How to Use The Fallacy Detective in a Classroom

Since we wrote The Fallacy Detective in 2002, we have received many letters from teachers who use our book in their classroom. We’ve created this page to give you suggestions about how to use our book with a group of students.

How do I assign homework?

The Fallacy Detective has 36 lessons with exercises. The answers to the exercises are found in the back. This presents a problem, “How do I assign homework when the answers are in the back?” But this is nothing a little creativity can’t solve.

  1. Rip out the answers! . . . a good idea, but rather undignified.
  2. Trust them not to peek . . . Yeah, right.
  3. We are hearing from teachers who are doing each lesson during class time. The teacher reads a lesson aloud, the class discusses the concepts and examples, and then the teacher has the class answer the exercises one by one. The teacher can correct wrong answers right in class.
  4. Students can make up their own homework. Students find examples of fallacies or propaganda techniques in the newspaper or in advertisements. Or, they could make up their own examples of fallacies or propaganda techniques and bring them to class. We get a lot of messages from students who have fun with this. Some teachers use this as their testing method. This is what The Fallacy Detective Game at the back of the book is all about.

Is there a test?

Nathaniel and I have written a thirty-two question test. It is not a difficult test. Teachers can use it to check that students paid attention in logic class. This test is free. Just sign up for The Fallacy Detective News and you will receive a copy of the test.

If you would like to make more test material for your class, you can use The Christian Logic News archives for material. You might also try playing The Fallacy Detective Game (located at the back of our book) in the class. Students make up fallacies in specific categories and vote on which fallacy is the “best.” Students find the correct name for their chosen fallacy.

Do you have input?

Are you a logic teacher who has used The Fallacy Detective in your class? We would like to hear your input.

Facebook Comments

Site Comments

1 • Michael Riversong • May 03, 2008 • 2:59 PM

Today we went through Lesson 13, “Assumptions.” Out of respect for copyright, I did not duplicate the excellent “Aroup Goupta” story. Instead, I assigned reading 1 Samuel 11 yesterday, and today formulated a series of questions about the passage. This was a real-life demonstration of assumptions, plus a story that included someone making a false assumption. Then, I was able to read Lesson 13 with some hope that my students understood the concept.


Yes, this is perhaps a bit too creative. Lack of funds will often stimulate excess creativity, and i really do hope that next year we can go into this with all the students having the books on hand. I have a huge responsibility here and am not taking it lightly.


In the classroom, we are currently taking a couple of days on each chapter of “Fallacy Detective.” Actually I’d like to spend more time and go more in depth, but we have a lot of demands on our time so i have to try and be more dramatic and use the material to form deep impressions when possible. Right now there are 12 students in our Christian school classroom.

2 • Melissa Jones • May 03, 2008 • 3:01 PM

Last January I began teaching a Pre-Logic Course with a small group of 7th & 8th graders. We creatively used The Fallacy Detective to allow them an opportunity to get more comfortable with “Logic in Life.” It worked! A Fallacy Folder was required for course completion. Examples for their folders were found in ads, coupons, news, comics, even dialog with siblings. Each student had to decide the best way to organize his folder so that a reader, unfamiliar with “logic”, would understand what the folder was showing. It was a great test of their understanding of the fallacies, as well as their critical thinking skills. I was very pleased with the end result: better thinkers, with minds much more attune to learning and more detail oriented. Their listening skills were much improved, as well.


The game was the grand goal. They worked very hard to earn the opportunity to play “The Game.” To address the “answers in the back of the book” situation: We embraced it. I assigned, on average, two lessons per class to be read and worked out before our next time together. They were encouraged to look at your answers in the back after reading and thinking about them on their own. I even made a lesson out of “why would I want you to look at the answers in the back?” The exercises proved to be a wonderful opportunity for the students to have discussion. I created quizzes covering the materials for each class. The students new it would be given at the beginning of class, then used as an outline of discussion for that day.


The first three lessons and Aroup Goupta have recently been introduced to my new group of 7th graders. They have been very eager to get to TFD, since they’d heard it was “so fun” from last semester’s students.


The parents of last semester’s students really enjoyed seeing their young people start to think more about what they would say, before saying it and were very good sports when their fallacies were identified by their eager detectives.


