Deductive reasoning is an essential academic skill 

for students of all grade levels to

practice. Activities that help students develop deductive reasoning can be implemented to
complement many areas of the curriculum. As students engage in engaging deductive
reasoning activities, at first they practice using logic to draw conclusions based on evidence.
Eventually students may study how deductive reasoning can be used to persuade or
manipulate people.

1. Guess the Coin

Give students clues about which coin you are thinking of as students narrow down the
possibilities using deductive reasoning. Place a quarter, nickel, dime and penny in front of
students. Tell them to keep track of the clues until they know which coin you are describing.
First, say that the coin you are thinking of is silver. Next, say that the coin you are thinking of
is not the largest coin. Finally say that the coin you are thinking of is larger than a dime.
Students should narrow down the possibilities and have confidence that you are describing
the nickel. This activity works well for young students who are just beginning to focus on using
deductive reasoning to form a conclusion based on multiple elements.

2. Detective Work
In this detective activity students use deductive reasoning skills to piece together a timeline of
facts gathered, forming a hypothesis to solve a mystery. Provide small groups of students
with two evidence envelopes, each filled with fact strips describing single events that solve the
mystery. Have students open one envelope and read over the facts, placing them in
sequential order and forming a hypothesis to solve the mystery. After students have discussed
their ideas, decided on a timeline and formed a hypothesis, allow them to open the second
batch of evidence. Students now revise their original timeline and hypothesis to account for
the new facts, learning that it is important to consider all facts before jumping to a conclusion.

3. Classmate Claims
Teach students to differentiate between inductive and deductive reasoning by having
them draw conclusions based on both types of reasoning. Introduce inductive reasoning as
using specific observations to draw a general conclusion. For example, if Jim enjoys ice
skating, skiing and snowshoeing, one could use inductive reasoning to conclude that Jim likes
cold weather. Remind students that inductive reasoning may lead to a strong hypothesis, but it
is not always going to draw a truthful conclusion. Explain that deductive reasoning starts with
multiple known facts and combines them to make a new statement that must be true. For
example, if all eighth grade students must take a math class, and Ted is in eighth grade, one
can deduce that Ted takes math. Have students practice writing examples of inductive and
deductive reasoning to create claims about their classmates.

4. Dystopian Literature Propaganda

Older students can practice manipulating logic constructed by deductive reasoning
to create propaganda related to a dystopian novel they are reading. Many dystopian
novels include an oppressive governmental body of some kind and a brainwashed
citizenry. Have students jump into the mind-set of the governing body in the book and
create a poster using a flawed example of deductive reasoning, such as “ignorance is
bliss; schools prohibit ignorance; therefore, schools prohibit bliss.” This activity teaches
students to be wary of arguments that contain logical fallacies, especially in advertising
or propaganda, where words are used to manipulate people into thinking or acting a
certain way.