Everyone Loves a Mystery: A Genre Study

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Two-Minute Mysteries by Donald J. Sobol (Scholastic, 1991) or Five-Minute Mysteries by Ken Weber (Running Press Book Publishers, 1989)
  
  
• Computers with Internet access and printing capability
  
  
• Computer with projection capability
  
  
• Card stock
  
  
• Coloring pencils or markers
  
  
• Tag board

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   6 – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Mystery Cube

The Mystery Cube helps students identify and summarize story elements in this popular genre. It can be used as a postreading or prewriting activity.

 

Grades   3 – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Organizing & Summarizing

Cube Creator

The interactive Cube Creator helps students identify and summarize key elements. It can be used as a prewriting or postreading activity.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Story Map for Solve-It Stories
  
  
• Puzzle Piece Mystery Book Project
  
  
• DL-TA Teaching Format
  
  
• Mystery Project Calendar
  
  
• "The Bus Ride" by Sahar Sabati
  
  
• "Survival" by John M. Floyd
  
  
  

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WEBSITES

• Millennium Mystery Madness
• MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries
• Mystery Writing With Joan Lowery Nixon
• 6+1 Trait® Writing
• 6+1® Trait Definitions

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PREPARATION

1.	Photocopy the following handouts so that each student can have a copy: Story Map for Solve-It Stories Puzzle Piece Mystery Book Project Mystery Project Calendar
2.	For the Puzzle Piece Mystery Book Project, create a template of a puzzle and photocopy it on card stock or allow students to make their own nine-piece puzzles.
3.	This lesson assumes that students have prior knowledge of story elements, the writing process, 6+1 Trait® Writing, outlining, and basic word processing and Internet skills. Students also need to know how to create story webs.

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