six star ranch

Clue Corral Evidence, Guess, or Assumption?

MINI-PAUSE

Bridle Trail Detective Skills

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Good investigators make guesses—then check the evidence! Read each clue below. Write E, G, or A in each corral.

Guess A possible answer that still needs checking.

Evidence What the story actually tells you.

Assumption A guess treated as true before there is enough evidence.

Clue Corrals:

Example

This woman ran away from Sunbridge with Mr. Higgins.

Maybe this woman once lived in New Hampshire.

The woman’s last name is Higgins.

The woman says she has never heard of Sunbridge, New Hampshire.

This woman could be the Lizzie Higgins Cordelia is looking for.

This woman came from Sunbridge, New Hampshire.

Because her last name is Higgins, she must be Lizzie Higgins.

Maybe she traveled to Texas with Mr. Higgins years ago.

The woman says her mother is dead.

Maybe she knows something about the others Cordelia is seeking.

The woman says her first name is not Lizzie.

Mrs. Snow is this woman’s mother.

Think About It

What happened when Cordelia began treating her guess as if it were true? How could Cordelia have checked her guess before making an assumption?