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 short stories that describe what went down on that dark day in October.

Concepts

deductive reasoning, logical thinking, logic, Narrative Writing

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members work with a partner, just as many detectives do, while sifting through the information they've been given
• After the killer is revealed, spend some time sharing the stories that individuals wrote about the night of the murder
• Conduct this investigation before launching your class into a unit on detective fiction

Classroom Considerations

• Depending on the level of your students, you may wish to increase the difficulty by gradually giving them more information and requiring predictions along the way

Pros

• Comes with two data charts for students to fill out and all the evidence they'll need to use deductive reasoning
• Answers are provided, as is a sample story
• This is a fun activity that will engage learners in using logical reasoning skills

Cons

• None