Year 3 Critical thinking: Summer 1 worksheet

“Finding hidden beliefs” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 3 critical thinking unit “Critical thinking: Summer 1”, for children aged 7 to 8, 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 25 to 30 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Finding hidden beliefs

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 3 · Critical thinking · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can find the hidden belief that holds an argument together.

A Look back3 min

1.
“Oak trees are the best trees for parks because they last for hundreds of years.” Circle the claim.
Oak trees are the best trees for parksthey last for hundreds of years
2.
“The shop is shut on Sundays. So we cannot buy milk today.” Circle the conclusion.
The shop is shut on SundaysSo we cannot buy milk today
3.
Which is stronger evidence that plants need light? Circle one.
A friend said soWe tested it with two plants

B Watch me, then you4 min

Priya says: “We should start a bike club at school because bikes are fun.” Look for the hidden belief.

Watch me

The claim: start a bike club.

The reason: bikes are fun.

Hidden belief: children who think bikes are fun will want to join a bike club.

Now you

1.
“We should eat outside because it is sunny.” Write the hidden belief in your own words.
2.
“Ravi should be goalkeeper because he is tall.” Write the hidden belief in your own words.

C Your turn6 min

Each argument is a little different. Circle the hidden belief each time.

1.
“We should have a picnic because the sun is out.” Circle the hidden belief.
The sun is outSunshine means the picnic will be warm and dryPicnics need a blanket
2.
“We should go to the museum because it is free.” Circle the hidden belief.
The museum is freeMuseums have old things insideFree trips are what matter most for the class
3.
“The class should visit the zoo because it got the most votes.” Circle the hidden belief.
The zoo got the most votesThe most votes means it is the best trip for everyoneZoos have monkeys
4.
“Mia should be class monitor because she always tidies her desk.” Circle the hidden belief.
Mia always tidies her deskBeing tidy is what makes a good monitorMonitors wear badges

Say it out loud: What words are said out loud, and what is the belief underneath? How did the argument change from one row to the next?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Ruby says: “One friend likes blue, so everyone in our class will want a blue bag.”

1.
What is the jump Ruby makes? Write one sentence.

E Think deeper4 min

A garden bench with a watering can beside it

1.
Write your own argument with a ‘because’ reason, such as ‘We should water the plants because…’. Then write the hidden belief under it.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Finding hidden beliefs · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. Oak trees are the best trees for parks your child has picked the reason. Ask: what is the speaker trying to persuade us of? That is the claim.

2. So we cannot buy milk today your child has picked the reason. A conclusion is the ‘so what’ at the end. Ask which sentence the others lead to.

3. We tested it with two plants your child has picked the friend. Ask: did anyone check it? A test we can see is stronger than a say-so.

B

1. Look for: A belief that sunshine makes eating outside a good idea, or that everyone will be comfortable outside in the sun. If your child repeats the reason, say: find the bit that must be true for the reason to lead to the claim.

2. Look for: A belief that height is what makes a good goalkeeper, or that tall players are the best keepers. If your child writes what Ravi can do instead, ask: what does the argument need us to believe about tall people?

C

1. Sunshine means the picnic will be warm and dry your child has circled the thing said out loud. Ask: what must be true about the weather for a picnic to be a good idea?

2. Free trips are what matter most for the class

3. The most votes means it is the best trip for everyone

4. Being tidy is what makes a good monitor

D

1. Look for: One friend's choice does not show what the whole class wants, or it assumes everyone will like what one friend likes. If your child says blue is a bad colour, ask: is the problem the colour, or the jump from one friend to everyone?

E

1. Look for: An everyday argument with a because reason, followed by an unstated belief that links the reason to the claim.

Words to use

Say“Which bit has to be true for the reason to lead to the claim?”

Instead of“Tell them the argument is wrong and move on.”

After the sheet

At dinner, listen to a family suggestion. Ask together: what are we taking for granted?

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:

Who Gains From This?(with a plan)
Always, Usually or Never?(with a plan)
Judging a whole argument(with a plan)
Build a whole argument(with a plan)
Four thinking tools together(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.

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