Tag: close reading

I love teaching mysteries to my English students. The best mysteries are complicated and involve close reading and holding a lot of details in your head at once. So I designed this mystery reading graphic organizer that students can fill in as they read a mystery or suspense story.

It helps students solve the mystery by finding all the clues and suspects and then analyzing them. At the same time, it teaches important reading skills such as reading for details, evaluating information from different parts of a reading, critical analysis, reading for an unreliable narrator/character and of course reading for fun.

As students read, they fill in the sheet with key details such as clues and suspects. After reading, they share their worksheets with each other. They can consult in groups to add or revise the worksheet. Then, if the mystery is well-written, they should be able to say Who did it? by the end of class!

You can also find short mystery games to read with these mysteries in the Mystery section of my store.

The mystery reading graphic organizer is on my TpT store and comes with complete instructions on how to fill it out.

Clue by Clue: The Elevator Routine is a puzzle, based on a well-known joke for children. Every day a woman leaves her apartment on the 20th floor. She gets in the elevator and goes to the ground floor. But when she comes home, she gets off at the 15th floor. Then she walks up the 5 remaining floors.

What’s going on?

Is the elevator broken? Does she forget where she lives? Maybe she’s trying to get some exercise. When students go through all the clues and figure out the answer, they’ll probably groan. It’s a pretty silly puzzle, but one that gets students practicing critical thinking and talking about their theories.

What is Clue by Clue?

In pairs or small groups, students analyze each clue to try to decide if it’s relevant or irrelevant and what it means. It’s a great way for students to practice critical thinking skills, such as evaluating evidence, synthesizing information from different clues, and also telling truth from lie and fact from opinion. (Check out my post on Why short mysteries make awesome critical thinking activities for more and a list of all my clue by clue activities).

Previews

Download Elevator Routine

So, head over to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store to purchase Clue by Clue: Elevator Routine Mystery Activity!

Or check out the other Clue by Clue Mystery Activities.

You can also visit my ever-growing section of mystery activities and lesson plans for other classroom resources, including a graphic organizer and story cards to help students write their own mysteries.

Clue by Clue: Imprisoned is a sort of puzzle mystery, based on a true News of the Weird item. A woman robs a store and speeds away. Soon a policeman is on her tail, but somehow she ends up in prison before she is even arrested. How could that be?

What happened?

Was she pulled over? Did she get a ticket for speeding or chased from the robbery? You give the students the clues one by one. By the end, they have all the information they need to solve it.

Imprisoned is based on a true story, taken straight from the weird news headlines. Like many of the Clue By Clue mysteries, Imprisoned is actually more of a puzzle. How did she get into prison. When students figure out the answer, they’ll realize they should have known from the start!

What is Clue by Clue?

In pairs or small groups, students analyze each clue to try to decide if it’s relevant or irrelevant and what it means. It’s a great way for students to practice critical thinking skills, such as evaluating evidence, synthesizing information from different clues, and also telling truth from lie and fact from opinion. (Check out my post on Why short mysteries make awesome critical thinking activities for more and a list of all my clue by clue activities).

Previews

Download Imprisoned

So, head over to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store to purchase Clue by Clue: Imprisoned Mystery Activity!

It’s also available as a Powerpoint presentation game.

Or check out the other Clue by Clue Mystery Activities.

You can also visit my ever-growing section of mystery activities and lesson plans for other classroom resources, including a graphic organizer and story cards to help students write their own mysteries.