Mysteries get reluctant readers and writers enthusiastic about reading, thinking, and writing. They contain intriguing characters and hold a student's interest with their suspenseful and dynamic plots. Mysteries are a wonderful vehicle for teaching critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills in an exciting and enjoyable way. Use the lessons and resources here to help students explore the Mystery Genre.
Included Here:
- Articles (2)
- Collateral (10)
- Unit Plans (2)
Articles
Internet Field Trip: Mystery!
Describes various Web sites with activities and information on mysteries and mystery authors, such as Edgar Allan Poe and Nancy Drew.
Reading for Gumshoes: Using Mysteries to Teach Reading Skills
Collateral
Chasing Vermeer Booktalk
What happens when there are too many coincidences, too many puzzle pieces that fit together? Do you ignore them, pretend nothing's happening? Or do you try to figure out what's really going on?
The Wright 3 Booktalk
The Robie House has secrets, and so do Petra, Calder and Tommy. Will this uneasy trio be able to get along well enough to discover the house's secrets and save the architect's favorite building?
The Westing Game Discussion Guide
When sixteen people are called together for the reading of wealthy Sam Westing's will, they are surprised to learn that the will is actually a contest in which they are all to participate.
Mystery Writing with Joan Lowery Nixon: A Writing With Writers Activity
Chasing Vermeer Discussion Guide
Discussion questions for the book Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.
Chasing Vermeer Lesson Plan
In this activity based on Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, students will use a pentomino code to decipher a message and then make up a secret code of their own.
Chasing Vermeer: A Flashlight Readers Activity
This innovative online experience offers activities related to Chasing Vermeer and author Blue Balliett that fans will love, from author chats to slideshows.
The Calder Game Extension Activities
Interdisciplinary activities extend a unit on Blue Balliett's book The Calder Game.
The Wright 3 Extension Activities
Super sleuths Petra and Calder, along with Calder’s old friend Tommy, have been cryptically drawn into another mystery—this time involving a Frank Lloyd Wright architectural masterpiece, the Robie House.
Discussion Guide for the Novels of Blue Balliett: Hold Fast, Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, and The Calder Game
Discussion guide for the novels of Blue Balliett: Hold Fast, Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, and The Calder Game
Unit Plans
Chasing Vermeer Teacher's Guide
Students develop problem solving skills while exploring fine art and learning about creative expression in relation to the book Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet.
Exploring the Mystery Genre
In this unit, students act as reading detectives to discover the elements of a mystery.
- Subjects:Literature, Literature Appreciation
- Skills:Reading, Language Arts
