Lesson Plan One—Overview of the Genre
Objectives:
Students will be able to describe the five basic elements of detective fiction; define the related vocabulary; and name some of the great fictional detectives of the past and present.
Activities:
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1. Through class discussion the students will relate their prior knowledge of the genre by:
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a. Defining the term “detective”, describing the different types (private vs. one who works for a police agency), and discussing synonyms (e.g. inspector and investigator).
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b. Naming all the detectives they can think of from literature, television, and motion pictures.
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2. The teacher will present an overview of the genre, including the five basic elements -milieu, victim, criminal, suspects, and detective; and key vocabulary—crime, mystery, suspense, suspicious, witness, clue, red herring, opportunity, motive, confession, and justice.
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3. For homework, assign the students to watch an episode of a TV Detective series, such as, Murder She Wrote. Send a note to parents to inform them and seek their support. Give the following writing assignment as a family activity using a prepared worksheet:
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a. Describe the crime and the victim(s).
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b. Prepare a witness report (beginning with the one who discovered the crime) which includes: name, relationship to the victim, occupation, where the witness was at the time of the crime, and what the witness knows about the crime.
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c. Prepare a suspect file which includes: name, occupation, physical description, and reasons for suspicion.
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d. Outline the plot highlighting the steps the detective took to solve the crime.
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(As an alternative show a video in class with the students working in groups.)
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4. The teacher will lead a class discussion of the results of the above assignment.
Lesson Plan Two—Directed Reading of Student Texts
Objectives:
Students will read four novels; increase their vocabulary; be able to recognize relationships between clues and characters; make inferences; and apply the skills of logic and reasoning in making predictions and solving mysteries.
Activities:
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1. The teacher will introduce
The Hardy Boy
s and
Nancy Drew
mystery series, and discuss the history of them.
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2. The following books will be assigned (one each marking period):
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a.
The Hardy Boys
(#6), “ E e Shore Road Mystery”
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b.
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
(#21), “The Secret in the Old Attic”
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c.
The Hardy Boys
(#118), “Danger in the Fourth Dimension”
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d.
Nancy Drew
(#108), “ The Secret of the Tibetan Treasurers”
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3. Class time will be allocated for silent reading. A series of graphic organizers will be developed for students to record the following information during reading:
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a. description of the crime and victim;
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b. milieu, including any unusual details in the crime scene;
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c. detailed witness report;
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d. clues—objects and statements of characters, including fired herrings, if any, purposely designed to lead the reader off the trail;
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e. detailed suspect files;
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f. outline of the plot, focusing on the steps and methods of the detective.
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4. Each student will also maintain a vocabulary list of words they come across during reading with which they are unfamiliar. They will first be directed to use “context clues” to determine the meanings. If necessary, however, they will use the dictionary to write the meaning that fits the context.
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5. Each student will maintain a folder to keep all notes and materials related to each book. As an art project, students will design creative covers for their folders, illustrating the symbols and terminology related to detective fiction and the theme of the book.
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6. Most chapter books, like these series, end each chapter with a “cliff-hanger”. Students will be directed to pause at the end of each chapter to analyze the data and make a prediction based on the evidence.
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7. Students will be assigned to read two chapters during a period. After reading and analyzing the second chapter, students will work in their assigned groups to compare data, discuss their predictions, and attempt to reach consensus.
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8. On the following day, before reading the next two chapters, a spokesperson from each group will present their findings to the class. Each teacher will focus the discussion on the facts and evidence and summarize each groups’ positions.
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9. After finishing the book a final discussion will be held where the students will retrace the steps of the detective, and deal with other issues, such as the theme, crime and justice, moral behavior, gender, etc.
Lesson Plan Three—Detective Science
Objectives:
Students will compare the scientific method to the methods used by the detective to solve a crime.
Activities:
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1. Students will select one of the short stories from the Hardy Boys Detective Handbook, paying close attention to the techniques utilized in the science of criminal investigation illustrated in these true stories taken from police files.
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2. On a prepared worksheet the methods used by a scientist to solve problems will be listed. The students will cite examples from the story read which match these methods.
