Sandi Garrison
English 112B
Unit Plan - Mysteries Unit
May 5, 2004
Learning is Mysterious Pleasure
"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think" (Socrates). Detective and mystery fiction, while exciting and provocative is often considered a means of escape but it can offer a great backdrop to teach reading and writing proficiency and also to develop reasoning skills. Teaching children to think is one of the greatest gifts a teacher may impart to their students. It is essential that learning is fun and the desire and hunger to learn become a pleasurable experience, causing student to embark on a life long quest to gain knowledge and wisdom. Today's children are on sensory overload with the bombardment of media input. With the advent of the internet, information is at their finger tips. It is important to gain the skills required to search for information and clues. This mystery unit will entice the student to engage in reading, while deciphering clues and puzzles that will develop stronger reasoning skills.
Mystery units featuring Sherlock Holmes stories as the center piece are taught in math, science and English classrooms all throughout the United States. From these stories vocabulary is broadened and reading comprehension increases. The ability to draw conclusions and recalling details will be augmented. Reasoning and inferential thinking skills will expand. Because of the seductive nature a good mystery brings, it is an especially useful tool to be used in teaching the nominal reader or the remedial student. The bright student will be challenged with the intellectual stimulation of solving perplexing clues. Lessons can be adapted to fit varying levels of students. What student is not enticed by a puzzle or trying to solve a hidden clue? Look at the popularity of the Where's Waldo series for younger children.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduces a character in Sherlock Holmes who is compassionate and sympathetic yet factual and unemotional in the disciplined manner in which he solves crimes. He is a true student of all disciplines: science, mathematics, history, art and languages. He believes that education should be a life long pursuit. He is most famous for his unswerving faith in the power of the intellect. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes "The Speckled Band" will be the centerpiece which this mystery unit will be based on. Holmes is a sleuth who is a role model yet provides a format that offers a fun and great learning experience.
The ideas presented in this unit are recommended for a ninth grade course of study but can be adapted to suit a wide range of classroom situations. I will present ideas that encourage young adults to connect with a genre of literature that is fun and exciting and will develop a life long love of reading.
Launching the Unit:
To
better acquaint the students with mysteries:
Brainstorm:
Ask students to brainstorm all they know about mysteries, mystery writers and detectives.
Ask them who is the favorite mystery writer?
How many fictional sleuths can they name?
Categorize these items on the board under the headings: Crimes, Sleuths, Writers, Famous Cases.
On a handout write out the acronym:
M
Y
S
T
R
E
Y
Have the students fill in with associations about mystery novels.
Flack, Jerry D. Mystery and Detection. Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press, 1990.
Introduce the students to mystery quotes:
With method and logic one can accomplish anything.
Hercule Poirot in "The Kidnapped Prime Minister," from Agatha Christie, Poirot Investigates
There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.
Sherlock Holmes in "The Boscomebe
Valley Mystery," from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes
Crime does not pay.
Chester Gould, speaking as Dick Tracy
There ain't many whys without becauses.
Asey
Mayo in Phoebe Atwood Taylor, The Cape Cold Mystery
Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.
Henry
David Thoreau, Journal
Horning, Jane. The Mystery Lover's Book of Quotations. New York: Mysterious Press, 1988.
Poetry:
Personalized Poems
Have students create poems about their favorite sleuths. Take the sleuths name and write a description next to each letter.
Mild Mannered
Inquisitive and
Snooping Spinster of
St.
Mary Mead
Artful,
Resourceful
Prober of mysteries-
Legendary
Englishwoman
Cinquains
A cinquain poem consists of five lines, each containing, respectively one, two, three four and one words. Students may write about a favorite shamus, story, author of mystery or subject.
Poison
Belladonna, arsenic
Lucrezia's vile ring
Tainted teas do kill
Deadly
Flack, Jerry D. Mystery and Detection. Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press, 1990.
Discuss what to look for in a mystery:
A mystery must have: a crime or puzzle, an interesting detective character, a victim, a few possible suspects, red herrings, a villain, suspense, danger or the possibility of other crimes, a hypothesis and clues that lead to the solution of the mystery.
View "Young Sherlock Holmes." The film is a good
adventure and detective story that takes an imaginary look back in time to when
Holmes and Watson first met and entered into a friendship that would eventually
lead to their later partnership in criminal detection. The screenplay shows the beginnings of
the character, habits, and eccentricities that embody Sherlock Holmes. The students will be close in age to Holmes
and Watson in "Young Sherlock Holmes" and should be able to identify with their
search for adventure as well as with the common fears and problems of
adolescence.
