Play a version of the classic board game “Guess Who,” which is entirely based on deductive reasoning. Distribute to students a full roster of the class. Read aloud clues, such as the following: This student has brown hair. This student does not wear glasses. This student was born on Christmas Day. Also use clues based on fun facts and trivia about students, such as pets owned or foreign countries visited. This activity teaches students how deductive reason functions, by moving from general statements of fact to a specific conclusion. It also helps students to become better acquainted with their peers.
Murder mysteries provide a perfect classroom activity to practice deductive reasoning. Present to students different clues, which they use as the givens or established facts upon which to deduce a conclusion and solve the mystery. Give clues such as the murder weapon, items or objects found at the scene of the crime and details about potential suspects. To make this activity more challenging, include a few irrelevant clues to function as red herrings. Challenge the class, as a whole, to piece together the clues and draw a conclusion about the murder.
Deductive reasoning, although most commonly used in logic-based disciplines such as science and math, is also used to critically think about literary texts. To demonstrate how deductive reasoning is applied to fiction, read aloud a chapter from a book. Then, ask students to make deductive conclusions about characters or themes, based on the details and plot presented. For instance, ask students if a character has good or bad intentions, challenging them to cite specific passages to support their claim.
Another fun activity to practice deductive thinking skills is to have students complete logical syllogisms. A logical syllogism is an argument that relies on two premises to infer a conclusion. For instance, the following is a logical syllogism: Tigers are cats. All cats have four legs. Therefore, tigers have four legs. For fun, use the names of students in the class or the names of popular celebrities, athletes or cultural icons. Create premises based on humorous scenarios or interesting facts that will engage students’ interests.