What is real science and how do we teach it in our classrooms? We often teach facts in lectures and develop labs that teach lab/field methodology and report writing. But the essence of science lies in the critical thinking processes that allow us to move from observations to satisfactory explanations for those observations which can happen in any context. We will discuss the critical components of scientific thinking and how courses can be restructured so that students both learn and practice those skills regardless of the topics and format that our science classes take.