Standards
Addressed
Literature Circle
Mystery Unit
by Alisha Winters
Introduction
Subject: Language Arts
Standards
Addressed
Fourth Grade
English Language Arts Curriculum
Instructional
Objectives:
Why Mysteries? Mysteries help reluctant readers to become
excited about reading.
1. Students will establish a plot, the setting, the
conflict and the ending in a multiple paragraph mystery story.
2. Students will explain the events of a mystery
story, including the plot, the point of view, the setting and the conflict
in their description.
3. Students will use critical thinking skills in
order to solve online mysteries.
i
Student
Activities
To Go To The Student Page
Introductory Activity:
We begin by placing a mystery object (a pair of sunglasses)
in a box. We will give the students clues about the object. The
students will be given a chance to ask questions about the clue that we have
given them, and we will respond with only a yes or no answer. We'll record
all of the clues that they’re given on paper, as well as their deductions.
We'll discuss which clues were the most helpful to them. After they solve
the mystery. We’ll let them know that over the course of the next
few weeks, they'll get to investigate and solve several mysteries. (We
will also give them an opportunity to bring in their own mystery objects.)
The students will also have an opportunity to look at reviews of various
children's mystery books. (Children's Mystery Books) They will be choosing
a mystery book from the classroom or library to be reading during silent
reading. Hopefully this web site will give them ideas.
Enabling Activities:
Activity 1: Reading Mysteries
The first two days I will begin by reading the books The Web Files by
Margie Palatini and Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg.
The Web Files is a mystery, picture book that allows students to use clues throughout the book to solve a mystery. We will ask questions such as whom they think the thief might be, and how the mystery is solved. Next I will read Bad Day at Riverbend to the class. We will discuss the "greasy substance" from the story and the clues in the book. We will then list what ideas/characters that each mystery had in common in order to come up with a guide to reading and writing mysteries. For example, all mysteries have a title, a crime or mystery, a setting, a hero, a suspect, clues and in some cases a solution.
Activity 2: Vocabulary
Activity 3: Mysteries on the Net
In the second session in the computer lab, the students will go to a second mystery internet site (The case) and then solve a mystery on the site. There are three possible mysteries on this site. They can do all of the mysteries, but they must at least read and solve the first mystery (the one in yellow), so that we all have a common mystery to discuss. Then in class we will outline that mystery, writing it's title, what happened, the setting, the hero, the suspect(s), the clues and the actual solution.
Culminating Activity
The final activity will have the students writing their own
mysteries. Their mysteries must include at least three of the vocabulary
words we discussed in this unit. It must all include all of the components
of a mystery that we have discussed throughout this unit. These include:
a title, a crime or mystery, a setting, at least three events, and a solution.
They will write these mysteries in class and then spend two sessions in the
computer lab typing them and publishing them. We will share our mysteries
in class. To view the mystery map, click here.
3rd Grade Plan
Section 1:
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen DiamondsPages: 3-30
Section 2: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
Pages: 31-58
Section 3: Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House
Pages: 1-30
Section 4: Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House
Pages: 31-56
Section 5: Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery
Pages: 1-26
Section 6: Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery
Pages: 27-58
Section 7: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
Pages: 1-32
Section 8: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
Pages: 33-56
*Cam Jansen books by: David Adler and illustrated by: Susanna Natti
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
Section 1: pages 3-30
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
1 Sequence
1 MCEOG
1 Cause/Effect
1 Prediction
1 Problem/Solution
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters: Cam, Eric, or the man who ran from the jewelry store.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Descriptive
1 Surprising
1 Foreshadowing
1 On your own
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Insulated: p. 7, par. 3
Commotion: p.10, par. 1
Mustache: p. 8, par. 6
Impolite: p. 22, par. 3
Summarizer:
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to tell key points and main ideas.
Discussion Director
Section 1: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
1. Put the following events in the correct chronological order:
A. A couple with a baby comes out of the jewelry store.
B. The jewelry store is robbed.
C. Cam and Eric decide to follow the man in the dark suit.
D. A man in a dark suit runs out of the jewelry store causing a commotion.
Answer: B,D,A,C
2. What caused Cam to become suspicious of the man in the dark suit?
He dropped diamonds from his pockets.
He tried to escape from the police.
He went the wrong way after he talked to the police.
The little ladies identified the man as the thief.
Answer: C
3. What do you think will happen next in the story? Will Cam be able to use the
mental pictures to solve the mystery?
Answer: I think that Cam and Eric will find the robbers by using Cam’s photographic memory, and lead them to the police.
4. What was the problem occurring on page 8? How do you think Cam and Eric will help solve the problem?
Answer: The jewelry store alarm went off and a man ran out causing a commotion. Since Cam took a mental picture of the incident, maybe she and Eric will be able to find out who the thief was.
