Curated OER
Write Me a Mystery
Eleventh graders, in groups, pre-write, draft, edit and revise a murder mystery short story to hone their skills in short story drafting, editing and revision, group collaboration and computer usage. They also evaluate writing for both...
Film English
Serial Taxi
Explore the murder mystery genre through film, discussion, and writing. The plan features several activities centered around a two-minute video that include collaboration, writing, and prediction. After the lesson, individuals write...
Curated OER
Magnificent Microscopes Unit Including Mystery and Alternative Assessment Activity
After drawing and labelling a microscope, forensic science explorers use one to solve a simulated murder mystery. They examine each piece of evidence and draw what they observe at each magnification. Working in groups of four, your...
Curated OER
Anticipation Guide
Young readers consider ten questions regarding murder mystery stories. The must choose from one of five options: strongly disagree, disagree, depends, agree, or strongly agree. A sample questions is, "A murder mystery must describe the...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 1
"True-crime stories, murder mysteries, up-to-the-minute online news reports, and (as always) rumor and innuendo grab our attention faster than any call for justice, human rights, or ceasefires." Or so says Walter Mosley in his Newsweek...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Eliminating Wordiness: Exercise 3
The focus of this writing worksheet is to have writers revise and edit a three-paragraph passage to eliminate wordiness and repetition. The paragraphs are quite long, and this should take most students quite a while to complete.
Curated OER
Forensic Detectives: Mysteries and Solutions
Middle schoolers examine forensic science. For this video based lesson, students examine the tools and techniques of forensic science. They write a report about a fictional crime scene from the Discovery video.
Curated OER
Mystery and Mayhem
Learners use literature to examine the violence and loss of innocence during the 1960s. In this U.S. history lesson, students read Robert McCammon's Boy's Life to investigate the social unrest, violence and loss of innocence in the...
Scouts
The Deadly Picnic: A Lab on Deductive Reasoning
Whodunnit? Find out who killed Mr. Brooks through a logical examination of evidence. Class members fill out a couple of data tables to help them pin down the suspect. After they've figured out just who the culprit is, pupils compose...
Cornell University
Plant Cell Crime Scene
Use science to solve the mystery of the Poplar murder. Pupils use forensic botany to determine if a suspect could be the killer. By analyzing images from a Transmission Electron Microscope, learners determine if the material found on the...
Macmillan Education
The Tell-Tale Heart
Rather than who done it, the mystery literary detectives have to solve as they examine the evidence found in Edgar Allan Poe's famous "The Tell-Tale Heart" is why did he do it?
Curated OER
Forensic Detectives: Archaeology at Work
Dig in! Middle schoolers learn about archaeology by exploring the remnants of the Chiribaya bodies found in Illinois. Compare archaeological investigations, and then write a mystery detailing the discovery of a body! Consider bringing in...
Curated OER
Stonehenge: Solving Ancient Mysteries
Students explore archeologists and anthropologists and the tools and methods they use to gather and interpret scientific evidence. They research current archaeological excavations and contact the scientists working at these digs.
Curated OER
Forensic Examination of Artifacts: The Mystery of Meriwether Lewis' Death
Students role play the position of a scientist to gather information on Meriwether Lewis' death. They discover what he did after the famous expedition and how centuries affect the study of a body. They share their information with the...
Curated OER
"Split" Character Studies in Crime and Punishment
Students write an essay evaluating split character traits on major characters in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. In this instructional activity students are guided through discussion questions, group assignments, and vocabulary...
Avi Writer
The Cross of Lead, At the Edge of the World, and The End of Time
A fan of Ari's Crispin trilogy? Here is a packet that contains study guides for all three Crispin novels: The Cross of Lead, At the Edge of the World, and The End of Time.
Curated OER
The Fall of Rome
A study of the fall of the Roman Empire can lead students on an interesting exploration of history.
Curated OER
Mission Possible
Students, in teams, solve a crime using forensic lab techniques. They apply lab techniques to a real life situation using a crime scenario that takes place on campus. Sample activities include Blood, Fiber, and Hair Lab.
Curated OER
Homonyms Worksheet 1
In this grammar worksheet, students underline the appropriate word in parentheses that best fits twenty-one sentences. Students check to make sure each sentence is grammatically correct.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark in Columbia River Country
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this research skills lesson, students research the death of Meriwether Lewis using forensic evidence presented in primary...
Curated OER
Song of Solomon By Toni Morrison
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 14 essay and short answer questions about Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. Students may also use the provided link at the bottom of the page to access a...
Curated OER
Chickenfeed by Minette Walters
Learners read, analyze and discuss the novel, "Chickenfeed," by Minette Walters. They assess the theories of tell me a story, take a letter and is truth stranger than fiction? Each student reviews the synopsis and explore how dialogue...
Curated OER
Science: Criminalistics - A New Look at Crime
Students examine the world of forensic science, focusing on fingerprint analysis. In the lesson, they implement a method by which fingerprints of class members are categorized and identified. Elementary students study classification...