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Exploring the Mystery Genre
Students determine the story elements of typical mystery stories including characters and plot structure. They look at vocabulary that is common to mystery stories before reading and responding to mystery chapter books. Working in guided...
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The Notorious Hope Diamond: What Makes an American Legend?
Students view and discuss a video on the legend of the Hope Diamond then compare and contrast other tales such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed. They analyze basic characteristics of these legends then use descriptive...
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Hands-On Investigation!
Learners read, analyze, and solve a mystery using problem-solving skills. They explore the History Detective website, discuss the difference between clues and red herrings, complete a dot-to-dot sheet, take notes in a detective...
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A Nero Wolfe Mystery
Discuss a Nero Wolfe mystery on brining criminals to justice. Secondary students will read the book A Nero Wolfe Mystery: The Doorbell Rang. They then will watch the movie depicting this story and answer discussion questions. There are...
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Secret Agent Stan
Learners use a worksheet imbedded in this lesson that goes along with a detective story to give them practice calculating money.
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Computer Mysteries
Who has been messing with my trampoline? Young writers choose local events as the basis for their own “Who Did It?” mystery. They then devise a plot, problem, and cast of characters and write an introduction explaining the problem and...
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Mystery Writing Lesson Plans
Introduce your class to the genre of mystery. Included is a vocabulary list, a rubric, and a sample mystery story called "Lethal Lesson." There are very limited directions on what to do with these resources, so you will need to plan some...
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Predicting a Mystery's Solution
Sixth graders explore the genre of mystery. In this language arts instructional activity, 6th graders predict the solution to a mystery based on the text. Students read a text and predict the solution.
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Textual Analysis: Forensic Science Files: Handwriting Analysis
Learn to analyze handwriting samples in a textual analysis lesson plan. Middle schoolers complete a textual analysis procedure based on the text Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief. They also provide supporting evidence for their work.
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Mysterious Plot Problems
Students solve 3 riddles given by the teacher and discuss how solving a mystery is like solving a riddle. In this language arts lesson, students watch as the teacher records problems in a detective story. Students record questions...
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Predicting a Mystery's Solution
Who killed Sam Westing? Model for your class members the components of a good prediction, and how to use these components to predict a mystery's solution. Class members use what they have learned to craft predictions while reading Ellen...
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Crime School Investigations
Students solve a mystery at their school. In this classifying lesson, students find suspects who committed the crime. Students categorize them into race, sex, and fingerprint type. Students show their results in graphs.
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Compare and Contrast
Fourth graders read two books In this compare and contrast lesson plan, 4th graders read a science fiction or fantasy story and compare it to the story, "Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library." Students also have the option to listen...
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A Map Mystery
First graders solve a mystery by following map clues. In this map clues lesson plan, 1st graders follow a computer program called Neighborhood Map Machine. In this program, it gives students directional and spatial clues in order to...
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"Mysteries"
In this reading comprehension worksheet, learners read a short piece of text entitled "Mysteries" and answer five reading comprehension multiple choice questions.
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Activity Sheet 3: Focus Questions: The Earhart Project
In this Earhart Project activity, students read about the Earhart Project and answer questions about it. They write short answers to information pertaining to the project, its cost, findings reported, and expeditions led. This one page...
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Sherlock Holmes
In this literature instructional activity, middle schoolers find the words associated with the story of Sherlock Holmes and the answers are found at the bottom of the page.
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The World of Sherlock Holmes
In this literature worksheet, middle schoolers find the words that are part of the story of Sherlock Holmes and the answers are found at the bottom of the page.
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Picture the Process!
Students read "Chasing Vermeer," and then study the author's writing process. They make connections between the book and the author's real life experiences. They then write an original mystery story, following the writing process.
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Developing Thinking and Reasoning Skills in Primary Learners Using Detective Fiction
Students are introduced to the genre of detective fiction. Based on their reading level, they are given a different series of books to read. For each story, they are to make predictions and practice decoding messages. To end the...
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Detective Fiction for Remedial Readers
Eighth graders in a remedial reading class are introduced to detective fiction by Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. After reading about their lives and work, they define new vocabulary and practice using a guided reading...
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History/Mystery: Regionalism and Ethnicity in the American Detective Novel
Students use mystery novels to focus on the history and ethnicity of different regions of the United States. As a class, they are introduced to the elements of a mystery and compare them to the other types of novels they have read. In...
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Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction
Students read examples of mysteries and detective fiction. With a focus on Sherlock Holmes, they are introduced to the techniques for reading properly. In groups, they define new vocabulary, make predictions and summarize the stories. ...
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Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...