Was it the butler in the bedroom? Or the gardener in the garage? Use this tool to help your students sort out the clues in their favorite mysteries or develop outlines for their own stories. Among its multiple applications, the Mystery Cube helps students identify mystery elements, practice using vocabulary from this popular genre, and sort and summarize information. Specific prompts ask students to describe the setting, clues, crime or mystery, victim, detective, and solution. For ideas of how to use this tool outside the classroom, see Tips for Using Mystery Cube.

Visit this interactive tool at: http://readwritethink.org/materials/mystery_cube/.

ReadWriteThink Lessons That Use This Tool

Everyone Loves a Mystery: A Genre Study (6-8)
In this lesson, students read short mystery stories and use Internet resources to examine characteristic of the genre, such as vocabulary and story elements. Students then write their own mystery stories and publish them electronically.

Recording Readers Theatre: Developing Comprehension and Fluency With Audio Texts (9-12)
Printed texts are not the only way to share classic literature with students; many websites now include free audio versions as well. What comprehension strategies can be used with audio texts? What makes them interesting? Students investigate these questions as they create Readers Theatre podcasts.

Thrills and Chills! Using Scary Stories to Motivate Students to Read (6-8)
Use the popular Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine, or any popular scary story, to motivate even the most reluctant readers to read for enjoyment, explore story elements, and create scary stories.