Paramount Pictures Corporation. Young Sherlock Holmes. California: Paramount Pictures, 1985.
Greene, Pamela J. "Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 4 Apr. 2005 http://www.yale.edu/vnti/curriculum/units/1989/4/89.04.04x.html
Introduce students to Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle:
To please his wife, Doyle began to think about writing a detective story. He remembered the writings of Poe and Collins and set himself to follow in their footsteps. Doyle wanted his master detective to be striking in appearance. The detective would have to be absolutely fearless and have an unusual manner. Above all, he must be a man with a special charm of his own. But Doyle felt he also needed someone to tell the stories. And he decided it should be a doctor, like himself. And so Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were born.
When Arthur Conan Doyle's first short stories appeared in the Strand Magazine, there were no great books on criminology. Doyle had to depend on his own powers of deduction and observation to solve the problems he created for Holmes.
By 1890, Doyle had given up medicine to devote himself to writing. Soon he was famous. The tall lean figure with the peaked cap and pipe, answering to the name of Sherlock Holmes, was known almost everywhere. Doyle had intended to write only six stories, but the public would not let him drop Holmes and Watson. But drop Holmes he did. When people read of the supposed death of Holmes and his enemy at the foot of Reichenbach Falls, they were stunned. But Doyle remained firm. Later Doyle wrote a play called Sherlock Holmes. The play was a huge success both in England and America.
In 1899, England was at war in South Africa. Doyle decided to enlist. He got an appointment as an army doctor. The king wanted to reward Conan Doyle by making him a knight. At first Doyle refused. But eventually he became Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. At the age of 43 he was the world's most popular writer. Still he refused to bring Holmes back to life.
Finally, in the spring of 1903, he gave in. Doyle wrote "The Adventure of the Empty House" and Holmes returned.
In 1907, Doyle married again. To please his new wife, he wrote several more Holmes stories. When World War I broke out Doyle again volunteered. After the war, Arthur Conan Doyle began to study spiritualism. He continued to write and went on several speaking tours. In July, 1930, Arthur Conan Doyle died. His memory will live forever in the immortal characters of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
Greene, Pamela J. "Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 4 Apr. 2005 http://www.yale.edu/vnti/curriculum/units/1989/4/89.04.04x.html
The
Central Focus:
Minute Mysteries by Austin Ripley: One minute mysteries featuring Professor Fordney, a master detective the police call upon with their most puzzling cases. The mysteries challenge the reader's powers to detect exactly where and how the criminal made his or her mistake. Each mystery is complete with plot and clues. When the reader thinks he knows the solution he turns to the following page and discovers the clue that Professor Fordney found. These stories aid in inferential thinking and reading for details. It would be fun and productive to start each day of a Sherlock Holmes unit with a minute mystery that the class tries to solve.
Greene, Pamela J. "Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 4 Apr. 2005 http://www.yale.edu/vnti/curriculum/units/1989/4/89.04.04x.html
Illustrated copies of The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes "The Speckled Band" are available in print version at http://www.bakerstreet221b.de/canon/spec.htm
Either read aloud or assign sections of "The Speckled Band." After each appropriate segment provide the following discussion questions and activities:
v What clues are revealed in the title "The Speckled Band?"
v What images does the title invoke?
v What reasons could there be for Helen Stoner visiting Sherlock Holmes?
v How did Julia Die?
v Is Helen in any danger?
v Make a list of at least five more questions you'd want to ask Helen.
v Draw a diagram of this part of the house, clearly indicating windows, doors and who sleeps in each room. They will need to refer to this again.
v Sherlock Holmes believes Helen Stoner to be in grave danger from her stepfather-do you agree with him? Why?
v What motives might Dr. Roylott have?
v What other theories/hypothesizes could there be to explain these events?
v Make a list of what you'd do next to prove your hypothesis.
v What is the 'speckled band' that Julia spoke of as she died?
v What do you think will happen in the house that night?
v Update your map of the house to show the position of the bed, bell-pull and air-vent.
v Write up, in no more than 100 words, what your hypothesis is.
Finish the story then discuss and compare hypothesis with what actually happened.