5. The young couple with the baby seems to intrigue Cam. What interesting fact does Cam notice about the couple and the baby and the way Eric’s mom takes care of baby Howie?
Answer: Cam realizes that the couple is only caring a rattle. Eric’s mom packs an entire insulated bag with all types of baby supplies. This seems odd to Cam, therefore she decides to find out what’s going on.
Character Sketcher
Cam Jansen
Your job as Character Sketcher is to identify a character’s actions (traits) and explain or prove these traits, identify the character’s goal (which is what the character wants to do or accomplish), identify the problem and solution in the reading, and complete a sketch or illustration of the character.
You need to be aware that the character traits you will choose will be implied character traits. In other words, they are not directly stated in the passage. You really want to use descriptive words for your character traits. You do not want to use words like good, bad, nice and mean.
Sometimes the solution to your character’s problem will not be in the section of the book that you are reading. In this case, you will need to come up with a possible solution for your character’s problem.
When you begin sketching or illustrating your character, try to use any physical descriptions from the text to help you. Your paper should look like this:
Character Traits (3)
1. (trait) good memory p. _4_ par. _3_
(explanation or proof of trait) Cam has a mental picture in her head and can take memories by saying "Click." Everything that Cam takes a mental picture of, she remembers with vivid detail.
2. (trait) only child p. _7_ par. _7_
(explanation or proof of trait) Cam was an only child; therefore, she didn’t know how to take care of babies because she had no practice.
3. (trait) intuitive p._28_ par. _1_
(explanation or proof of trait) Cam was able to see that something was not right about the situation and hopefully she’ll be able to solve the mystery.
Character Goal:
Cam’s goal is to solve the mystery of who robbed the jewelry store by using her photographic memory.
Character Problem:
Cam’s problem is that no one seems to know who robbed the store, and it seems everyone may have been tricked.
Solution or Possible Solution:
Cam could possibly rely on her photographic memory to find a clue and solve the mystery.
Passage Picker
1. Passage: p. 8, par. 6
2. First 2 words: Something was…
Last 2 words: …said, "click."
3. This is a Descriptive passage.
4. This passage is a Descriptive passage because it describes the man who ran out of the jewelry store and caused all of the commotion. It gave his physical description and told what he was wearing.
5. What role do you think this man will play throughout the rest of the story?
Answer: Perhaps, the man is the person who robbed the jewelry store, or maybe he is helping someone else rob the store.
6. I feel that the author included this descriptive passage to paint a mental picture of the man in the reader’s mind. I think that he will play a major role throughout the rest of the story and will need to be remembered.
Passage Picker
1. Passage: p. 27-28, par. 7
2. First 2 words: Cam spoke…
Last 2 words: …a rattle
3. This is a Surprising passage.
4. This passage is a Surprising passage because Cam comes upon a realization that the young couple could possibly be the thieves. This piece of information can be used by Cam to solve the mystery.
5. What do you think the couple and the baby have to do with the thieves?
Answer: I think that the couple was in on the robbery, and that they possibly used the baby to create a distraction. Possibly, it is a fake baby since the couple didn’t have a diaper bag.
6. I feel that the author included this passage because it creates a sense of suspense and allows the reader to become intrigued in the story and wonder what will happen next.
Passage Picker
1. Passage: p. 11-12, par. 7
2. First 2 words: The man…
Last 2 words: …said, "click."
3. This is a Foreshadowing passage.
4. This passage is a Foreshadowing type of passage because the coupe appears suspicious and Cam takes a mental picture, thus telling the reader the couple plays an important part and could be part of the mystery.
5. Why does Cam take a mental picture of the couple? Do you think they are involved in the robbery?
Answer: This passage foreshadows some type of involvement by the couple in the robbery. If Cam feels that they are important enough to "click" a picture, perhaps they will help in solving the mystery.
6. I feel that the author included this passage to place emphasis on the young couple with the baby, and form some connection between them and the jewelry store robbery.
Passage Picker
1. Passage: p. 21-22, par. 4
2. First 2 words: The woman…
Last 2 words: …you got.
3. This is an Informative passage.
4. This passage is an Informative type of passage because it tells what happened behind the closed doors of the jewelry store. It gives a point of view of the events that caused the big problem.
5. Predict what you think will happen using what you gathered from this passage. Do you think the old lady saw the true thief, or do you think she could be covering the tracks for someone else?
Answer: I think that perhaps there might be a cover up involved but I don’t think the lady would be lying. I think that Cam will be able to use what the lady has told her to solve the mystery.
6. I feel that the author included this passage to show that some type of cover up is unfolding, and to keep the reader in suspense as to what will happen next.
