Telling fact from fiction

[Excited Penguin]

EP: All I'm asking for indicators that something is probably fiction.

For example, if I read a passage in a book and it involves a wizard raising someone from the dead, I'll conclude that is probably fiction. This is because it involves events that aren't known to even be possible. That would be one criteria I would use.

If no such indicators arise, then it can be concluded that it could well be real. I'm not saying it is real, just that it's passed the smell test.

So, you're basically asking us how would we teach the kids to understand which things are probably fiction and which are clearly possible, from a number of such things given as example. Is that it?

Again, extremely vague. In order for us to answer that question, we'd either have to run a simulation of it or actually do it. I'd have to imagine a specific story, fictional or factful, and then work with that particular instance. There can't be a general solution to this problem. There's no magical way to distinguish between reality and fiction on the spot. You'd just have to teach the kids critical thinking, science, and so on. Things that you learn for years growing up and then strengthen for the rest of your life(depending on how lucky you are, of course). That's the only real answer I can see to this question, so again, what is the point of this thread? A bunch of answers just like mine?