Think Like a Detective: Asking Good Questions

The last cookie is gone from the jar! Your little brother has crumbs on his shirt. But wait, the dog is licking its lips too. Who ate the cookie? A good thinker does not just guess. A good thinker looks for clues and asks questions. That is called critical thinking, and today you get to be the detective.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to: 1. Find clues that tell you what really happened. 2. Ask the question "How do I know?" 3. Make a smart guess and then check if it is true.

A clue is something you can see, hear, or touch that helps you understand. Crumbs on a shirt are a clue. A wet dog mouth is a clue. Detectives collect lots of clues before they decide. One clue is not enough. The more clues you have, the better your thinking gets.

When someone tells you something, a good thinker asks, "How do I know that is true?" If your friend says "It is raining," you can look out the window and check. If you can see it, hear it, or test it, you have a good reason to believe it.

After you gather clues, you make your best guess. Detectives call this a hunch. But a good thinker does not stop there. You check your guess to see if it is right. Back to the cookie: your brother has crumbs, but so does the floor by the dog. You check the jar and see paw prints in the sugar. Now you know more!