Year 3 Critical thinking: Spring 1 worksheet

“Claims, reasons and checks” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 3 critical thinking unit “Critical thinking: Spring 1”, for children aged 7 to 8, and takes about 22 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 13 to 18 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Claims, reasons and checks

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 3 · Critical thinking · about 22 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can check whether each reason connects to its claim, and spot a conclusion that goes too far.

A Look back3 min

1.
We should bring coats, because it is cold outside. Which card is the reason?
We should bring coatsIt is cold outside
2.
Claim: We should take umbrellas on the trip. Reason: Umbrellas are sold in the shop by the school. Is the reason relevant?
RelevantNot relevant
3.
Our class voted for a pet. Which card is a fact?
6 children chose dogsDogs are the best pets

B Watch me, then you4 min

Mia says: “Our school should have a longer lunch break, because children are hungry by lunchtime.” Is the reason relevant?

Watch me

The claim is: lunch should be longer.

The reason is: children are hungry by lunch.

Hunger links to a longer lunch, so the reason is relevant.

Now you

1.
Zara says: “We should have a school garden, because the bell rings at nine.” Is this reason relevant? Circle your answer.
RelevantNot relevant

C Your turn8 min

The claim stays the same: We should bring a torch on the camping trip. Does each reason help?

A small tent in a grassy field at dusk with trees behind it

1.
We should bring a torch on the camping trip, because it gets dark early. Is this reason relevant? Circle your answer.
RelevantNot relevant
2.
We should bring a torch on the camping trip, because the gate is painted green. Is this reason relevant? Circle your answer.
RelevantNot relevant
3.
We should bring a torch on the trip, because the toilet block is dark at night. Is this reason relevant? Circle your answer.
RelevantNot relevant
4.
We should bring a torch on the camping trip, because my favourite colour is red. Is this reason relevant? Circle your answer.
RelevantNot relevant

Say it out loud: Only the reason changed in each row. What made a reason fit the claim, and what made it not fit?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Jess says: “Mr Lee's class likes football best, so everyone in Year 3 likes football best.”

1.
What is wrong with Jess's jump? Write one sentence.

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Write a claim with two reasons. One reason connects to the claim and one does not. Say which is which and why.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Claims, reasons and checks · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. It is cold outside your child picked the claim. The claim is what we should do. The reason comes after the word 'because'.

2. Not relevant your child may think any true fact counts. Ask: does a shop selling umbrellas tell us we will need them on the trip?

3. 6 children chose dogs

B

1. Not relevant your child may pick Relevant because the bell time is true. Ask: does the bell time help decide about a garden?

C

1. Relevant your child may think the reason is too obvious to count. Ask: does darkness make a torch useful?

2. Not relevant your child may have thought a true fact about the campsite must help. Ask: does the gate colour change whether a torch is needed?

3. Relevant

4. Not relevant

D

1. Look for: says the survey covers only one class, so it does not show all of Year 3 your child may only repeat the claim. Ask: how many children were asked, and are they all of Year 3?

E

1. Look for: a claim, one reason that connects to it, one that does not, and a reason for each choice

Words to use

Say“Which part is the claim? Does this reason help it, or is it just true?”

Instead of“Say “That's right” without asking why the reason fits.”

After the sheet

Pick a family choice, like where to eat out. Each say one reason, then ask together: does that reason help the choice?

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:

Cause and effect(with a plan)
Cause and effect headlines(with a plan)
Coincidence or cause?(with a plan)
Causes that chain together(with a plan)
Building a Cause Chain(with a plan)

Every Year 3 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.

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