Do you have a learner who enjoys following clues to solve a mystery? Critical Thinking Detective Book 2 from Critical Thinking Co.  is fun activity book that provides learners with the opportunity to use their thinking skills to solve cases. The workbook includes 12 cases, answers, and tips for solving the cases.

Critical thinking is a skill that we are fine tuning in our homeschool. I didn’t realize the need to be intentional when teaching critical thinking. Many of us can pick up information right away and discern fact from fiction, but some of us need explicit opportunities to work on reading between the lines. Critical Thinking Detectives Book 2 provides the right amount of practice of taking numerous accounts and coming to a conclusion based on the information provided.

Each case in the workbook has four suspects. The background information and the suspects stories are all true which keeps the learner from having to figure out if someone is being dishonest. This also allows for the learner to take the information that has been provided and a make decision of guilt or innocence based only on the facts presented. I like that some cases are easy but can still be challenging based on what was not said in the suspects clues. Since the detective can’t assume, being aware of vague statements is important when solving a case.

If one of your educational goals for your children is to have stronger critical thinking skills, then Critical Thinking Book 2 from Critical Thinking Co. might be a good option for supplemental work because the cases aren’t written to confuse or trick the learner, but instead focuses on teaching the learner to read all the information provided and to eliminate those who do not fit the description. This workbook also encourages learners to write down their reasons for their conclusion in full sentences which is a good way to strengthen writing skills, and this allows learners to have a better understanding of how they arrived at their conclusion.

Critical Thinking Detective Book 2 is available in paperback and e-book format from The Critical Thinking Co. The cost for each format is $8.99.

-Product review by Latonya Moore, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June, 2018