Word Wizard
1. Mustache: p. 8, par. 6
2. A tall, heavy man with a mustache and wearing a dark suit ran out of the jewelry store toward the center of the mall.
3. Part of speech: noun
4. My definition of the word: facial hair above a man’s upper lip
5. Dictionary definition: hair growing on the upper lip
6. This word adds description to the story and gives the character a trait that the reader can remember.
Word Wizard
1. Insulated: p. 7, par. 3
2. Eric patted the insulated bag strapped to the front of the carriage.
3. Part of speech: adj.
4. My definition of the word: covering that keeps items either cool or warm
5. Dictionary definition: to cover with a nonconducting material in order to prevent the escape of electricity.
6. This word adds description to the bag that Eric’s mom carries for baby Howie so that the reader will remember that it is important, and that the couple does not have one.
Word Wizard
1. Commotion: p. 10, par. 1
2. The man kept running and caused a great commotion.
3. Part of speech: noun
4. My definition of the word: confusion, running about and chaotic
5. Dictionary definition: violent motion; confusion, bustle
This word gives an explanation of the chaotic bustle that was occurring when the man ran out of the jewelry store.
Word Wizard
1. Impolite: p. 22, par. 3
2. "He was terribly impolite."
3. Part of speech: adj.
4. My definition of the word: rude, not very nice
5. Dictionary definition: discourteous
6. This word explains how the man was viewed in the jewelry store. It shows his mannerisms, and allows the reader to gain a negative outlook on the person.
Summarizer
Summary: (pages 3-30)
The book starts out giving a description of Cam and her friend Eric. It explains about Cam’s photographic memory. While the two of them sit on a bench with Eric’s brother, Howie, the jewelry store alarm goes off, and a man in a dark suit comes running out. The police were called and they caught the running man, but it turns out he wasn’t the thief. Cam feels that he is still up to something and plans to use her photographic memory to find out what really happened.
Key Points:
Cam and Eric noticed the man in the dark suit leave the store.
They also noticed a young couple with a baby leave the store with only a rattle.
Cam and Eric realized that the man in the suit went the wrong way after talking to the police.
Cam felt that something was strange about the situation, so she decided that she and Eric should follow the man.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
Section 2: pages 31-58
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
1 MCEOG
1 Fact/Opinion
1 Cause/Effect
1 Prediction
1 Problem/Solution
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, or the man who ran from the jewelry store.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Surprising
1 Descriptive
1 Foreshadowing
1 Informative
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Balance: p. 32, line 1
Collapsed: p.36, line1
Nudged: p. 44, par. 4
Megaphone: p. 52 par. 5
Summarizer:
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to tell key points and main ideas.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House
Section 3: pages 1-30
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
1 MCEOG
1 Cause/Effect
1 Prediction
2 Problem/Solution
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, or Billy.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Interesting
1 Descriptive
1 Surprising
1 On your own
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Safari: p. 4, line 1
Coconuts: p.7, par. 1
Blubber: p. 8, par. 2
Padlock: p. 22, line 1
Investigator:
Your job is to research relevant and important information that deals with this book. Decide how you wish to share the information with your group when answering the following questions:
First go to http://www.awf.org/willives/154.
Then answer the following questions:
Describe the physical characteristics of the monkey.
Describe the habitat of the monkey.
Describe the behavior of the monkeys.
Describe the monkey’s diet.
Explain how these monkeys care for the young.
Tell about predators of this animal.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House
Section 4: pages 31-56
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
2 MCEOG
1 Prediction
2 Problem/Solution
1 On your own
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, or Billy.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Surprising
1 Descriptive
1 Informative
1 Funny
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Bison: p.33, par. 7
Vendor: p.34, par. 4
Reptiles: p. 33, par. 6
Minerals: p. 53, par. 6
Summarizer:
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to tell key points and main ideas.
Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery
Section 5: pages 1-26
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
2 MCEOG
1 Prediction
2 Cause/Effect
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, or the Ghost.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Interesting
1 Descriptive
1 On your own
1 Foreshadowing
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Fans: p. 2, line 1
Tuxedo: p. 2, par. 3
Scattered: p. 12, par. 2
Pulse: p. 15, par. 8
Summarizer:
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to tell key points and main ideas.
Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery
Section 6: pages 27-58
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
1 MCEOG
1 Prediction
1 Fact/Opinion
1 Cause/Effect
1 On your own
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, or the Ghost.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Surprising
1 Descriptive
1 Informative
1 Foreshadowing
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Holdup: p. 28, par 1
Disguise: p. 28, par. 4
Evidence: p. 47, par. 2
Rectangle: p. 49, par. 5
Summarizer:
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to tell key points and main ideas.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones Mystery
Section 7: pages 1-32
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
1 MCEOG
1 Prediction
1 Cause/Effect
2 On your own
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, Ms. Benson or Janet Tyler.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Interesting
1 Descriptive
1 Surprising
1 On your own
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Tour: p. 2, par 2
Solar: p. 6, par. 6
Postcards: p. 18, par. 2
Prehistoric: p. 27, par. 4
Investigator:
Your job is to research relevant and important information that deals with this book. Decide how you wish to share the information with your group when answering the following questions:
First go to http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs.
