The Complete Clue by Clue Critical Thinking Printable Activity Bundle

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 image
• Comprehensive teacher notes outlining how to use the activity in class - 2 pages
• A teacher sheet with a description of the situation and mystery to be solved, hints to give students if they get stuck, and the solution - 1 page
• A student sheet with a description of the situation and 4-10 clues (depending on the mystery), to be cut out and given to students one-by-one - 1-2 pages
• Many also contain follow-up questions to extend the discussion!

You can also check out the bundle of all my Clue by Clues in PowerPoint (which is often smaller, because I tend to create them in PDF and then convert to PPT down the road)!

What are Clue by Clues?

Clue by clues are printable mystery activities that help students practice critical thinking skills and conversation. Students are given a mystery or puzzle to solve. They are then given a set of clues to discuss in their groups. The catch is that they only get one clue at a time. This makes it easier to process the clues and it generates more thinking and more conversation!

Some are logic puzzles, some are crime stories, some are a bit silly, but all of them require critical thinking and logic skills. And all of them get students thinking, talking, and working!

Clue by Clues make great warm-up activities, fillers, or time killers for those last minutes of class and early finishers. They can be critical thinking and 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! Which means students love them and are engaged!

Each Clue by Clue comes with teacher's notes on how to use them, hints to help students along, a full solution. Many also have discussion questions to extend the lesson.

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Want to know what this is all about before buying? Enjoy my free sample mystery here: The Weird Break-In!

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!