Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate information to determine whether it is right or wrong. To think critically about an issue or a problem means to be open-minded and consider alternative ways of looking at solutions.

If you are on social media or read any newspapers, it is easy to see that critical thinking skills are missing in the education of many. Yet critical thinking skills can keep us safe and help us make wise decisions. Your kids also need to develop strong critical thinking skills to remain faithful to God and avoid false teachings that would pull them away.

Watch for belief-statements, ask why-questions, and model right-thinking this year and watch them grow!

It’s good to teach your child what to believe. But that’s not enough. We also need to teach them how to think. Simply put, if we want our kids to own their faith, we need to train them to think critically about their faith.

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Critical reading and writing are important skills to help the student draw out key information from a text and use it critically in their own writing. Students will be coached in ways to improve their study habits or break bad study habits. The goal will be to help your student "own" their educational journey. You can tell them what classes/subjects to "do" but we need to train them to think critically about their unique personal contribution to their education.

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 defined critical thinking or try to teach the meaning to students. This book instead defines and teaches critical thinking in a way all students can understand through easy-to-understand 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 evaluating evidence - the very basis of critical thinking.

Required Texts:

The Basics of Critical Thinking

ISBN: 9781601445070

The Critical Thinking Company

-- not in the CFHE bookstore, must purchase on your own

Students will need a 3 ring binder to keep papers in, and a pencil.

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