Teachit.com 27 Apr. 2005 http://www.teachit.co.uk
Here are some questions to be asked after reading "The
Speckled Band" and the other young adult mystery selections.
v What techniques did the author use to create a mood or feeling of suspense and intrigue?
v What kind of reasoning (deductive, inductive) did the protagonist used to solve the crime?
v Could you predict the solution? Trace your thinking. What steps led you to the solution? If you went astray, how did it happen? Did the author fairly or unfairly plant clues?
v What kinds of questions did the detective ask which proved to be valuable in solving the case?
v What observations did the detective make which proved to be of great value in solving the case?
v What did you learn about reading mystery literature or the writing of detective fiction that you should remember for future references?
Flack, Jerry D. Mystery and Detection. Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press, 1990.
Extending
the Unit:
I have chosen a selection of books to complement "The Adventures of the Speckled Band." The list contains a variety of mystery books with young protagonists for the students to choose from, encompassing a vast area of interests that may represent those of a typical classroom. Have the students report back in small groups, giving a "Book Talk."
Christie, Agatha. A Pocketful of Rye New York: Bantam, 1953. It started with a spot of tea. It ended in tragedy when the wealthy Rex Fortescue sipped his last cup, fell ill, and died. The only clue: a pocketful of rye found on the victim. The murder seemed without rhyme or reason - until the shrewd Jane Marple recalls that delightful nursery rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence.' It is a playful hint indeed for a murder that is anything but child's play.
A Pocketful of Rye. The Official Online Home of Agatha Christie. <http://www.agathachristie.com/essentials/mustread/2156.shtml>
Clark, Mary Higgins. All Around the Town . New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Laurie Kenyon was kidnapped at the tender age of four, and subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her two captors. Now she is twenty-one and enrolled in college, and she is working hard to put the past behind her. Unfortunately, the trauma of her childhood has caused Laurie to develop four alternate personalities: Leona, Kay Debbie, and a young boy. Laurie's tentative hold on her sanity comes to a shattering end when she is discovered standing over the bloody body of one of her professors. How can she prove her innocence?
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Cormier, Robert. In the Middle of the Night. New York: Delacorte Press, 1995. The phone calls come in the middle of the night, and for years Denny has been forbidden to answer the phone when it rings. His parents finally explain to Denny why people call, especially around Halloween. Twenty-five years ago, Denny's father was an usher in a movie theater where tragedy struck on Halloween evening. Children were killed and injured, and many people still blame Denny's father for the events. While he is home alone one day, Denny answer the phone. The voice at the other end of the line does not seem menacing, but Denny's naivet� may lead to danger.
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Genberg, Ira. Reckless Homicide. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. Still Grieving the loss of his daughter
and his failing marriage, Charlie Ashmore, a pilot for Brandon Airlines, is
fired after testing positive for taking the drug Seconal. Michael, Charlie's brother and
corporate counsel for the airline, hides another failed drug test, orders a new
one, and convinces the airline to rehire his brother. Later, Charlie's plane crashes leaving no survivors, and
Charlie is found to have another drug, Phenobarbital, in his system. Michael
now finds himself the scapegoat in an elaborate cover-up, and goes to trial for
reckless homicide.
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Glenn, Mel. Foreign Exchange: A Mystery in Poems. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1999. Some of the students from Tower High School are participating in a unique exchange program. They will spend a week living with the families of teens who reside in a rural part of the state. Each group of teens has preconceived notions of what to expect from the other. The city kids believe their country counterparts will be hicks; the country kids assume the city kids will be gangsters. What neither group suspects is that one among them may be a killer. When beautiful Kristen is found dead, suspicions turn immediately to Kwame, the last person seen with her.
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Kerr, M.E. Fell Down. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. This book is the third installment of the
"Fell" mystery series. John Fell investigates the death of his
friend. In doing so, he learns a little about the world of ventriloquism. The
book jumps between the past and present to bring the story together. It is a
story of romance, mystery and with serious implications of class conflict and
personal betrayal. Fell is a
policeman's son involved with the rich crowd on the hill.
Books By M.E. Kerr 4 May 2005 <http://www.mekerr.com/books.html>
Nixon, Joan Lowry. Murdered, My Sweet New York:
Bantam, 1997. Jenny Jakes and her mother; a famous mystery writer;
travel to see their cousin, Arnold Harmony, who's made his fortune in the
chocolate business. Harmony, an eccentric millionaire, wants his will read
publicly before he dies. When Harmony's son is murdered just before the reading,
Jenny's mother decides to spring into action as a real-life detective. But
Jenny's mother doesn't have a clue about solving a real crime, so it's up to
Jenny to use her wits to save her mother's reputation and to keep herself from
being killed.
