Smarty Pants Puzzles Level 1

Do you know the difference between deductive and inductive logic? Deductive means that your student must draw a conclusion based on what they know to be true, false or unknown. Inductive reasoning requires your student to determine, based on the evidence, what they know with certainty to be true or false as well as what could be true or false. They also have to determine when they simply do not have enough evidence to draw a conclusion. This sounds quite serious doesn't it? It's sooooo much fun! The Critical Thinking Company has a way of making fun challenges for kids in their workbooks. Here is a sample of one of the scenarios: (1)Every morning Carol feeds her dog Jakes at 7am. (2)By 7:10am, Jakes is done eating and wants to go outside to play. (3)Jakes spend exactly one half-hour outside before Carol lets him back in the house. (4)Twenty minutes later Carol leaves for school. There is a photo of a dog digging a hole near a fence and the caption reads, "Jakes enjoying his favorite activity." An information box reads: "Assume all the statements and facts in the puzzle are true. Write whether each sentence is True/False/Unknown. Then write the sentence number(s) and/or check the box that provides the best evidence for each T/F answer. There are then 5 statements that students have to make decisions about given the information they have. This is building their debate and reasoning skills. Think of how helpful this would be when it comes to writing an essay later on! You could use this in a co-op or classroom and have kids in teams defending their answers. Interesting discussions are sure to follow in any dynamic! Answers are in the back. 42pp, pb~ Sara