Make a Mystery

Make a Mystery is an individual writing activity that has the students create their own mystery.

Directions
This activity has three parts: creating the crime, creating the suspects, and creating the clues.

The Crime
To create the crime of their mystery, have each student write down this sentence, then fill in the blanks: "Somebody ( verbed ) the ( noun ) at ( place )!"

The Suspects
Then have the students create up to 3 possible suspects for their crime. Have the students write a few sentences explaining who these people are and why they might be suspected of committing the crime. Make sure each student secretly chooses which suspect really did it.

The Clues
Then have the students come up with at least 3 clues pointing to the real perpetrator of the crime. These clues could be someone seeing the person near the location of the crime, or a telltale piece of clothing left behind at the scene.

After the students have finished writing up their crimes, suspects and clues, it's time to solve the mysteries! Have each student share their crimes, suspects and clues (without giving away who did it). It's up the rest of the class to figure out who did it!