Logic FAQ

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Q: Argument?! Why would I want to teach my kids to argue?
Q: What is the recommended age range to use your logic series?
Q: How many texts are in the logic series?
Q: What is The Art of Argument Teacher's Materials? What's included?
Q: Do I need The Art of Argument Teacher's Materials book?
Q: Why are there so many different quizzes/tests in the Quiz/Test Masters? Are we expected to give them all?
Q: What is formal logic?
Q: What is informal logic?

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Q: Argument?! Why would I want to teach my kids to argue?

A: By "argument," we do not mean an emotional quarrel or a petty squabble, which may be the first thing that comes to the mind of many when they hear the word. By "argument" we mean a reasoned case for or against a point of view that includes reasons for or against it… and we do think that there is a very important art to this particular practice of persuasion. The Art of Argument is an attempt to introduce students to this art.

Note that AA is only the first introduction to this art and that its primary focus is on sharpening their critical thinking skills when evaluating the arguments of others.

Q: What is the recommended age range to use your logic series?

A: Our logic texts are written for students anywhere from seventh grade to ninth grade. This grade range is considered the “logic stage” in the classical trivium, and logic is widely taught in middle school by classical schools and educators. High school students who have not been exposed to logic before will also greatly benefit.

Q: How many texts are in the logic series?

A: There are three texts in our logic series. Each can be completed in a semester if studied each day, or over a year at a slower pace.

• The Art of Argument, An Introduction to the Informal Fallacies
• The Argument Builder trains students in the "how-to" of crafting their own arguments
• Discovery of Deduction, An Introduction to Formal Logic

Q: What is the Art of Argument Teacher's Materials? What's included?

A: Included in the Teacher's Materials are:

• Keys for all the exercises in the student book
• An extensive set of quiz and test masters
• Keys for those quiz and test masters

Here is a PDF document on How to Use the AA Teacher's Materials with the AA Student Text.

Q: Do I need the Art of Argument Teacher's Materials book?

A: The short answer is that if you need the answers to most of the exercises and worksheets, yes, as they do not appear in the student book. If you feel pretty confident going without those keys, yes you could probably go without it, as the book is pretty self-explanatory and more-or-less "teaches itself."

However, it can be handy to have, as those extra quizzes and tests give you lots of extra material with which to practice.

Q: Why are there so many different quizzes/tests in the Quiz/Test Masters? Are we expected to give them all?

A: No. We (Jolie and I) taught through this curriculum many, MANY times before we finally went to print and over the years we'd created many different quizzes and tests. For example, maybe one year we'd want a cumulative quiz or test at a given point, whereas at the same point the next year, we just wanted a small quiz after that chapter to drill just that set of new fallacies. In putting together the Teacher's Materials package, we thought we'd put it all in there, so that you all would have the same range of options. I know that sometimes it gets confusing when you have 2 or 3 quiz/ test options at a given point in the book, but we figured that when it comes to giving the teacher options, more was more. Here's some rules of thumb in catching which quizzes are intended to be used at which points in the book:

• The "Cumulative Fallacy Quizzes" (affectionately known by my students as the CFQ's) are all cumulative (hence the name), all concentrate on drilling the fallacy recognition skills and all are intended to be used as a graded evaluation that can be given after the students have practiced their skills using one of the "Cumulative Fallacy Worksheets" (affectionately known by my students as the "CFW's") in the student book.
• Quizzes or tests labeled after a given chapter are intended to be given after that chapter. They are a mixed bag, as some are cumulative, some are not, and some are more cumulative than others.
• The two "Quarter Finals" are fully cumulative tests intended to be given after each of the two main units.

An extra side benefit of having so many quiz/ test options is that ones that you aren't giving as the final evaluation for a given segment of study can be used as additional worksheets, or mined for additional practice examples, as I mentioned earlier.

Q: What is formal logic?

A: Formal logic is the study of the types reasoning processes that depend primarily on the form or structure of the argument to determine its validity. Formal logic is like math in this regard; if you add two to two, you should always get the answer 4. Similarly, if you posit that, “All men are mortal,” and that, “Socrates is a man,” the conclusion, that “Socrates is a mortal,” should be something of a no-brainer. Formal logic is thus like math in that it is primarily about understanding these sorts of black-and-white, no shades of grey, binary system, types of reasoning. Also like math, formal logic generally tends to deal with deductive reasoning.

Q: What is informal logic?

A: Informal logic is the study of everyday types of reasoning. It’s the logic of the give-and-take, shades of grey that is the real-world marketplace of ideas. It also, by extension, tends to give more focus to inductive reasoning, the scientific method and to the boundary areas where logic tends to segue into rhetoric.