Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Introduce riddles as a form of problem solving and the scientific method.
Riddle presented on board. Students will have a minute to write down a few yes or no questions
pertaining to the riddle. Be sure to ask students that already know the riddle to refrain from participating.

There is a cabin in the middle of the woods. A bunch of people are dead inside the cabin. What
happened? (answer: a plane crashed in the woods)
Allow the students to ask some of the yes or no questions they thought up. Create columns and track the
questions asked and why they asked that particular question (what was the thought process behind the
question). There will be a question column and an idea column.
Guided Discussion – Do you remember the idea of scientific method? What are the parts of the scientific
method? (observation, asking a question, collecting data, hypothesizing, experimenting,
concluding) What did we just do to solve the riddle? The scientific process of problem-solving is slowing
down the thinking process and naming it. Scientific method is just trying your hardest to figure something
out – using creativity, imagination, and trying to solve mysteries. Make a flow chart of the riddle process
and group synonyms or similar ideas through the class discussion (see attached sheet for board
layout). Point out, or elicit, the idea that we went through this process as a class, but we did it faster,
skipping steps, and working out of order… Introduce the idea of scientific inquiry – a way to gather and
sort information about a specific problem that can easily be communicated to other people.