By the way, we also memorize scripture pertaining to the various lessons we cover. It is a nice “plus” having scripture right there on the same page with the lesson. TFD is an easy to use text. Thanks for a great tool.

3 • Terri Hill • June 25, 2008 • 4:04 PM

I am wondering if Melissa would allow me to use quizzes that she has created for class.  Any help is appreciated.

4 • Julie Hayes • July 28, 2008 • 11:02 AM

Melissa, I am going to be using The Fallacy Detective for the first time this year with my 7th graders.  I would be most grateful if you could share one or all of your quizzes with me as well as any other helpful information you have acquired. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

5 • Scott Wright • August 18, 2008 • 4:15 PM

Melissa, I too will be using the Fallacy Detective for the first time this year.  Could I use the quizzes you’ve developed?  Thanks in advance for any consideration you can give me.

6 • Gwen Sieler • August 25, 2008 • 6:02 PM

Ditto - I’m a teacher new to TFD and really appreciate the posts sharing classroom ideas. Melissa, if you’re willing to share your quizzes, I too would love to use them!

I’ll be checking back regularly for more/new info from teachers and will hopefully be able to post what works well in my classroom as well.

7 • Christy Willis • September 03, 2008 • 1:55 PM

Melissa, could I have a copy of the quizzes also?  I am teaching this class in my daughter’s co-op this year and those would help so much!

8 • Jill Houston • September 27, 2008 • 2:09 PM

I will be using TFD with middle schoolers beginning in January.  Any suggestions, activities, materials, etc. would be much appreciated!  Thanks in advance!

9 • Gabriella Colclough • November 15, 2008 • 6:25 PM

I have a quiz on the first section of the book I can share, but I’d very much like to receive some quizzes as well!!!!  I also have files of pictures I will barter for materials. 😊

For an activity on equivocation, we “acted out” Abbot and Costello’s Who’s on First - just as a fun (for what it’s worth) activity.

10 • Maria Barcelona • February 11, 2009 • 11:55 PM

I teach 8th grade literacy at a charter school in Santa Fe, NM. I am very interested in teaching students to discover their thinking process as in how assumptions are made.

11 • Angela Woodall • August 01, 2009 • 3:56 PM

I am going to be teaching a class in a co-op this year.  Melissa, would you send me the quizzes as well as any other ideas you have developed.  Thank you so much! .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

12 • Susan Beadle • August 18, 2009 • 5:04 PM

I just picked up this book in July at Answers in Genesis Creation College 3 (I highly recommend attending their summer 2010 conference on apologetics) and will be teaching it to 8th graders.  I just got this news today so I too would appreciate Melissa’s quizzes and more of everyone’s terrific ideas.  Thanks!

13 • John van Nooten • October 06, 2009 • 8:33 PM

I am using The Fallacy Detective for the first time with a group of home schoolers.  I find they are very interested and like the format.  I add things to it - questions, essays, dialogues etc. and find the lessons flexible enough to do this.  For students for whom formal logic is not desirable, the Fallacy detective seems to do the job.  Will be able to say more at the end of the course.  Keep up the good work.
John van Nooten

14 • Angie Weatherman • January 26, 2010 • 10:22 PM

I am going to teach TFD to some homeschoolers and would appreciate the quizes Melissa made for each lesson or any others someone else may have.  Thanks!

15 • Mary Green • March 17, 2010 • 12:27 PM

Thank you for this website.  We are using The Fallacy Detective in our homeschool group as well.  The discussion group has been great.

Any lesson ideas or quizzes would be great to incorporate.

Thanks!

16 • Ling Lee • March 20, 2010 • 10:35 PM

Why don’t we have Melissa Jones do a blog and we can all download her quizzes!! 😊

Did anyone managed to get that famous quiz?

17 • Gabriella Colclough • March 21, 2010 • 1:34 PM

OK - I’ll share. 😊  I taught this class for 3 years.  I used a simple system of study guides and tests for each chapter.

I pulled examples from the book and other sources for both.  Study Guides were given as homework with double the examples as would be on the test.  Study Guides were corrected in class, particularly for the first tests which proved more difficult for my students.

Tests were drawn straight from the study guides. 

