-
1. Carolyn Roedell, “Field Trips,”
Challenge,
May/Summer, 1989, p. 5.
-
2.
Ibid.
-
3. John F. Feldhusen and Donald J. Treffinger,
Creative
Thinking
and
Problem
Solving
in
Gifted
Education
(Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1980), p. 33.
-
4.
Ibid.,
p. 1.
-
5. Feldhusen and Treffinger,
Creative
Thinking
, p. 38.
-
6. Neil McAleer, “Getting Creative Birth of a Notion,”
Omni
, April, 1989, p. 113.
-
7. Feldhusen and Treffinger, p. 31.
-
8. Robin W. Winks,
Detective
Fiction
(Woodstock, Vermont: The Countryman Press, 1988), p. 3.
-
9. Jacques Barzun, “Detection and the Literary Art,” in
Detective
Fiction
, ed. by Robin W. Winks (Woodstock, Vermont: The Countryman Press, 1988), p. 145.
-
10.
Ibid.,
p. 152.
-
11. Winks,
Detective
Fiction
, p. 254.
-
12. John G. Cawelti,
Adventure
,
Mystery
,
and
Romance
(Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1976), p. 42.
-
13.
Ibid
., p. 13.
-
14. Winks, p. 5.
-
15.
Ibid
., p. 7.
-
16. Gladys Mitchell, “The Most Asked Question: Why Do People Read Detective Stories?,” in
Murder
,
Inc
., ed. by Dilys Winn (New York, New York: Workman Publishing, 1984), p. 334.
-
17. Cawelti,
Adventure
,
Mystery
,
and
Romance
, p. 43.
-
18. Donna E. Norton,
Through
the
Eyes
of
a
Child
(Columbia, Ohio: Merrill Publishing, 1987), p. 412.
-
19 Dilys Winn, “The Am Eye and I” in
Murder, Ink
, p. 225.
-
20. Donald J. Sobol,
Encyclopedia
Brown
Saves
the
Day
(New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1976), p. 2.
Lesson Plan
Comparing and contrasting Tintin and Encyclopedia Brown
Procedure
Students should read at least one
Tintin
book and several
Encyclopedia
Brown
stories (
see
Bibliography). As a whole group activity, have students brainstorm the similarities and differences between the two characters. For example: they are both boys; Encyclopedia Brown is American, Tintin lives in England; Tintin is wealthy (ask what clues tell this), Encyclopedia is not; Tintin’s adventures take him all over the world, Encyclopedia Brown stays in Idaville. Once the similarities and differences have been exhausted, help students organize the information into categories. An example of a very simple chart is as follows:
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Tintin
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Encyclopedia Brown
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1.
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1.
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Similarities
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2.
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2.
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3.
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3.
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1.
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1.
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Differences
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2.
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2.
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3.
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3.
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Lesson Plan
Creative writing
Procedure
On the board, write the following headings: setting, characters, time, crime. Have students brainstorm several responses for each category and list these under each heading. Ask students to pick one entry from each category (or perhaps two or three from the characters’ category) and use these as the basis of a story. This activity requires students to stretch their imaginations to make connections between four or more unconnected items.
After students have been reading mysteries and have discussed the elements of a mystery, this activity can be narrowed by using the same format but with only two categories such as crimes and clues or setting and clues. Students can choose one item from the crime or setting category and two or three from the clues category to write a mystery story.
Lesson Plan
Looking for clues and predicting what comes next
Procedure
Using
The
Case
of
the
Broken
Ear
, have students read to page 3. Ask students why Tintin knows the idol is a fake. Have them reread and observe for clues that will answer that question. Answers and reasons for their answers can be written into paragraphs or this can be a small group activity in which groups of three or four read, observe, discuss, and develop an answer, and make a prediction that is either charted or written into a well developed paragraph. This activity can also be done as a whole group activity with conclusions and reasons listed on the board. Have students continue reading to discover whether their conclusions are correct.
All of the
Adventures
of
Tintin
books lend themselves to this kind of activity.
Lesson Plan
Predicting possible solutions to a mystery
Procedure
Using any
Encyclopedia
Brown
story and the chart below, fill in each category and use that information to develop possible solutions to the story. This chart format can be used over and over again and with other books such as
Two
Minute
Mysteries
or
You
Be
the
Jury.
These charts can be saved over a period of time to compare beginning predicting skills with later skills.
Story
|
Characters
|
Important
|
Red Possible Solutions—
|
Title
|
|
Clues
|
Herrings
|
Why?
|
Lesson Plan
Creative thinking using codes
Procedure
Discuss with students the idea of information and messages written in code. Since secret messages are often included in children’s mysteries, present students with examples of codes to decipher by making up your own or using examples from any of the
Usbourne
Puzzle
Adventures
by Gaby Waters and Graham Round (
see
Student Bibliography). Initially you will have to help students begin learning how to decipher by asking them questions or making suggestions that will guide them towards breaking the code.
Have each student develop his/her own code and write a message to exchange for deciphering with another student. Since deciphering these codes may be difficult for some students, each student may want to develop a set of “clues” to be used with his/her code if necessary. Remind them of the questions you asked and suggestions you made when introducing codes to them to be used as models for this part of the activity.