🏆 Level 4 · Expert📘 Chapter 3⏱️ 16 minutes
Critical Thinking
Think like a chess player: look at the evidence, spot traps, check other views and decide wisely, even when an answer sounds confident.
🔁 Remember: 📋 Examples 📏 Rules 🏗️ Build small and now: 🧠 think before you believe.
👨👩👧
Reminder: Talk about real news and opinions with a parent or teacher. Claude can be wrong or leaning one way, so always check important claims.
Your chessboard
Chapter 3 at a glance
⚖️
3.1 Claim, evidence, reasoning
🎯 Goal: test what you read and what Claude says- A claim says something is true. Evidence backs it. Reasoning connects them.
- A fact can be checked. An opinion is what someone thinks.
- Ask Claude: “What is the evidence for this?”
- A confident tone is not proof.
⚖️ The C-E-R chain
📢Claimwhat is said
➜
📊Evidenceproof you can check
➜
🔗Reasoningwhy it fits
🌍 Real-life examples
✅ FactWater boils at 100°C at sea level. You can test it.
💭 Opinion“Maths is the best subject.” It depends on who you ask.
🚀 Try it yourself
I read this claim: “[paste claim]”. Help me test it with Claim, Evidence and Reasoning. Tell me what evidence supports it, what evidence might be missing, and how I can check it in a reliable source.
❌ Weak“Is this true?”
A yes or no hides the thinking.
A yes or no hides the thinking.
✅ Good“What evidence supports this claim and how can I check it?”
Builds your thinking.
Builds your thinking.
🎉 Fun fact: Scientists change their minds when new evidence arrives. That is a strength, not a weakness!
📝 Quick quiz
1. What is evidence?
✅ Information you can check that supports a claim.
2. Which can be checked?A) A fact B) An opinion
✅ A. Facts can be verified.
3. Is a confident tone proof?
✅ No. Check the evidence.
🪤
3.2 Spot thinking traps
🎯 Goal: recognise common weak arguments- A thinking trap sounds convincing but is weak.
- Bandwagon: “Everyone says so.” Personal attack: attacking the person, not the idea.
- All-or-nothing: “always” or “never”. Too few examples: one story is not proof.
- Slippery slope: “this leads to disaster” with no steps. And trusting without checking.
🪤 Six common traps
👥
Bandwagon
“Everyone does it.”
popular ≠ true🗣️
Personal attack
“He is silly, so he is wrong.”
attacks the person⚫
All-or-nothing
“Always / never.”
ignores in-between1️⃣
Too few examples
“My cousin did, so all will.”
small sample🎢
Slippery slope
“One step leads to doom.”
no evidence🙈
No checking
“Claude said so.”
verify it🌍 Real-life examples
🧠 Spot it“Everyone in my class uses this app, so it must be best.” Which trap?
🔁 Fix itAsk: “What would change my mind? What is the strongest evidence?”
🚀 Try it yourself
Here is an argument: “[paste]”. Which thinking traps might be in it (bandwagon, personal attack, all-or-nothing, too few examples, slippery slope)? Explain each simply and suggest what evidence would make it stronger.
❌ WeakAccepting an argument because it sounds strong.
Easy to be fooled.
Easy to be fooled.
✅ GoodAsking which traps might be hiding in it.
Sharper thinking.
Sharper thinking.
🏆 Mini challenge: Find one trap in an advertisement this week.
📝 Quick quiz
1. “Everyone says so” is which trap?
✅ Bandwagon.
2. “Always” and “never” show…A) All-or-nothing B) Evidence
✅ A. Real life has in-betweens.
3. Is one story enough proof?
✅ No, you need more examples.
👓
3.3 Bias and perspective
🎯 Goal: see more than one side- Everyone has a point of view, and so do sources and AI.
- Bias means leaning one way. It can be hidden.
- Ask Claude for the other side or how different people see this.
- Compare two sources before you decide.
👓 Try on other views
🧑🎓 Student
What is good for me?
👩🏫 Teacher
What helps everyone learn?
🏘️ Community
What is fair for all?
🔮 Later
What if more people do this?
🌍 Real-life examples
📰 Two sourcesCompare how two sources describe the same event.
🔄 Flip it“Now argue the opposite side as fairly as possible.”
🚀 Try it yourself
I think [your opinion]. Please explain the strongest argument for the other side, fairly and respectfully, and list 2 questions I should ask before deciding.
❌ WeakOnly asking for agreement.
You may miss something.
You may miss something.
✅ GoodAsking for the strongest other side.
Wiser decisions.
Wiser decisions.
🎉 Fun fact: Good debaters practise arguing both sides so they understand the topic fully.
📝 Quick quiz
1. What is bias?
✅ Leaning one way, often without noticing.
2. A good move is to…A) Ask for the other side B) Ignore other views
✅ A. It widens your thinking.
3. How many sources before a big decision?
✅ More than one.
🧭
3.4 Think before you believe
🎯 Goal: use a quick checklist for any claim- Ask Who says it? What is the evidence? What is the other side?
- Ask How do I check it? in a book, teacher or trusted website.
- It is fine to say “I am not sure yet.”
- Use Claude as a thinking partner, not a judge.
🧭 Four moves
🙋Who?says it
➜
📊Proof?evidence
➜
👓Other side?another view
➜
✅Checkverify
🌍 Real-life examples
🤔 New claimPause and run the four moves before sharing.
💬 Talk it outExplain your thinking to a friend or teacher.
🚀 Try it yourself
Act as a thinking coach. I will give you a claim. Do not tell me if it is true. Instead ask me 4 questions that help me test it: who says it, what is the evidence, what is the other side and how can I check it.
❌ WeakSharing a claim immediately.
It may be false.
It may be false.
✅ GoodPausing and checking the four moves.
Smart and kind.
Smart and kind.
🏆 Mini challenge: Before sharing a surprising fact, run the four moves.
📝 Quick quiz
1. Name two of the four moves.
✅ Any two: who, proof, other side, check.
2. Is “I am not sure yet” okay?A) Yes B) No
✅ A. It is honest and wise.
3. Claude is best used as…
✅ A thinking partner.
🔎 Trap Finder
Read each argument and find the thinking trap (or see if it is solid). 6 rounds!
Chapter 3 summary
Claim-Evidence-Reasoning • Thinking traps • Bias • Think before you believe.