These aren’t “perfect” but maybe it’l be a jumping off place.  Email me for files - but please be patient.

18 • Karen Loderhose • April 05, 2010 • 5:46 PM

I have taught The Fallacy Detective to 6-8 graders once a week over two years. We did all the fallacies the first year and the propaganda the second year. Since I get new students moving up and keep many of the same students I plan to use Thinking Toolbox next year. Would I be able to complete it in one year since we only have about 45 minutes once a week? I am trying to create a 3-year rotation for my logic class. I teach all other subjects so I don’t have as much time to put into teaching logic as I would like so it is somewhat challenging for me. I also want to make it more relevant to their other studies.

19 • Julie Blosser • May 20, 2010 • 5:45 PM

I am using your book in a logic class I’m teaching at middle school.  Would you please send me a copy of the test?  Thank you.

20 • julie Blosser • May 20, 2010 • 6:19 PM

Can I get a copy of the Fallacy Detective Test?  I am using your lessons in a logic class at Thunder Ridge Middle School in Colorado.  The class is for grades 6,7, and 8.

21 • Bonus Spielautomaten • June 15, 2010 • 7:25 AM

I believe in God so god is control and what happens here is only the smallest glimpse of something far greater that He has in mind for us..
Bonus Spielautomaten

22 • Heather Hall • July 06, 2010 • 2:31 PM

I will be using Fallacy Detective with our homeschool co-op for a Logic class for grades 7-8 class.  Could you please send me the test and also if it still available, I would love Melissa’s quizzes as well.  Thanks so much.

23 • Ultrasound • August 06, 2010 • 5:08 AM

wow…this is something i have never ever read.very detailed analysis.
This is indeed a great post, I would surely love to know more about it. I will look forward to see more

24 • Kathy McKown • August 20, 2010 • 9:38 AM

I am homeschooling a 9th grader and working fulltime in a library.  Yes, yes…I realize this is a disaster waiting to happen.  Even so, I’m going to pretend I don’t know that and attempt to provide a quality education.  Please send me any quizzes or other information that I can use without reinventing the wheel (or notify me how to download it myself.)  Thanks so so much!

25 • Tracy Ziomek • August 28, 2010 • 1:43 PM

I will be teaching the FD this year for the first time to a group.  I would love to use your files Gabriella C.—Thanks so much for sharing them! Also for Michael R, do you have your 1 Samuel lesson still available, I loved that. Thanks for any help. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

26 • Beth Kleeman • September 07, 2010 • 12:37 PM

I’m teaching middle school home schoolers once a week and would really appreciate the test and if possible the quizzes that Mellisa has used in her classroom. I’m totally new at the whole logic thing and would really be thankful for any guidance. My class is once a week for an hour. Any good ideas on how to organize the time?

27 • Cindy Q • December 03, 2010 • 9:43 AM

I will be leading our 6th-8th grade middle school co-op class in TFD beginning Jan. 2011.  I would appreciate any quizzes and supplemental materials that are available to share.  Thanks so much!  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

28 • Jasmine Brown • February 08, 2011 • 10:13 AM

I am preparing to teach this class for a homeschool group, in Texas, in the fall, could you please send me the test and Melissa’s quizes, if available:)

29 • Becky • April 01, 2011 • 3:36 PM

I would like a copy of the test to use in the homeschool co-op class I’m currently teaching.  Thanks.

30 • Keli Elkins • June 03, 2011 • 11:10 PM

I hate to ask but just can’t help it! Can I ALSO get a copy of any quizzes and supplemental materials? .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

31 • Peter Wise • June 07, 2011 • 1:20 AM

Great book!  I have used your book with my two teenage children, and really enjoyed it.  I have taught 4-5 grades, and read some of your book in the classroom.

I have a question.  Is there a Fallacy Detective, volume 2?  (I thought I saw this a few months ago, but I could be wrong.)

You have great materials for sharpening thinking skills.  We appreciate your Evangelical and Creationist viewpoint!  Thanks for sharing your insights with others! Great job!

Peter Wise

Commenting is not available in this channel entry.

Sign Up!

Join the The Fallacy Detective News and receive "The Fallacy Detective Test" for free!