County Fair: UWT Clue Set

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Assemble fragmented verbal statements into an accurate grid showing each baker's pie flavor and final placement.

Use it when: Use when a team needs practice synthesizing distributed facts, tracking verbal data systematically, and verifying deductive logic without visual cues.

Skip it when: Skip when participants face heavy auditory fatigue, or when a puzzle requiring advanced mathematical deduction or non-verbal mechanics is preferred.

Group arrangement: Single group of 5 to 13 people, sitting or standing so all can hear.

Timing: UWT suggested duration of 25 minutes for this simplified 13-clue logic puzzle and debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 copy of the 13 UWT Clue Slips, cut into separate strips
• 1 printed Blank Deduction Grid per participant or 1 large grid drawn on a flip chart
• Scratch paper and pens for notes
• 1 Facilitator Solution Key (held privately until step 3)

Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut the 13 clue slips apart so each slip contains exactly one clue.
2. Draw the 5-row, 3-column table (Place, Baker, Pie) on a flip chart or whiteboard, or hand out the Blank Deduction Grid sheet.

Say this to open

Five bakers competed at the county fair: Avery, Blake, Casey, Devon, and Emery. Each baked one pie: apple, pear, lemon, berry, or cherry. Each pie placed first through fifth. You hold 13 clues. You may read your clues out loud as often as needed, but you must never show your paper to anyone else. Work together to identify who baked what and where each pie placed.

How to run it

1. Distribute clues and review rules 4 minutes

   Distribute all 13 clue slips among the 5 to 13 participants as evenly as possible. With 5 participants, three receive 3 clues and two receive 2. Remind everyone that clues may be read aloud word-for-word at any time, but slips must never be shown or traded. Distribute scratch paper or point to the shared grid.

2. Share clues and deduce placements 13 minutes

   Participants read clues aloud and track relationships between bakers, pies, and places. Encourage the team to record confirmed facts on their sheets or on the central chart. Example: If Clue 5 states the apple pie placed first, write 'apple' beside Place 1. The team works until they reach unanimous agreement on all five lines.

3. Verify against solution key 3 minutes

   The group reads out their completed table for places 1 through 5. Reveal the Facilitator Solution Key: Place 1 is Blake with apple; Place 2 is Devon with pear; Place 3 is Avery with lemon; Place 4 is Emery with berry; Place 5 is Casey with cherry. Confirm whether the group deductions match.

4. Debrief team communication 5 minutes

   Lead a whole-group discussion using two selected debrief questions. Ask how the team organized incoming verbal facts and resolved negative clues.

Debrief questions

• How did keeping the clues hidden change how your group organized its notes?
• Which clue provided the breakthrough that locked the sequence into place?
• What method did you use to confirm negative clues without losing track of them?

Finished output: A completed table correctly matching all five places to their respective baker and pie flavor.

Remote

Send clue text via private direct messages before starting. Participants read their assigned text aloud over audio. A shared online whiteboard displays the 5-row table where one designated scribe enters agreed facts.

Hybrid

In-person and remote participants share a unified audio channel. Remote participants read their clues via microphone while an in-room scribe enters updates on a visible projected sheet or digital board accessible to everyone.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may ask a peer or the facilitator to read their clue aloud if reading aloud presents a barrier.
• Any participant may choose to act as scribe or silent observer without having to read aloud.

If the session gets stuck

A participant reflexively turns their clue slip toward the table or another person.

Remind everyone immediately: 'Keep your slips flat against your chest or facing down; read the exact words aloud instead.'

The group speaks over one another and misses key clues.

Pause the group and suggest taking a structured first pass where each person reads one clue in circle order before open deduction.

Terms used here

• Information-gap puzzle: An activity where necessary data is divided among group members so coordination and verbal sharing are required to solve it.