Discussion Guide: Teaching Evidence-Based Thinking with Smoke & Mirrors
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
In Smoke & Mirrors, the protagonist Andy is tasked with solving a decades old mystery which forces him to examine the world around him with the eye of a detective. But what makes some a good detective? To help educators, librarians and book clubs, I’ve developed a practical guide on "How to Solve a Mystery." This presentation provides a framework for teaching students how to move past their first instincts and hone their critical thinking skills to come to better conclusions.
What Makes a Good Detective?
Before a student can solve a case, they need to adopt a specific mindset. Being a great detective is less about having the right answers and more about how you observe the world. It requires two core traits:
Observant: Being quick to notice details that others might miss.
Open-Minded: Being willing to consider new ideas, even (and especially!) if they challenge what you originally thought.
Why We Gather Clues
A clue is any piece of evidence used to solve a problem. The challenge for young readers is learning to look for facts before jumping to conclusions. Often, we're quick to assign meaning to facts but instead, we need to treat them first as data points. Then, once we've got enough data points, we can begin to develop a hypothesis to explore. This step is important because when we assign meaning to facts too quickly, we can put accidental blinders on what we're looking for next.
How Do We Ask Better Questions?
We often tell students to "ask questions," but a detective must ask great questions. The goal is to move from accusatory language to seeking clarity.
Instead of: "Did you steal that?"
Try: "Do you remember what happened what that event occurred?"
By teaching students to ask clarifying questions, we move them away from the "blame game" and toward objective truth.
Tension Point: The Danger of Making Assumptions
The discussion guide uses a simple scenario to illustrate how easily bias takes over:
The Case: Daniel’s cookie was stolen.
The Assumption: Daniel sees Sally holding two cookies. He immediately "knows" she is the thief.
The Facts: Mary asked Sally to hold her cookie while she washed her hands. Adam saw a bird swoop down and take Daniel’s cookie from the window.
The Lesson: Our original theory was wrong! If we don’t keep an open mind, we risk wrongfully accusing others
This demonstrates how these detective skills show up in the real world. When we teach kids to wait for the facts and stay open-minded, we empower them to avoid the harmful biases that cloud our judgment in real life.
Discussion Guide: Learn How to Solve a Mystery
The following presentation is a starting point for a hands-on workshop. Use the "Cookie Case" and Andy's investigation to help your students become better stewards of information and more thoughtful, fair-minded thinkers.
Need to Order Smoke & Mirrors?
Smoke & Mirrors is available from all major retailers, including for purchase for your school library system or book club!
Rosalyn Ransaw is a children's author based in Columbus, OH. She graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Science. At her day job, she is a Marketing Manager focused on all things social media and paid advertising.
When not writing, she loves to cry watching romantic comedies and eat her weight in buffalo chicken dip.
SMOKE & MIRRORS is her debut novel.
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