Mrs. Merry

Mysteries


Grade 3

~A suspenseful story about a puzzling event that is not solved until the end of the story.~

Elements of a Mystery
Characters

Suspects- characters who are believed to have possible committed the crime

Detectives- character(s) trying to solve the mystery

Witnesses- characters who saw the crime being committed

 

 Setting

This is the location where the mystery takes place.

 

 

 

 
Plot
When reading a mystery, the story usually includes one or more of the following:

~A problem that needs to be solved
~An event that cannot be explained
~A secret
~Something that is lost or missing
~A crime that has been committed

 Clues
Clues are hints that can help the reader and the detective solve the mystery.  They can be things that people say or do, or objects that are found that provide important information.
Red Herrings
Red Herrings are distractions or false clues that may lead the reader or the detective off track.  They make it more difficult to solve the mystery.
 
Favorite Mystery Sites for Third Graders
Cam Jansen http://www.camjansen.com/
 
A toZ Mysteries http://www.ronroy.com/atoz/
Nate the Great http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-nate.asp
 http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/natethegreat/
 
Nancy Drew Online Nancy Drew http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-drew.asp
 Image Preview The Boxcar Children http://www.awhitmanco.com/index.cfm?alias=boxcarchildren

http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-boxcar.asp
 
Scooby Doo http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-scooby.asp
Third Grade Detectives  
Jigsaw Jones http://www.scholastic.com/titles/jigsawjones/
 
Sammy Keyes http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-keyes.asp

 TRIVIA GAME

 
Encyclopedia Brownand the Case of the Mysterious Handprints Encyclopedia Brown http://www.randomhouse.com/
 kids/books/series/brown.html

 http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-brown.asp
 
image The Hardy Boys http://hardyboys.bobfinnan.com/hb3.htm
 
Mystery Vocabulary
 mystery- something that is secret and unknown
alibi
 an 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
victim
 a person who is harmed or suffers some loss because of the crime
clue
 something that appears to give information toward solving a crime
statement
 a written and signed interview with the police
crime an act that is against the law suspect
 		 a person who the police think might have committed the crime
 
deductions
 collecting facts and drawing a conclusion
identity
 the name of a person
detective
 a person who investigates mysteries and gathers information
sleuth
 an investigator or detective
red herring
 a false lead to throw the detectives off the track
evidence
 facts that prove something about the crime
witness
 a person who has personal knowledge about the crime
crime scene
 the place were a crime has been committed
 
Mystery At The Old Museum- online story
http://www.highlightsteachers.com/archives/printandread_stories/mystery_in_the_old_museum_
by_janet_poling_illustrated_by_les_gray.html
 
 
 
  ~page updated 1/20/09 com~

Salmon
River
~ other grade 3 pages~
Ms. Fuller
Mr. Barkley
Ms. Johnston
 Graphics  by

http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart
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Mysteries Hotlist
 http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/mysteries.htm

http://www.kidsloveamystery.com/