This is an important critical thinking skill.

Look for ways in your everyday life to help your child learn this higher-level thinking skill.

Here are a few ideas:

• Look at a newspaper headline together. Then read the story. Talk about whether the headline did a good job of telling the reader what the story was about.

• Pick a commercial to talk about when watching television. What information does the commercial want the viewer to believe? How does that compare with the truth?

• Talk about fact (established truth) and opinion (a person’s beliefs). Ask your child to tell you whether a statement is fact or opinion, and why.

• Ask your child, “What do you think?” at least once a day. Encourage her to share her thinking about everything from the day’s news to your family’s weekend plans. Make sure she explains why she thinks as she does.

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