Teaching Critical Thinking Skills

An Introduction for Children Aged 9–12

Catherine Delamain, Jill Spring

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000193541
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This practical teaching resource has been designed to give children aged 9–12 the basic tools required to challenge some of the conflicting information which they may encounter in everyday life. With increasing exposure to modern information technology and social media, amongst other things, children are increasingly exposed to misleading information that can seriously influence their worldview and self-esteem. The sooner they are helped to approach some of this material with a critical eye, the better they will be able to make independent judgements and resist undue persuasion.

Key features of this book include:

• Short texts designed to give opportunities for critical examination, created to be points of discussion with individuals, groups or whole classes

• Topics covering seven areas of critical thought, ordered in level of difficulty, including finding contradictions, and detecting bias and fake news

• Supporting teacher prompts and questions, as well as photocopiable resources without prompts

The ability to question and evaluate information is an essential life skill, as well as a key skill for academic learning, yet it remains one of the most challenging aspects of comprehension to teach. This is a vital text for teachers, teaching assistants and other professionals looking to develop critical thinking skills in their students.

Part 1

Finding contradictions

From time to time you read something, and find that there are statements in it which contradict each other. You need to learn how to spot which statement to believe in, and work out why. Here are some texts to practise on.

How to proceed

Provide the children with copies of the texts you have chosen. They will need them to refer to. (Texts without the teacher’s questions and prompts are available in the Student texts.)

Explain that in these texts they have to find statements or events which contradict each other – things which cannot both, or all, be right.

Read the first text aloud. You may want to get the children to read their copy aloud also. Check that they have understood it, and clarify any unfamiliar words.

Now ask the children the questions. Note that there is not always an undeniably right or wrong answer to a question. Leave each text when the contradictions have been identified and discussed.

Level 1

1.The recipe said, ‘Divide the dough into ten balls, about the size of golf balls. Bake in the oven at 180C for about 15 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown. Makes 12 rolls.’

Can you spot the contradictory numbers?

Do you think whoever wrote the recipe just made a mistake? Does it matter?

If you were following this recipe, how many rolls would you decide to make? Why?

2.Connie’s packet of sunflower seeds said: ‘Fill six small pots with compost. Make a hole in each one with your finger and drop a seed into it. Cover the seeds lightly with compost and water them. Put them in a warm place, and in about a month you will be ready to plant out your eight sunflowers.’

Can you spot the contradictory numbers?

Do you think there was a mistake on the packet?

How many plants do you think you are going to get?

Why do you think so?

3.The new six-metre-high sea wall had taken two whole years to build. Sadly, the very next storm brought huge waves, which broke over the wall in several places. The newspaper reported: ‘Three-metre waves were last night seen breaking over the new sea wall at Resthaven, soaking cars and pedestrians alike.’

Can you spot the contradictory numbers?

Which number must be the right one?

Why do you think so?

4.The hall could only take 100 people, but the band was so popular that a queue formed right down the road. Stewards counted as they let people in, and there were a lot of disappointed faces when at last the doors were closed. The paper’s headline next day read: ‘Sell out for local group. The Groovers play to packed hall of 200 enthusiastic fans.’

Which number do you think is probably wrong? Explain!

Has the paper just made a typing error?

Or were they given wrong information?

5.Last night the bedding factory in Dilford caught fire. Three fire engines, each carrying four firemen, took several hours to bring the fire under control. The firemen were grateful to Mrs. Green and her volunteer helpers, who worked through the night making ten cups of tea at a time for the tired men.

Can you spot a contradiction?

How many cups of tea at a time were the helpers really making each time?

Do you think the reporter didn’t count properly?

Or might it be a mistake by the newspaper?

6.The lorry was almost full. The forklift truck hoisted the last of the 40 sacks into the air and dumped it into the trailer. The lorry driver went into the office and signed his name against the number 50 on the dispatch note. ‘Job done,’ he said, before climbing into his cab and setting off for Manchester.

Can you spot the contradiction?

Why might the lorry driver have signed for the wrong number of sacks?

Was he just careless?

Can you think of any other explanation?

Might he have been cheating in some way?

Level 2

7.Miss Taylor looked happily round her new class. She thought how lucky she was to have such a small class: only 20 children. She would really be able to get to know them all. A nice mix of boys and girls, too – she counted quickly – nine boys, and ten girls.

Can you spot the contradictory numbers?

Can both numbers be right? Can you think how?

Might the missing boy be off sick, at the dentist, or in another classroom for the day?

8.The tower seemed to reach almost to the sky. ‘330 steps,’ said a man standing next to Tom. ‘You win a badge if you get to the top.’ That was enough for Tom, and he set off straight away. The view from the balcony was worth his aching legs. He punched the time into a machine, and out came a badge saying ‘Member of the 320 Steps Club ‘.

Can you spot a contradiction somewhere?

Which number must be the right one?

Why do you think so?

9.A blackbird had laid five beautiful, blue speckled eggs in its nest in Jamie’s garden, and the chicks were just due to fledge. Jamie was looking out of the kitchen window when suddenly a tiny chick scrambled up on to the edge of the nest. It wobbled a bit, flapped its wings, and flew unsteadily down to the ground. A second one followed – then a third, until four little balls of fluff had all landed safely.

Can you spot the contradictory numbers?

How many chicks was Jamie exp...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• How to use this book
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Student texts