Critical Thinking across the Curriculum: Developing critical thinking skills, literacy and philosophy in the primary classroom

Learning how to be critical and think for one's self are key development steps in the education process. Developing critical thinking is vital for supporting children to become independent learners. This fun, practical book is very easy to use in the classroom and is designed to help children: Understand key critical thinking concepts. Develop critical thinking skills. Understand different types of reasoning and knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. Draw on their natural wonder and curiosity to engage in philosophical discussion. Develop reasoning skills in relation to moral dilemmas and the choices of every day life. The authors present original beautifully illustrated children's stories that take abstract ideas, philosophical questions and critical skills as their central themes. They make the unfamiliar and complex ideas concrete and easily understandable. Drawing on the stories and additional photocopiable resources, each chapter then offers a wealth of learning activities. These are designed to help you develop children's critical thinking and practice relevant tools such as asking good questions, giving good reasons or categorising material. The activities and resources include both subject specific and cross-curricular links and are differentiated for Key Stage 1 and 2. There are also extension activities for enthusiastic, gifted and talented children.