You will find a list of questions regarding dinosaur facts.
Click on 5 questions that you find interesting, and write down the questions and the answers.
Be prepared to share the information with your group.
Investigator
When did the dinosaurs first appear on Earth?
The oldest dinosaur types are known from rocks in Argentina and Brazil and are about 230 million years old. The most primitive of these types, Eoraptor, was a small meat-eating dinosaur. Because Eoraptor's skeleton shows some advanced skeletal features, older dinosaurs may yet be found.
Did all the dinosaurs live together, and at the same time?
Dinosaur communities were separated by both time and geography. The "age of dinosaurs" (the Mesozoic Era) included three consecutive geologic time periods (the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods). Different dinosaur species lived during each of these three periods. For example, the Jurassic dinosaur Stegosaurus already had been extinct for approximately 80 million years before the appearance of the Cretaceous dinosaur Tyrannosaurus. In fact, the time separating Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus is greater than the time separating Tyrannosaurus and you. At the beginning of dinosaur history (the Triassic Period), there was one supercontinent on Earth (Pangea). Many dinosaur types were widespread across it. However, as Pangea broke apart, dinosaurs became scattered across the globe on separate continents, and new types of dinosaurs evolved separately in each geographic area.
What was the biggest dinosaur? What was the smallest?
The largest complete dinosaur we know of was Brachiosaurus ("arm lizard"); it reached 23 m in length and 12 m in height (about the length of two large school buses and the height of a four-story building). Fragmentary leg bones and vertebrae of even larger dinosaur species are known, but these skeletal remains are too incomplete to determine their exact size. Several of these (Argentinasaurus and Amphicoelias) might have been one and a half to two times larger than Brachiosaurus. The smallest dinosaurs were just slightly larger than a chicken; Compsognathus ("pretty jaw") was 1 m (3 ft) long and probably weighed about 2.5 kg (about 6.5 lb). These three dinosaur types all lived during the Jurassic Period. Mussaurus ("mouse lizard") was claimed as the smallest dinosaur, but it is now known to be the hatchling of a dinosaur type that was much larger than Compsognathus when fully grown. If birds are advanced dinosaurs, then the smallest dinosaur would be the hummingbird!
How many types of dinosaurs are known?
Approximately 700 species have been named. However, a recent scientific review suggests that only about half of these are based on fairly complete specimens that can be shown to be unique and separate species. These species are placed in about 300 valid dinosaur genera (Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, etc.), although about 540 have been named. Recent estimates suggest that about 700 to 900 more dinosaur genera may remain to be discovered.
Most dinosaur genera presently contain only one species (for example, Deinonychus) but some have more (for example, Iguanodon). Even if all of the roughly 700 published species are valid, their number is still less than one-tenth the number of currently known living bird species, less than one-fifth the number of currently known mammal species, and less than one-third the number of currently known spider species.
Why did the dinosaurs die out?
There are dozens of theories to explain a probable cause or causes. Throughout the Mesozoic Era, individual dinosaur species were evolving and becoming extinct for various reasons. The unusually massive extinction at the end of the Cretaceous exterminated the last of the dinosaurs, the flying reptiles, and the large swimming reptiles, as well as many other marine animals. There is now widespread evidence that a meteorite impact was at least the partial cause for this extinction. Impact craters are visible on most planets in our solar system. A spectacular example of this was witnessed in 1994, when Jupiter was struck by a series of cometary fragments. Some of these impact blasts were larger than the Earth's diameter. Other factors such as extensive release of volcanic gases, climatic cooling (with related changes in ocean currents and weather patterns), sea-level change, low reproduction rates, poison gases from a comet, or changes in the Earth's orbit or magnetic field may have contributed to this extinction event.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
Section 8: pages 33-56
Discussion Director:
Your job is to ask 5 questions, the answers to your questions and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible). Ask good thinking questions! Ask the following:
1 MCEOG
1 Prediction
1 Cause/Effect
1 Fact/Opinion
1 On your own
Character Sketcher:
Your job is to sketch one of the following characters (that you did not sketch last time in your group): Cam, Eric, Ms. Benson or Janet Tyler.
Passage Picker:
Pick 4 passages that exhibit the following: (Be sure to include page and paragraph.)
1 Surprising
1 Descriptive
1 Informative
1 Foreshadowing
Word Wizard:
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following words:
Impossible: p.34, line 4
Pickax: p.37, line 3
Buried: p. 43, par. 5
Combination: p. 47, par. 4
Summarizer:
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to tell key points and main ideas.