You’re walking along the street when you see a knocked-over trash can with its contents spilled all over the sidewalk. The lid of the trash can is about 10 feet up in the branches of a tree across the street. You notice that the trash bags inside have been torn to shreds, and something has tried to eat what was in the trash can. You smell a fishy odor and notice several fish bones. You also see an apple that, strangely, looks like it wasn’t touched. You notice some pieces of short, gray fur next to the trash can, as well as what looks like some brown feathers.



You figure it must have been an animal that messed up the trash can’s contents . . . but what animal? A mystery!



Make a claim about what type of animal tipped over the trash can. A claim is a debatable statement that needs to be supported with evidence.
Quote 2–3 pieces of evidence that made you think this.
In 2–3 sentences, explain how your evidence proves your claim. This is called reasoning.


There’s no right or wrong answer, but make sure that your evidence and reasoning clearly prove your claim about which animal is responsible!



Bonus challenge: Skim the paragraph again, then think of a different animal that could have caused this mess. Explain why you think this animal is also a possible culprit, using evidence from the paragraph and at least one sentence of reasoning.