← Year 6 critical thinking worksheets

Year 6 Critical thinking: Summer 2 worksheet

“What rule sits underneath?” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 6 critical thinking unit “Critical thinking: Summer 2”, for children aged 10 to 11, and takes about 24 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

What rule sits underneath?

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 6 · Critical thinking · about 24 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can name the principle under an argument and test whether it holds.

A Look back3 min

  1. 1.

    Twelve of the 16 children picked rice. Which word is the strongest that is still true? Circle your answer.

    Lunch choices02468101214RicePastaSoup
    allmostsome
  2. 2.

    Is 'Blue is the best colour' a fact or an opinion?

    Favourite colours012345678910BlueGreenRed
    factopinion
  3. 3.

    Circle the more precise claim about the visitors.

    Visitors each day051015202530354045MondayTuesdayWednesday
    Lots of people came on Monday.40 people came on Monday.

B Watch me, then you4 min

A bike club says: 'Everyone pays £1 a week, because fair people share costs equally.' What rule sits underneath?

Watch me
Club paymentsOlaSamPriya= 1

The club says everyone pays the same.

The reason given is that fair people share costs equally.

The principle underneath: costs should be shared equally.

Now you
  1. 1.

    A school says: 'Every class takes a turn to tidy the library, because everyone should share the work.' Write the principle underneath.

    Turns this week012Class 4AClass 4B

C Your turn8 min

Read each claim. Circle the principle underneath it.

  1. 1.

    Sam says: 'We should walk to school, because walking is healthy.' Which principle sits underneath?

    Walk to schoolWalking is healthy
    Healthy choices are worth makingBuses cost too muchWalking is always quicker
  2. 2.

    Mia says: 'Lying is always wrong, even to spare a friend's feelings.' Which principle sits underneath?

    Lying is wrongEven to be kind
    Rules hold whatever the outcomeOutcomes decide everythingFriends should always be spared
  3. 3.

    Ben says: 'Going over the speed limit was fine, because we got there sooner.' Which principle sits underneath?

    Speeding was fineWe got there sooner
    Outcomes decide if an action is rightSpeed limits never apply to carsDrivers should always obey the law
  4. 4.

    Kit says: 'Sweets are fine at my birthday, because birthdays are special days for everyone.' Which principle sits underneath?

    Sweets are fineIt is a birthday
    Special days can be exceptionsSweets are always bannedBirthdays are on Fridays

Say it out loud: What rule sits under each claim, and which words gave it away?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Ali says: “Ten children liked the film, so every child in the school will like it.”
Film votes024681012Liked itDid not
  1. 1.

    What hidden rule is Ali using, and does the chart show it holds?

E Think deeper4 min

Home rulePrinciple under itSecond rule
  1. 1.

    Pick a rule at home, such as a screen-time limit. Write the principle under it. Would the same principle also cover a second rule?

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet
StudyDen · Year 6 · Critical thinking · Principles and Hidden Rules in ArgumentsAnswers are on the grown-up page

For the grown-up

What rule sits underneath? · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. most If your child picks 'all', check the chart: 12 is not 16, so not every child chose rice. 'Some' is true but weaker than 'most'.

2. opinion If your child says fact, ask: a vote shows what people like, but can anyone check 'best' with a count?

3. 40 people came on Monday. If your child picks 'lots', ask: how many exactly? A precise claim can be checked against the chart.

B

1. Look for: A rule such as work or costs should be shared fairly or equally between everyone involved.

C

1. Healthy choices are worth making

2. Rules hold whatever the outcome

3. Outcomes decide if an action is right

4. Special days can be exceptions

D

1. Look for: Names a hidden rule such as 'if some like it, all will', and says it fails because 4 children did not like the film. If your child says the claim is right, ask: how many children did not like the film? Then ask what rule Ali needs for his claim to work.

E

1. Look for: Names a home rule, the principle underneath it, and a second rule that the same principle does or does not cover.

Words to use

Say“What rule do you think they are following? Could you use that same rule for another case?”
Instead of“Tell them who is right.”

After the sheet

At dinner, pick one family rule, such as 'phones off at the table'. Ask: what rule sits under it? Then ask whether that rule fits every case.

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:

  1. Does the Rule Fit Everyone?(with a plan)
  2. Same rules, fair exceptions?(with a plan)
  3. Testing an Argument Step by Step(with a plan)
  4. My reasoning handbook(with a plan)
  5. Putting the six skills together(with a plan)

Every Year 6 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 worksheetsTry the full plan free

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