Abstract: This study aims to describe the validity, the practicality, the effectiveness of a learningdevice social studies integrated with problem based learning to improve student’s criticalthinking skill. Problems that occur in IPS learning is that many teachers use a strategythat places itself as a central learning. Becoming a reason researchers to developlearning device with problem based learning in accordance with the development ofstudents in primary school. This research is a development research by uses the design of4-D is define, design, develop, and disseminate. The focus of this research is thedevelopment of social learning device that produces result in the form of productresearch syllabi, lesson plan, student books, worksheet, and critical thinking skills tests tomeasure student’s critical thinking skills. The validation result of the learning device bytwo validators has a very good / valid category. The effectiveness of learning device inimproving critical thinking skills shows high results. With student activity showed a verygood 81% percentage and student response by showing the percentage of 85,9 stronglyinterested. The results of the critical thinking skill test showed 0.7 with the gain test viapretet and posttest including the high category. Discussion of research results show thatthe development of learning device is very validity, practical and effective on thesubtheme of ethnic and religious diversity in my country to improve the critical thinkingskills of fourth graders in elementary school.

Keywords: Learning device, problem based learning models, critical thinking skills.