The Missing Jewels: Critical Thinking Mystery Printable Activity
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- By popular demand, all my clue by clue mysteries PDF (printable) format in one big bundle, plus a free mystery story organizing worksheet. Be sure to check the list above to see the exact list of Clue by Clue Mysteries!Each individual mystery is in PDF format and contains:A cover imageComprehensivePrice $90.00Original Price $123.00Save $33.00
Description
In this mystery activity that encourages discussion and critical thinking, a bride's jewels go missing when she is changing in the church basement. There are two suspects, the garderner and the maintenance man. Can your students use reading strategies to analyze evidence and use their logical reasoning and critical thinking skills to figure out who is guilty!
This is a printable PDF edition designed to be used in the classroom for pairwork or small groups. However, they can also be adapted for whole class or individual work. Designed for middle grade or high school students, this activity has also been used with college / university or even young adults.
You can also click here for the PowerPoint version of The Missing Jewels.
What is a Clue by Clue Mystery?
A great warm-up, critical thinking game, conversation starter, filler, or a time killer for early finishers. Students in pairs or small groups are given a short mystery to solve—whodunit or how did they do it or why. They have to figure it out by reading a series of clues, one at a time. As they receive each clue, they speculate on its significance, what it tells them about the situation, and how it fits with the previous clues.
Once they have received all the clues, they have enough information to figure it out! This one will definitely get your students talking!
Inside find:
- Teacher Notes on how to use the clues, including suggested warm-ups.
- 9 clues to be given to students one by one.
- Hints in the form of guiding questions to help students figure out what happened.
- The Solution: Students are not left hanging. There is a clear solution that follows from the clues. No gimmicks!
Why Use Clue by Clues?
Clue by Clues encourage critical thinking and discussion. They are also close reading activities that teach students to look for details, synthesize information from different sources, apply prior knowledge about the world, and to recognize the logic of a claim and evaluate its validity.
While students are solving the mysteries, they are also developing their spoken language skills, using language such as:
- Modal verbs of speculation: She must have forgotten her keys, It could have been the butler
- Opinion language: I think...., I’m positive..., I’m not sure...
- Hedging: It’s possible, probably, maybe, it’s not impossible.
- Conclusions: That means that...
- Emphasis: There’s no way that...
- Hypotheticals: What if he didn’t do it, If he was at the movies, he couldn’t have done it.
They are also a lot of fun!
Enjoy this? Check out my entire Mystery Section with more clue by clues in different formats. I also have activities to help students write their own mysteries and more!
And please leave a review. It helps others find this resource and gives me valuable feedback when creating new ones!