The ULTIMATE Mystery Unit - A Fun Detective-Themed Genre Study - 4th & 5th Grade

This big mystery genre study provides everything you need for five exciting weeks of detective-themed ELA activities. The unit includes 8 inference activities, 5 mystery reading passages, 27 CSI detective tasks, 3 writing projects, 2 novel studies, a mock crime scene 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. Your fourth or fifth grade students will love it!

Read Like a Detective – Introduce kids to the mystery genre. Cracking a case makes reading so much fun.

• Inferencing – Eight activities warm up deductive thinking (and improve reading comprehension).
• Mystery Passages – Students solve five two-page mysteries. They read closely, draw conclusions, and use flow charts to map the plot.

Think Like a Detective – Build excitement with CSI activities.

• Secret Codes – After reading a two-page history of ciphers, kids crack five codes. They can also create their own Alberti cipher disk.
• Observation – A variety of activities help students pay attention to details and become more observant.
• Logic Puzzles – Kids use deductive reasoning to solve five brainteasers. For more challenge, use the blank template to have kids design their own!
• Fingerprinting – A three-page set teaches kids about fingerprints and lets them record their own. A set of twelve cards lets them try their hand at matching.
• Invisible Ink – Students learn about the history and types of invisible ink. Then they try three kid-friendly types and determine which is most effective.

Write Like a Detective – Let kids write in the mystery genre. Three different activities get kids writing short and/or long mysteries. They’re also great for differentiation.

• Puzzle Pictures Project - This little activity is really a craft. It makes a great classroom display and only requires a little writing. Kids print or cut pictures of well-known objects, animals, or people. Then they write clues beneath the picture. They cut a small hole in a piece of construction paper and staple the it on top of the picture. Classmates study a small piece of the picture through the hole, read the clues, and solve the mystery what it is. Then they lift the construction paper to see if they’re right.
• Paper Bag Story Starters - To prepare for this project, cut and fold three sets of cards: character, setting, and situation. Place each set in a labeled paper bag. Students pick one card from each bag, then develop a story around them.
• Mapped Detective Story - Kids use the writing process to develop their own plots. Using flow charts, they organize, develop, and write their own whodunits.

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 Novels - Extend the fun with a full-length detective story. Two book studies are included to allow 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.

Mystery Book Reports – Let kids select a novel to read independently. They can report on a themed template or create a puzzle-piece craft.

Mystery Banners – Decorate your classroom - and teach mystery terms! These colorful posters add to the excitement.

Enjoy teaching mystery in your class or homeschool!

Brenda Kovich