5-Week Mystery Unit - Fun Detective Genre Study for Fourth and Fifth Grade

Five weeks of detective-themed ELA activities engage fourth and fifth grade students. The unit includes mystery reading, critical thinking, and writing projects; two novel studies; a simulation; posters and book report templates. A complete 25-day schedule guides instruction.

Open the previews to take a closer look at all parts of this fun bundle.

• Read Like a Detective – Inference activities and short stories let kids practice prerequisite skills for this genre: close reading, drawing conclusions, and using flow charts to map mysteries.

• Think Like a Detective – A variety of activities give kids CSI experience. They learn to be more observant, break codes, analyze fingerprints, experiment with invisible ink, and use logic to solve puzzles. (Detective badges, decorative poster, and station signs are included in the bonus file.)

• Write Like a Detective – Three different activities get kids writing short and/or long mysteries. They’re also great for differentiation.

• The Maze of Bones (610L) – This novel is appropriate for most fourth and fifth grade students. For each set of chapters, students respond in their detective’s journals and explore questions in literature groups. They can even create character trading cards.

• The Westing Game (750L) – This complex puzzle-piece mystery challenges top readers in fourth and fifth grades. Like The Maze of Bones, the resource provides detective’s journals, questions, and character cards. Both novel studies are broken into ten sections, which allows you to teach both groups simultaneously - stress free.

• Act Like a Detective – A CSI-style simulation lets kids act like detectives. They study photos of the crime scene and suspects’ desks, take notes, read interviews, analyze fingerprints, and participate in two science labs: mystery powders and chromatography.

• Mystery Book Reports - Choose from a template or puzzle-piece craft.

• Mystery Banners - Decorate your classroom - and teach mystery terms!

Enjoy teaching mystery in your class or homeschool!

Brenda Kovich