What is a ystery?

Day 1

What you will discover today!

Today, you will learn to

define vocabulary that appears regularly in mysteries.

What is a Mystery?

What is a mystery to you?

Write down everything that you think makes a mystery, and any words that you think are related to the Mystery genre.

Then we will put it in common.

Detective’s DictionaryAll Mysteries contain important

vocabulary words that you should learn before begining to study the mystery genre.

Let’s go through each vocabulary word. Try to give your own definition.

Are you ready?

AlibiAn excuse that a

suspect uses to show that he or she was somewhere other than at the scene of the crime when the crime was committed.

ClueA fact or object

that helps to solve mysteries.

CrimeAn act that is

against the law.

DetectiveA person who

investigates mysteries and gathers information.

EvidenceSomething that

helps prove who commited the crime.

MysterySomething that

is secret and unknown.

Red herringA false lead that

throws the investigator off track.

SleuthAnother name

for detective.

SuspectA person who is

believed to have possibly commited the crime.

VictimSomeone who

is harmed or suffers some loss because of the crime.

WitnessSomeone who

saw the crime being committed and can provide some information.

Play the Mystery Memory Game

Play with two other friends the Mystery Memory Game.

Place the cards face down on the carpet. Choose the first person to start the game.

The first player lifts two cards. If they match then the player gets to keep them, if not, then you have to place them down again on the same place.

The next player does the same, trying to remember the position of the first words lifted.

The player who gets to keep more cards wins.

CreditsI have created this power Point presentation

based on the lesson plan by Beth Newingham titled “Exploring the Mystery Genre”, that can be downloaded at:

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=241