• Knowledge: Students arrange characters and events in the mystery.
• Comprehension: Students classify events, describe characters, and explain precisely what has occurred.
• Application: Students apply existing knowledge to the mystery by illustrating, dramatizing, and writing their interpretations.
• Analysis: Students analyze, categorize, and differentiate characters and events.
• Synthesis: Students collect and organize facts to form hypotheses.
• Evaluation: Students appraise, argue, assess, and evaluate their opinions in the process of solving the mystery.
  
  

• recognize a form of literature according to its characteristics.
  
  
• indicate personal preference by self-selecting a novel in the detective fiction subgenre of mystery.
• practice predicting, deducing, and analyzing through oral and written discussion.
• write in expository mode, as well as in descriptive and persuasive modes to a lesser degree.
• develop and use an extended vocabulary by incorporating terms used by those involved in crime solving.
• progress through all aspects of the writing process from prewriting to publishing.
• use self-monitoring and feedback from peers and teachers to evaluate reading, writing, listening, viewing, studying, and research skills.
• evaluate what they’ve learned from the novel and the writing project.

• DeLuna, Tony. (1992). Literature and Writing: Investigating Mysteries. Scholastic, Inc.
• Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery. (1998). Disney Studios. Approximately 95 minutes.
• Sukach, James. (1997). Challenging Whodunit Puzzles: Dr. Quicksolve's Mini-Mysteries.. Sterling.
• Flick Sheet for Murder She Purred
• Detective's Handbook Project Information Sheet
• Expository Writing Cake Handout
• Peer Editing/Revision Worksheet
• Self-Monitoring Worksheet
• Grading Rubric
• Persuasion Map
• Letter Generator

1. Students select and begin reading a detective fiction novel. (For students requiring a modified curriculum, this is a good place to begin—guide students towards a text at their reading ability level. Due to the amount of writing involved, use discretion when guiding students towards texts that may be above their reading ability level.)
2. Copy all handouts, distribute, and discuss. Reviewing the end result before beginning allows students to reach their goal by seeing the "big picture."
   
   
   1. Flick Sheet for Murder She Purred
   2. Detective's Handbook Project Information Sheet
   3. Expository Writing Cake Handout
   4. Peer Editing/Revision Worksheet
   5. Self-Monitoring Worksheet
   6. Grading Rubric
      
      
3. View Murder She Purred so that all students are working from a common knowledge base. During the viewing, have students complete the “Flick Sheet.” After the viewing, separate students into small groups and require them to compile their information. They should organize the clues in the order in which they led to the solution of the mystery. Then have them examine clues that were “red herrings” and explain, either orally or in writing, how they were used to throw the detective—and the audience—off-track. This prewriting activity will prepare students for Detective’s Handbook entries #9 and #10.
4. Show interactive Detective's Handbook Powerpoint Presentation, broken up into seven different lessons. Each explains one entry that will go into the Detective’s Handbook, using Murder She Purred as a concrete example. It also includes an expository writing review. Allow students a few days between sections to reflect, review, and revisit the new information they are absorbing, as well as to write the first draft of the corresponding entry. Load the PowerPoint on a computer which the students can access so that they can open and review it when necessary.
5. Begin the writing process for each entry at the rate of approximately one every two days. Model each entry by writing it with the students, based on the movie Murder She Purred. (Be prepared! You will have first drafts, second drafts, self-revision, peer editing, and conferencing to contend with at the same time.) Conference with each student to make sure that no one is falling behind or struggling with a specific entry. Use the Self-Monitoring Worksheet to assist you both. For special education students, students with limited English proficiency, or students reading well below grade level, modify the number of entries required in the final Handbook. For example, do not require entries two, three, and eight.
6. For the tenth entry in the Detective’s Handbooks, students write a persuasive letter to the local Chief of Police convincing him/her who should be arrested and why. Use the Persuasion Map to draft the body of their messages and publish their letters with the Letter Generator.
7. When analysis is complete, have students write the expository foreword (see the Project Handout for details).
8. Finalize and publish Detective’s Handbooks.
9. Set up a time with the school (or local public) librarian in which the students can make a videotape of their presentations. (OPTION: audiotape can be made in the classroom.)
10. Host "Detective’s Deposition" at which students record (either on video or audio) an overview of their self-selected novel, and evaluate how its characteristics, and the style in which it is written show that it belongs in the detective fiction subgenre of mystery.
11. Each student will peer-review two peers’ presentations.
12. Tapes are to be labeled and kept in the library so that other students, who are looking for a detective fiction book to select, can view or listen to them.

MysteryNet’s Kids Mysteries

http://kids.mysterynet.com/
This Web site hosts a number of short mysteries for students to solve.

NCTE/IRA Standards

3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).