Don't you love those students who can finish problems or tasks before the rest of the class has written their name on their paper? You either love them or they drive you crazy and sometimes it is both at the same time. Instead of giving them a ton of extra work, which makes more work for you, why not get them thinking critically?
Enter.. Red Herrings.
Wait. What?
A "red herring" presents four different problems and asks the students to figure out which one doesn't belong and why. In the picture above, the students had to figure out that 70+10=80 doesn't belong because the numbers in the ones column don't add up to 10. In all of the other problems, the numbers in the ones column add up to 10. But first, most of the students thought the problem that didn't belong with the others was 85 + 15 = 100 because it was a three digit number.
The great thing about red herrings is that students may figure out other "rules" or reasons why some other problems don't belong before they come to the correct reason. They may or may not be right, but either way it is great to get them thinking critically!
Red Herrings could be used in any subject, too!
Word work:
handwriting handkerchief photograph cupcakes
Which one doesn't belong and why?
P.s. it's handkerchief because it is the only word that isn't a compound word.
Language Arts:
1. The children ran to the park on Saturday morning.
2. The mice are in the cage.
3. The tooth fairy found three teeth under the pillow.
4. The cats were scared of the dog and ran under the bed.
Which one doesn't belong and why?
P.s. it's sentence four because it is the only sentence without an irregular plural noun
Social Studies (Native American Tribes):
Sioux Hopi Apache Navajo
Which one doesn't belong and why?
P.s. it's Sioux, because it is the only Native American Tribe that isn't found in Arizona.
Science (Animal Classifications):
Octopus Gila Monster Round Worms Butterflies
Which one doesn't belong and why?
p.s. it's the Gila Monster because it is the only animal that is a vertebrate.
The possibilities are endless! It works for any grade, and any subject. How can you use red herrings in your classroom?
P.s. it's handkerchief because it is the only word that isn't a compound word.
Language Arts:
1. The children ran to the park on Saturday morning.
2. The mice are in the cage.
3. The tooth fairy found three teeth under the pillow.
4. The cats were scared of the dog and ran under the bed.
Which one doesn't belong and why?
P.s. it's sentence four because it is the only sentence without an irregular plural noun
Social Studies (Native American Tribes):
Sioux Hopi Apache Navajo
Which one doesn't belong and why?
P.s. it's Sioux, because it is the only Native American Tribe that isn't found in Arizona.
Science (Animal Classifications):
Octopus Gila Monster Round Worms Butterflies
Which one doesn't belong and why?
p.s. it's the Gila Monster because it is the only animal that is a vertebrate.
The possibilities are endless! It works for any grade, and any subject. How can you use red herrings in your classroom?
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