Basics of Critical Thinking

The Basics of Critical Thinking book is designed to teach critical thinking to middle and upper elementary students. Many workbooks claim to teach or develop critical thinking skills, but most of these products never define critical thinking or try to teach the meaning to students. This book defines and teaches critical thinking in a way all students can understand through simple explanations, diagrams, and short, engaging activities. In addition to being a course in critical thinking, the activities in this book can be used to supplement lessons in all subjects.

Although this book teaches common argument forms, its primary focus is identifying and valuating evidence the very basis of critical thinking. Most propaganda, advertising schemes, legal trickery, and bad science are not the result of complex arguments; they are the result of half-truths and simple arguments. Students who successfully complete this book will have a fundamental set of critical thinking skills they can use their entire lives.

CONTENTS

What Is Critical Thinking?

Conclusions and Decisions

Beliefs and Claims

Finding (Identifying) Evidence

Evaluating Evidence

Inferring and Inferences

Facts and Opinions

Facts and Probable Truths

False and Probably False

Facts, Probably True, and Probably False

Venn Diagrams

Logical Connectives

Advertising

Agreements and Contracts

Common Errors in Reasoning

Arguments

Valid and Invalid Arguments

Fallacies

Analogy Argument