• Home
  • About
    • Our Family
    • Our Purpose
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Christmas Letters
    • Other FAQ’s
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Flanders Family Homelife

Living, Loving, & Learning Together

  • Home
  • Love
    • Respect your Husband
    • Love your Wife
    • Keep the Peace
    • Get Along with In-laws
    • Find Time for Intimacy
    • More on Marriage
  • Learn
    • Why Home School?
    • Occupying Toddlers
    • Kindergarten Plan
    • Choosing Curriculum
    • Report Cards
    • High School Transcripts
    • CLEP/ Dual Credit
    • High School Diplomas
  • Parent
    • Tips on Potty Training
    • Wipe Out Whining
    • Stop Sibling Squabbles
    • Chore Assignments
    • Computer TIme
    • Adult Children at Home
  • Eat
    • Breakfasts
    • Breads
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sides
    • Main DIshes
    • Desserts
  • Celebrate
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter
    • Summer Vacation
    • Independence Day
    • Back to School
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Save
    • Kids Eat Free
    • Budgeting Tips
    • Secrets to Garage Saling Success
    • Earn Cash Back w/Ebates
  • Read
    • Recent Reads
    • Books We’ve Authored
    • Reading Rewards
    • Free Books!!
  • Travel
    • Vacation Planning
    • We Flew FREE to Europe
    • Sample Itineraries
  • Organize
    • General Tips
    • Goal Setting
    • Mom’s Notebook
    • Kitchen
    • Bedrooms
    • Toys
    • Garage
  • Print
    • Calendars
    • Chore Charts
    • Coloring Pages
    • Math Drills
    • Prayer Guides
    • View All >
You are here: Home / Reviews / Curriculum / James Madison Critical Thinking Course

in Curriculum· Home Schooling· Reviews· Secondary Education

James Madison Critical Thinking Course

One of the things my husband and I hope to achieve through homeschooling is teaching our children to think clearly and logically. (This is a skill that is sorely lacking in many young people today — especially among those defending politically correct positions online. Their arguments are heavy on emotion and expletives, but light on reason and rationality.)

James Madison Critical Thinking Course

To that end, we have been s-l-o-w-l-y working our way through the award-winning James Madison Critical Thinking Course this semester. This course has the same great quality we’ve come to expect from books published by the Critical Thinking Press, but it’s scope is more ambitious than many of their other titles we’ve used in the past.

James Madison Critical Thinking Course

Weighing in at 534 pages, the book contains 160 exercises divided into 8 chapters. The course teaches more than 65 skills and concepts related to analytical thinking, including:

  • how to distinguish a fact from an opinion
  • how to identify ambiguity in a statement
  • how to evaluate arguments as valid or invalid
  • how to recognize and assess common fallacies in reasoning

A couple of the later chapters cover material I didn’t see until college when I took a course on formal proofs for my math degree.

Critical Thinking Course - Sample Page

All the material is taught using mini-mysteries and a fictional detective from the Los Angeles Police Department. The stories are fun and interesting and help keep students engaged.

Critical Thinking Course - Sample Page

Although the course is geared toward high schoolers and adults (it’s part of Timberdoodle’s Eleventh Grade Curriculum Kit), I’ve been going through it with my middle schoolers and am satisfied that they are understanding the concepts so far. (I’m planning to have my high schoolers complete the material independently this summer, once their dual credit classes at the junior college are behind them.)

The book’s pages are perforated for easy removal, and the publishers grants permission to make copies for your own family’s use. We do most of the lessons orally so we can discuss the concepts as we go, but their are several exercises that make use of diagrams and are better done with pen and paper, so the ability to make copies comes in especially handy with those.

James Madison Critical Thinking Course

Whether you read through the book together or hand it off to your older student to work through on his own, you’ll also want the answer key (sold separately), which includes solutions to both the exercises and the quizzes.

A student who sticks with the course through the end should be well-grounded in the processes that constitute critical thinking and can expect to experience marked improvement (7-10 percent) on standard assessment tests such as the Cornell Critical Thinking Test. Even so, the authors are quick to remind us, “a thorough mastery of critical thinking is the task of a lifetime.”

In other words, for best results, you should not just “study for the exam,” but should faithfully apply the concepts taught in this course for the rest of your life.

Timberdoodle provided me a free copy of the James Madison Critical Thinking Course in exchange for this honest review, but all of the opinions expressed in this post are my own. 🙂

Leave a Comment

« Mailbag: Online Resource for Learning Geography
Birds to Draw, Color, Feed, and Photograph »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

meet the parents

Doug & Jennifer Flanders - www.flandersfamily.info

We love Jesus, love each other, love our 12 children, and love the life God's given us. We started this blog as a way to share resources with others who want strong marriages, happy families, & healthy homes.

Read more

looking for something?

freebies in your inbox

Subscribe for immediate access to our library of 350+ free printable resources.

connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

most popular posts this week

  • Number Writing Practice Sheet
  • 2021 Calendars for Advanced Planning
  • Free Printing Practice Sheets
  • Free Editable High School Transcript Template
  • Pretty Printable Scripture Bookmarks
  • Free Chart for Keeping Track of Medications
  • I Have a Dream! (Free Printables for MLK Day)
  • One-Year Bible Reading Plan
  • Armor of God Coloring Page
  • Name that Line Christmas Quiz

unleash your child’s creativity

kiwi crate ad

free starter set

free starter set from Grove

Readers' Favorites

Name that Line - Christmas Movie Game

Name that Line Christmas Quiz

Shares: 22676

How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Carols

How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Carols?

