Murder Mystery
Content
Time to Solve a Mystery!
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Step 1: Observations/Evidence:
As you watch the video, take notes on the characters. How do they know each other, do they say
anything suspicious, where were they when the body was found, did they have a motive…?
REMEMBER
:
observations mean
ALL
information without bias, not just the information that supports your ideas.
Bob
John
Susan
Kathy
Dan
Vicky (“Vic”)
Judy
Mike
Step 2: Analysis
Now that you have made your observations, it’s time to sort through the evidence. Place your
suspects into two groups: those who could have done it, and those who couldn’t have done it. Include your
evidence in the box with the person’s name, and then give an overall reasoning for
why
you split the two
groups the way that you did.
Example: When I did the dog example during the powerpoint, I took the observations of the dogs
(This dog
has big, sweet eyes. This dog looks aggressive because he is gritting his teeth…)
and I put them into two groups.
Then, I gave a reasoning for putting them into the categories
(The dogs on the left both look aggressive and mean,
and the dogs on the right look calm and sweet).
Reasoning:
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_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Step 3: Conclusion
Now that you have sorted your observations, make a guess! State who you think did it and why.
Example: If I were writing a conclusion (or claim) for the dogs, I would say something along the lines of
“It is
easy to determine a dog’s temperament based on their appearance.”
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______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Deductive Writing:
Now that you have inductively decided who committed the crime, write a paragraph (57 sentences)
explaining your conclusion and reasoning
deductively.
Deductive reasoning begins with stating the claim
and then giving the evidence to support. Start by saying who you believe committed the crime and then lead
up to
why
you reached that conclusion.
Example: If I were writing a deductive paragraph about the dogs, I would start by stating a claim, and then talking
about how I reached that conclusion. It would look something like this:
It is easy to decide a dog’s temperament based on their appearance. Dogs either look mean, or they look
nice. I looked at four pictures of dogs and made observations about them. In two of the pictures, the dogs had pointed
collars and sharp, gritted teeth. In the other two pictures, the dogs had sad eyes and a goofy grin on their face.
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Step 1: Observations/Evidence:
As you watch the video, take notes on the characters. How do they know each other, do they say
anything suspicious, where were they when the body was found, did they have a motive…?
REMEMBER
:
observations mean
ALL
information without bias, not just the information that supports your ideas.
Bob
John
Susan
Kathy
Dan
Vicky (“Vic”)
Judy
Mike
Step 2: Analysis
Now that you have made your observations, it’s time to sort through the evidence. Place your
suspects into two groups: those who could have done it, and those who couldn’t have done it. Include your
evidence in the box with the person’s name, and then give an overall reasoning for
why
you split the two
groups the way that you did.
Example: When I did the dog example during the powerpoint, I took the observations of the dogs
(This dog
has big, sweet eyes. This dog looks aggressive because he is gritting his teeth…)
and I put them into two groups.
Then, I gave a reasoning for putting them into the categories
(The dogs on the left both look aggressive and mean,
and the dogs on the right look calm and sweet).
Reasoning:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Step 3: Conclusion
Now that you have sorted your observations, make a guess! State who you think did it and why.
Example: If I were writing a conclusion (or claim) for the dogs, I would say something along the lines of
“It is
easy to determine a dog’s temperament based on their appearance.”
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Deductive Writing:
Now that you have inductively decided who committed the crime, write a paragraph (57 sentences)
explaining your conclusion and reasoning
deductively.
Deductive reasoning begins with stating the claim
and then giving the evidence to support. Start by saying who you believe committed the crime and then lead
up to
why
you reached that conclusion.
Example: If I were writing a deductive paragraph about the dogs, I would start by stating a claim, and then talking
about how I reached that conclusion. It would look something like this:
It is easy to decide a dog’s temperament based on their appearance. Dogs either look mean, or they look
nice. I looked at four pictures of dogs and made observations about them. In two of the pictures, the dogs had pointed
collars and sharp, gritted teeth. In the other two pictures, the dogs had sad eyes and a goofy grin on their face.
