Year 4 Critical thinking: Autumn 1 worksheet

“Our Thinking Toolkit” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 4 critical thinking unit “Critical thinking: Autumn 1”, for children aged 8 to 9, 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 1 to 6 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Our Thinking Toolkit

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 4 · Critical thinking · about 22 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can name the parts of an argument and spot a safe generalisation.

A Look back3 min

1.
Put these parts of an argument in order, from first to last. Write 1, 2 and 3 in the boxes.
1. Conclusion: the so what
2. Claim: the big statement
3. Reason: why it is true
2.
Ten dogs live on our street. Eight like walks. Which word is a safe generalisation? Circle one.
AlwaysMostNever
3.
Put these steps for a counter-argument in order. Write 1, 2 and 3 in the boxes.
1. Give the reason your view is stronger
2. Say what some people think
3. Add the word however

B Watch me, then you4 min

Noah thinks his school should have a class pet. Here is his argument, built in three parts.

A fish tank on a shelf in an empty classroom corner

Watch me

Claim: Our school should have a class pet.

Reason: A pet teaches us to be kind and to look after living things.

Conclusion: So a class pet would help us learn to care.

Now you

1.
Sara thinks her town needs more bins. Write one reason that supports her.

C Your turn8 min

Rows 1 to 3 change one number. Look at the picture, then choose the safe sentence. Row 4 asks you to find a fair counter-argument.

1.
Ten pupils voted. Nine like the school garden. Which sentence is safe? Circle one.
All pupils like the school garden.Most pupils like the school garden.
2.
Ten pupils voted. Four like the school garden. Which sentence is safe? Circle one.
Most pupils like the school garden.Some pupils like the school garden.
3.
Ten pupils voted. Seven like the school garden. Which sentence is safe? Circle one.
Never do pupils dislike the school garden.Most pupils like the school garden.
4.
Which sentence is a fair counter-argument? Circle one.
Parks are dull, so nobody should go to them.Some people think parks are dull, however they help us.Parks are great because they are free and we like them.

Say it out loud: In rows 1 to 3, what number changed from row to row? Did the safe sentence change too?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Kit says: “Two friends like the new library, so everyone in our school loves it.”

1.
Is Kit's claim fair? Write why in one sentence.

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Write your own short argument about a school trip. Use a claim, a reason, a counter-argument and a careful word such as most or some.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Our Thinking Toolkit · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. 1 Claim: the big statement · 2 Reason: why it is true · 3 Conclusion: the so what

2. Most Always and never are too strong. One dog that dislikes walks breaks them. Ask: is it more than half, or every one?

3. 1 Say what some people think · 2 Add the word however · 3 Give the reason your view is stronger

B

1. Look for: A sensible reason that explains how more bins help, such as less litter or cleaner parks. If the reason just repeats the claim, ask: why would more bins help? Name what happens because of them.

C

1. Most pupils like the school garden. All is too strong. One pupil who does not like the garden breaks it. Ask: is it more than half, or every one?

2. Some pupils like the school garden. Most needs more than half. Four out of ten is not most. Ask: is it more than half?

3. Most pupils like the school garden. Never is too strong. Three pupils do not like the garden, so the word never is wrong here.

4. Some people think parks are dull, however they help us. A counter-argument must name the other side first, then give your stronger reason. Check for the words some people think and however.

D

1. Look for: Two friends is too small a group to show what everyone in the school thinks, so the jump is unfair. If they say yes, ask how many people Kit asked. Two friends is not everyone in the school.

E

1. Look for: An argument with a claim about a school trip, a reason, a counter-argument that names what others think (for example some people think), and a careful word such as most or some.

Words to use

Say“Which part of the argument is this? Tell me the big statement first, then the reason.”

Instead of“That's wrong, try again.”

After the sheet

At dinner, ask everyone for one claim, one reason, and one thing the other side might say.

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:

Spotting Clever Comparisons(with a plan)
Does the Comparison Hold?(with a plan)
Is the Comparison Fair?(with a plan)
Finding Hidden Messages(with a plan)
Digging for Hidden Claims(with a plan)

Every Year 4 critical thinking worksheet

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