Scouts
The Deadly Picnic: A Lab on Deductive Reasoning
Whodunnit? Find out who killed Mr. Brooks through a logical examination of evidence. Class members fill out a couple of data tables to help them pin down the suspect. After they've figured out just who the culprit is, pupils compose...
Curated OER
Thinking About Hate
This instructional activity starts out with a guided discussion about the statement "Birds fly in the sky; airplanes fly in the sky; therefore, airplanes are birds" and goes on to cover logical fallacies and reliable sources, relating...
Curated OER
The Last Word: Using Critical Thinking and Analysis to Reach a Decision
Want to explore the process of writing a persuasive essay and tie it in with the upcoming elections? Class members use Venn diagrams and the hamburger model of persuasive writing to write a five-paragraph essay on elections and...
Curated OER
House and Holmes: A Guide to Deductive and Inductive Reasoning
Test your pupils' reasoning skills with several activities and a quick mystery to solve. Learners watch and analyze a few video clips that demonstrate reasoning in action, practice deduction with an interactive and collaborative...
Curated OER
Conceptual Analysis in Economics
Help develop assertive, critical-thinking skills that enhance growth and change while teaching economics. In groups, select a topic from a list and then discuss the pros and cons of each topic. Debate why advertising is necessary to our...
Curated OER
Conceptual Analysis in Economics
Students practice critical thinking skills by defending their beliefs orally in a "hot seat". In addition, they communicate their feelings about an inssue in writing.
Society for Science & the Public
Easter Islanders Made Tools, Not War
When studying artifacts, especially tools, how do archaeologists determine what the devices were used for? In what ways might researchers' previous experiences influence their perception of an artifact? An article about researchers'...
Curated OER
American Indian Art History Detectives
An art history detective; I want to be one of those! The class puts their heads together to hone their deductive and critical thinking skills in order to determine which Native American tribe created and used parfleche boxes. They'll use...
ConnectED
Crime Scene Investigation
How exactly does a crime scene investigation work? The resource, a unit on criminology, covers everything from the deductive reasoning skills needed for detectives to DNA fingerprinting, all the way to how to gather evidence and bring...
Curated OER
Transparent Shoebox Dig
Take this simulated archaeological dig one layer at a time with your young pupils to encourage observation, critical thinking, and careful attention. Using a transparent box full of layers of sand and artifacts, pupils examine the...
Curated OER
Developing Thinking and Reasoning Skills in Primary Learners Using Detective Fiction
Students are introduced to the genre of detective fiction. Based on their reading level, they are given a different series of books to read. For each story, they are to make predictions and practice decoding messages. To end the...
Curated OER
Mystery State # 28
Using clues is a great way to increase deductive and logical reasoning skills. Boost thinking skills while quizzing kids about us geography. They use five clues to determine which state is in question.
Curated OER
The Economic Way of Thinking - About Everything
Students write their definitions of economics on index cards and revise them as the activity continues. They discuss the principles of economic reasoning and after completing a quiz, use economic reasoning to solve "real life" mysteries.
Curated OER
Mystery State # 41
Kids use their deductive reasoning skills, state knowledge, and five clues to determine mystery state #41. They'll follow the clues to locate the mystery state on a US map. Note: This is a warm-up activity, so it includes two short...
Curated OER
Mystery State # 5
Mystery state number five is none other than Utah! Quiz your kids on state knowledge while building deductive reasoning skills. They use each of the five clues to determine the name of the mystery state. A great warm up when studying...
Curated OER
Geography A to Z: The Letter G
Using clues to answer questions is a way to increase deductive reasoning skills. Kids answer seven geography clues with answers all starting with the letter G. A great way to test world geography or warm up the class.
Curated OER
Cooperative Problem Solving Tasks
Fourth graders explore the following activities where kids are encourage to think creatively, share thoughts and opinions, create, discuss and solve problems, and than draw conclusions.
Curated OER
Teams in the Field
Students conduct team interviews outside the classroom, either within the school or beyond, as part of a fieldwork project. They use reasoning skills as they formulate questions, plan, predict, hypothesize, and speculate about the...
Illinois State Curriculum Center
Gender Roles and Careers
Should men be willing to work for women? Can women think as logically as men? Here is an interesting activity in which learners complete a survey regarding gender roles and then consider whether their scores reflect traditional or...
Curated OER
Themes vs. Timelines
Teaching history through a thematic curriculum fosters a higher level of engagement and critical thinking in young historians.
Curated OER
Meet the Reformers
Seventh graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American reformers activity, 7th graders research the accomplishments of selected reformers. Students then use the information they...
Reading Through History
The Federalist Papers: Federalist Paper No. 10
James Madison, under the pen name “Publius,” justifies the need for an American Republic in Federalist Paper 10, which is perhaps one of the most influential contributions to the Federalist Papers. Readers examine his perspective with...
Curated OER
The Voting Game
Upper graders play the voting game to help them understand voting patterns, political movements, and build a content specific vocabulary. Each student creats a chart to determine if his or her political view veers liberal or...
Curated OER
Lesson: Dongducheon: A Walk to Remember, A Walk to Envision: Interpreting History, Memory, and Identity
Cultural discourse can start through a variety of venues. Learners begin to think about how our minds, memories, and identities shape our attitudes toward culture and history. They analyze seven pieces from the Dongducheon art exhibit...