You've come to the right spot for lesson plans and "mystery" examples from real middle school students. Follow these links and enjoy original stories co-written by HP mentors and students.
Lesson Plans for teaching mysteries (Be sure and check out the links at the top of the page.)
Middle School/Jr. High (Grades 6-8)
Purpose: TSW learn to appreciate this genre as they learn what makes a good mystery. Students will study mood, tone, characters, settings, and mystery terminology (i.e. victim, detective, red herring, clues, suspect, and alibi).
Objectives:
1. Applies reading skills and strategies to a variety of literary passages and texts (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, myths, poems,
fantasies, biographies, autobiographies, science fiction, tall tales, supernatural tales)
2. Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of literary forms and genres (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, myths, poems,
fantasies, biographies, autobiographies, science fiction, tall tales, supernatural tales)
3. Identifies specific questions of personal importance and seeks to answer them through literature
4. Recognizes complex elements of plot (e.g., cause-and-effect relationships, conflicts, resolutions)
5. Recognizes devices used to develop characters in literary texts (e.g., character traits, motivations, changes, and
stereotypes)
6. Makes inferences and draws conclusions about story elements (e.g., main and subordinate characters, events, setting,
theme, missing details)
7. Understands complex, extended dialogues and how they relate to a story
8. Recognizes the use of specific literary devices (e.g., foreshadowing, flashback, progressive and digressive time,
suspense, figurative language, description, metaphor)
9. Understands the effects of the author's style on a literary text (e.g., how it elicits an emotional response from the reader)
Identifies point of view in a literary text (e.g., distinguishes between first and third person)
10. Explains how the motives of characters or the causes for complex events in texts are similar to and different from those in
his or her own life
11. Understands that people respond differently to literature
Level IV: High School (Grades 9-12)
1. Applies reading skills and strategies to a variety of literary texts (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, myths, poems, biographies,
autobiographies, science fiction, supernatural tales, satires, parodies, plays, American literature, British literature, world
and ancient literature)
2. Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of literary forms and genres (e.g.,fiction, nonfiction, myths, poems,
biographies, autobiographies, science fiction, supernatural tales, satires, parodies, plays, American literature, British
literature, world and ancient literature, the Bible)
3. Analyzes the effectiveness of complex elements of plot (e.g., time frame, cause-and-effect relationships, conflicts,
resolutions)
4. Identifies the simple and complex actions (e.g., internal/external conflicts) between main and subordinate characters in
texts containing complex character structures
5. Recognizes archetypes and symbols across literary texts (e.g., heroes, beneficence of nature, "dawn")
6. Makes connections among literary works based on theme (e.g., universal themes in literature of different cultures, major
themes in American literature)
7. Understands the effects of complex literary devices and techniques on the overall quality of a work (e.g., tone, irony,
mood, figurative language, allusion, diction, dialogue, symbolism, point of view, style)
8. Understands historical and cultural influences on literary works
9. Makes abstract connections between his or her own life and the characters, events, motives, and causes of conflict in
texts.
Resources
See online resources at the top of this page.
Activities and Procedures
1. Students will read various mysteries. During the reading, students will discuss and answer questions over setting, characters, mood, etc.
2. Students will research or read a famous mystery and share a favorite with the class.
3. Real life mysteries will be discussed and researched by students (i.e. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Stonehenge, Bermuda Triangle, etc.)
4. Students will write a mystery and share with the class. This may be individually or as a group writing.
5. Students may write endings to mysteries.
6. Students will read and discuss the mysteries that some of my students have written and posted here on the Net.
7. Your students may want to post their own mysteries on the net for others to view.
Evaluation:
1. Voc. words (alibi, sleuth, etc.)
2. Grade over writings.
3. Grade over comprehension of mystery read and/or researched.
4. Possible research grade over "real life" mystery explanation.
5. Possibly a student could even illustrate a mystery.