Shares: 26040

Age-Appropriate Children's Chore Chart - IG

Age-Appropriate Chores for Children

Shares: 92518

Make Every Month More Meaningful

Make Every Month More Memorable

Shares: 50662

start your day right

make over your mornings

If your mornings don't run as smoothly as you'd like, this course can help. Good for night owls & early birds alike!

join the conversation

  • Lois Manning on “Name That Song” Christmas Game
  • Jennifer Flanders on “Name That Song” Christmas Game
  • Lois Manning on “Name That Song” Christmas Game
  • Jennifer Flanders on Free Printable Greeting Cards for All Occasions
  • Sharon Caulineau on Free Printable Greeting Cards for All Occasions
  • Jennifer Flanders on Free Printable Greeting Cards for All Occasions
  • Jennifer Flanders on Retro Valentines with Bible Verses
  • Jennifer Flanders on How to Write a Thank You Note

earn free books and bibles

Tyndale Rewards Club

This is a great program, and it's FREE! Bonus: when you sign up through this link, you get 25 points (& I get 10 -- so, thanks!).

Christian Family Blogs
  • Home
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Food
  • Fun
  • Freebies

visit jennifer’s blog

Jennifer Flanders' Blog: Loving Life At Home Loving Life at Home

visit doug’s blog

Doug Flanders' Blog: All Truth Is God's Truth All Truth is God's Truth

privacy policy | disclosure statement

shop our books

25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband 25 Ways to Show Love to Your Wife
Sit Down & Eat Get Up & Go

thanks for dropping by

Thank you for visiting our website Let's Get Social
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

looking for something?

recommended resources

as seen on:

America Tonight ABC Australia BBC Tyler Morning Telegraph

These kids helped me put together 25 freezer meals These kids helped me put together 25 freezer meals, so I won’t need to think about dinner again until late February.  I’m grateful to have such enthusiastic and cheerful kitchen helpers. Don’t be fooled by Dan’s tears. 😭 Those were  all the onions’ fault.  #onceamonthcooking #stockthefreezer #hardworkers
Follow the link in my profile to download free pri Follow the link in my profile to download free printables to help you celebrate MLK Day.  #homeschool #freeprintable #unitstudy #mlkday
Darkness cannot drive out darkness... #truth #mlk Darkness cannot drive out darkness...  #truth #mlkday
A parent’s prayers don’t stop when a child gro A parent’s prayers don’t stop when a child grows up and leaves home.  #praywithoutceasing
I got this set of Junior Rainbow Pebbles thinking I got this set of Junior Rainbow Pebbles thinking my grandkids would like them (and they do!). What I didn’t expect was the enthusiasm with which my big kids joined in on the play.  I think that’s just one more benefit of having a large family: The older ones play alongside their younger siblings and thus continue to enjoy the simple pleasures of childhood long after they might otherwise have been abandoned.  Which is a good thing. Both age groups benefit from such interactions.  #largefamilyliving
#siblingplay #rainbowpebbles #timberdoodleblogteam
I’ve published lots of prayer guides on my websi I’ve published lots of prayer guides on my website aimed at praying for your children, whether they be in the womb, very young, teens, or adults. But I hadn’t thought to publish a prayer for parents until a young reader wrote to ask if I offered one. She knew her parents were using my printable while praying for her and wanted to return the favor. Isn’t that precious?  #godanswersprayers #prayforoneanother #praywithoutceasing
We made it all the way to church last week before We made it all the way to church last week before I realized we’d all unintentionally dressed in red, white, and blue. ❤️🤍💙  I love it when we coordinate like that without any forethought. We normally only wear matching clothes when we’re traveling and Mom’s done the packing.  Putting everyone in the same color scheme helps us count heads faster (and makes for prettier vacation photos, too)!  #colorcoordinated #familyphotos #sundayworship
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, bu “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the forces of darkness”... and the best position from which to wage such a war is not in the streets, but on our knees.  Let the turmoil in our country be, first and foremost, a call to prayer. To reaffirming our faith in God. To loving our neighbors, even when we disagree with them. To standing tenaciously on upon what we KNOW to be true — God’s Word — while expressing our opinions with grace and humility.  “Lord, send a revival, and let it begin in me!”  #saltandlight #calltoprayer #lightinthedarkness #standfirm
Big thanks to Ben and Mik for making our snow day Big thanks to Ben and Mik for making our snow day one the kids won’t soon forget.  (Check out my stories to see video of how the spent it.)  #winterwonderland #snowday #familyfun
One of the best time-investments you can make in 2 One of the best time-investments you can make in 2021? Reading through the Bible. This plan will take you through both the Old and New Testaments in 52 weeks. Click on link in profile to download free printable schedule.  #biblereading #oneyearbible #readinggoals #biblestudy #goals

Copyright © 2021 · Market theme by Restored 316