Critical Thinking in Grade 9 teaches students how to question information, evaluate arguments, and make reasoned judgments. Instead of accepting ideas at face value, learners practice analyzing evidence, identifying assumptions, and considering multiple perspectives. This subject encourages independent thought, logical reasoning, and creative problem-solving. By working through case studies, debates, and real-world examples, students learn how to separate fact from opinion, detect bias, and avoid logical fallacies. Critical Thinking is not just about challenging others, but also about reflecting on personal beliefs and refining them with stronger evidence. These skills are essential for academic success, civic participation, and everyday decision-making. Developing critical thinking prepares students to navigate a world full of information, empowering them to ask better questions, weigh options carefully, and act with confidence and clarity.
🟢 Starter
- Analyze how advertisements use persuasive language.
- Compare fact and opinion in a news article.
- Explore how assumptions can lead to misunderstanding.
- Investigate why asking “why” questions deepens understanding.
- Identify bias in a short editorial.
- Reflect on how emotions affect decision-making.
- Research common logical fallacies with simple examples.
- Compare two headlines reporting the same event.
- Explore how perspective changes interpretation of a story.
- Investigate why evidence strengthens arguments.
- Analyze how stereotypes influence opinions.
- Reflect on a personal decision and the reasoning behind it.
- Explore how cause and effect can be confused.
- Compare expert and non-expert sources of information.
- Investigate how social media shapes public opinion.
- Study how groupthink affects decision-making.
- Analyze the difference between correlation and causation.
- Explore how questions shape research outcomes.
- Investigate how cultural background influences interpretation.
- Compare two solutions to a simple problem.
🟡 Practice
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of an argument in a debate.
- Research how propaganda influences societies.
- Compare different interpretations of the same historical event.
- Analyze how statistics can be manipulated.
- Debate whether technology improves or limits independent thought.
- Evaluate the reliability of online sources.
- Research how confirmation bias affects decision-making.
- Compare the reasoning in two political speeches.
- Investigate how ethical dilemmas require weighing multiple factors.
- Analyze how peer pressure influences teenage choices.
- Evaluate the role of evidence in scientific inquiry.
- Research how advertising targets specific audiences.
- Compare how different cultures define “truth.”
- Investigate how fake news spreads.
- Analyze how metaphors shape understanding in literature.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of problem-solving strategies.
- Debate whether emotion or logic should guide decision-making.
- Research how historical myths affect modern beliefs.
- Compare the role of intuition and analysis in making choices.
- Investigate how critical thinking applies to environmental issues.
🔴 Challenge
- Debate whether freedom of speech should have limits in certain contexts.
- Analyze the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.
- Research how fallacies are used in political campaigns.
- Compare two conflicting scientific studies and evaluate evidence.
- Investigate how cultural values shape moral reasoning.
- Debate whether majority opinion should always guide policy.
- Analyze the logic of arguments in court cases.
- Research how media bias affects global events.
- Propose strategies to reduce misinformation online.
- Evaluate how philosophical reasoning shapes ethics.
- Analyze how historical propaganda influenced wars.
- Debate whether personal experience counts as strong evidence.
- Research how statistics can be misleading in health claims.
- Compare rational decision-making with emotional appeals in advertising.
- Investigate how critical thinking applies to climate change debates.
- Research how technology changes the way people form opinions.
- Evaluate how education systems encourage or discourage independent thought.
- Debate whether all perspectives deserve equal weight.
- Analyze how logical fallacies affect everyday conversations.
- Propose a school-wide project that develops critical thinking in students.
💡 Reflection Question
How can developing critical thinking skills help you evaluate information, make stronger decisions, and respond to challenges in everyday life?