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Nixon, Joan Lowry.Who Are You? New York: Laurel-Leaf Books, 2001 When Wealthy
recluse Douglas Merson is found shot in his Houston mansion, the police find a
folder of information about Kristi Evans.
Kristi is a gifted artist, one whose work has garnered attention beyond
her high school. But why would
Douglas Merson be interested in Kristi?
As Kristi begins to ask questions, she finds out a secret her parents
have kept from her for many years.
That secret will change forever the way Kristi views herself and her
family.
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Roberts, Willo Davis. Twisted Summer. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1996.
Fourteen-year-old Cici is excited to be returning to her grandparents' beach
house for the summer. She hopes Jack will now consider her old enough to pay
attention to. Once there, she is
shocked to find out a murder has been committed, and Jack's brother is in jail
for the crime. She's sure a mistake has been made, and begins to investigate,
but she is horrified when it appears that someone close to her may have been
involved in the crime.
Beers, Kylene, ed. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (14th ed). Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Film
If time permits view an Alfred Hitchcock movie provides the students with an opportunity to view a classic movie while using their newly developed reasoning skills to analyze it.
.
Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO is a film which functions on multiple levels simultaneously. On a literal level it is a mystery-suspense story of a man hoodwinked into acting as an accomplice in a murder, his discovery of the hoax, and the unraveling of the threads of the murder plot. On a psychological level the film traces the twisted, circuitous routes of a psyche burdened down with guilt, desperately searching for an object on which to concentrate its repressed energy. Finally, on an allegorical or figurative level, it is a retelling of the immemorial tale of a man who has lost his love to death and in hope of redeeming her descends into the underworld, the most famous of these stories being that of Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek Mythology. VERTIGO's complexity, however, does not end with this multilevel approach to its tale; the film also succeeds in blurring the already fine line between objectivity and subjectivity. It takes the viewer so far into the mind of the main character (Scottie, played by Hitchcock veteran James Stewart) that the audience's own objectivity, at least initially, is lost and replaced by complete identification with Scottie's fantasies and obsessions.
"Veritgo." 1994. Magill's Survey of Cinema by Salem Press. 4 Apr. 2005 http://hitchcock.tv/essays/vertigoessay.html
Closing
the Unit:
Students now have an understanding of how a mystery is constructed and have gained new reasoning skills. Have students try their hand at writing a mystery story. If students need help getting started here are some good "Mystery Story Starters:"
You are Madison high's whiz kid detective. The school bully knows it. He bumps into you in a crowded hallway during the passing of classes and whispers to you, "If you know what is good for you, you'll forget about Mrs. Andre's missing grade book." What mystery lurks behind this provocative incident?
" 'Why did I do it? Why did I do it?' Try as he might, he could not erase those five simple words from his conscious mind." What did the person do, and why did he do it?
More than a few criminals have committed a second crime to cover up or destroy the evidence connected to their primary criminal act. Example: a robber becomes an arsonist when he sets fire to the store he has just robbed hoping the fire will destroy all the clues leading the police to him. Create a story with at least two crimes committed, one of which is a "red herring."
Your favorite rock group is in big trouble. The police have issued a warrant for the arrest of the group's leader. Your skills in sleuthing are urgently needed. What is the crime? What evidence do the police have? How can you prove the innocence of your hero? Tell the dramatic story.
Flack, Jerry D. Mystery and Detection. Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press, 1990.
Murder Mystery Game
The games are designed for 18-26 or 17-50 and can be purchased online.
Merri Mysteries
http://www.merrimysteries.com/tmm/kits/poetic.htm#T1
Student may dress as the characters they play.
Students are each given a clue and then have to give the clues to each other to solve the mystery.
Game Plot Synopsis:
A group of cultured people from the 1920's have materialized in a modern apartment in London. H. G. Wells had been testing his novel's time machine at a soiree. Now he is discovered dead in the bathroom. Who killed him? Was it James Joyce, Isadora Duncan, T.S. Eliot, Mae West or another of the visitors? Agatha Christie herself is present to help solve this crime. The key to this puzzle may appear in a line of verse or it may not. But in any case, we must achieve justice, poetic or not.