Mystery Unit

For the past 2 weeks, my class has been studying the Mystery genre. My students have broken into 5 reading groups based on similar reading levels and read the same book together. They make predictions, collect clues, find suspects with motive, summarize plot and solve the crime. These books are lower than their independent reading level because the work I expect them to do is harder. Students need to weed through some nonclues or "red herrings" and have many discussions on twists and clues in the story.

Each group has a detective file where they track their progress and collect their data from their books. While filling in each worksheet in the file, they "Book Buzz" and share their findings.

I am reading The Maze of Bones, book 1 in the 39 Clues series, by Rick Riordan. This book is above their reading level and it is holding the class on the edge of their seats. I demo collecting clues in my detective file and also develope character profiles. So far, the book teaches a lot about history and it focuses on relevant topics for 4th grade Social Sudies such as the Declaration of Independance, Ben Franklin, and Colonial Times.