Circular Reasoning: Free Worksheet for Kids
During the Reign of Terror, being accused of treason was treated as proof of treason. You were guilty because you were accused. You were accused because you were guilty. That logic sent 17,000 people to the guillotine.
That's Circular Reasoning: proving a claim by using the claim itself as evidence. It sounds like an argument. It feels like an argument. It's a loop. Your kids hear it everywhere. In every "it's true because everyone knows it's true" they'll ever be handed. This free Question Pack teaches them to catch it.
What's in the free Question Pack:
- Discussion and research questions that get kids arguing about the Reign of Terror story - the productive kind of arguing
- A guided walk through how "they're traitors because they're guilty, and guilty because they're traitors" kept the guillotine busy without a shred of evidence
- An answer sheet, so you can run it at the dinner table or in a classroom with zero prep
FAQ: Circular Reasoning
What is circular reasoning?
Using a claim to prove itself, so the argument loops back to where it started instead of actually proving anything.
How do I explain circular reasoning to a kid?
During the French Revolution, being accused was treated as proof of guilt, and guilt explained the accusation - that loop sent 17,000 people to the guillotine.
What age is this worksheet for?
Ages 10+. The Circular Reasoning Question Pack includes discussion questions, a guided history walkthrough, and an answer sheet - no prep required.
The deal, stated plainly
We teach people to spot manipulation, so it would be a bit rich to hide ours. This pack is free because it's the best advertisement we have. You hand over your email, we send the download, and every so often we'll email you about new comics, book and our card game. Unsubscribe the moment we get boring.
One email. Check your spam folder - our goodies have a talent for landing there.
What the free pack doesn't include
The fully illustrated French Revolution story. The Duchess & Bruno comic. The Spot-the-Fallacy hunt through real ads and headlines. The Code Breaker, the Draw Your Own Comic page, and the hidden Gizmo kids go feral trying to find.
All of that lives in the Circular Reasoning Activity Pack - a 20-page printed booklet, rated 5.0 by teachers and parents on Etsy and TPT.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "My kids absolutely adore the characters and story! It reminds us of horrible histories. I haven't found anything like this pack before." - Sandra
It's one of 24. Every pack takes one fallacy, one historical disaster and one comic - and turns them into a kid who is very hard to fool.
More fallacies like this
- Appeal to Ignorance - "not disproven" mistaken for "true"
- Hasty Generalisation - one example standing in for the whole group
- You Too (Tu Quoque) - deflecting with "well, you do it too"