaves in winter. · Already checked: We watched our dog at the postman today., We saw a bee in our window box. If your child puts ‘Dogs always bark at the postman’ under checked, ask: did you watch every dog? The word ‘always’ needs checking.

4. Needs checking: It always rains on Mondays., Everyone in Year 2 has a library card. · Already checked: We wrote down the weather all week., We counted the library cards: 24.

D

1. Look for: Says no because only one child is known to have a cold; Kit has not checked everyone. If your child says ‘yes’, ask: how many children did you check? Use the two questions: ‘Am I sure?’ and ‘Is that always true?’

E

1. Look for: An assumption that goes beyond the 20 children on the chart, plus a question that would check it, such as asking the rest of the school.

Words to use

Say“Which words make it sound certain? Could there be one exception?”

Instead of“That is wrong, you should always know that.”

After the sheet

At dinner, say a sentence like ‘Everyone likes peas.’ Ask together: ‘Am I sure? Is that always true?’ Then check with the family.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Finding Hidden Beliefs(with a plan)
Checking a News Story(with a plan)
Screens at Lunch: Pick a Side(with a plan)
Our Thinking Toolkit(with a plan)
Our thinking toolbox(with a plan)

Every Year 2 critical thinking worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

The full StudyDen plan adds the lessons themselves, marked as your child works, with the worksheets included. It is 7 days free, then £29.99 a month.

Get the worksheets Try the full plan free

Both start with a free account; you choose the plan when you sign up.