What is the difference between the Once Upon a Crime Reading Mysteries and the Private Eye CSI Literacy Mysteries>

For ELA based mysteries, I developed two series that are structured differently:
- The Once Upon a Crime Reading Mysteries
AND
- The Private Eye CSI Literacy Mysteries

I'm often asked what's the difference between the two, so I thought this week it would be helpful to write a post to explain the difference and show samples from each type of resource. 

So, what is the difference between the Once Upon a Crime Reading Mysteries and the Private Eye CSI Literacy Mysteries?

• The Once Upon a Crime Mysteries are EASIER than the Private Eye CSI Mysteries
• The Once Upon a Crime Mysteries are targeted for lower elementary students, whereas the Private Eye CSI Mysteries are targeted for upper elementary students.
• The Private Eye CSI Mysteries require making inferences to solve the case files whereas the Once Upon a Crime mysteries do not require inferring. 
• There are video hooks for the Once Upon a Crime mysteries, however at this stage, there are not any video hooks for the Private Eye CSI Literacy Mysteries.
• The Private Eye CSI Mysteries require students to build their own suspect and evidence list, like real detectives (except for Reckless Reindeer)! Whereas a suspect list with key information is already made and provided in the Once Upon a Crime Mysteries.
• The Once Upon a Crime Mysteries involved\ a crack the code style to discover clues (or completion of work to be granted access to the clue if using the B-Edition structure), whereas students must read carefully to look for clues throughout the Private Eye CSI Mysteries.

See sample pages below:

These sample pages are from the resource
​Once Upon a Crime, STOLEN TIME!

To make this harder, instead of the fill in the blanks style shown above, all of these Reading Mysteries come with an alternate B-Edition option. As you can see in the image below, the B-Edition requires students to answer the questions in full . . . this version requires the teacher to grant access to the clue once satisfactorily completed. 

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Some pages in the Once Upon a Crime mysteries are reading and comprehension focused. Other pages require reading and vocabulary work using the text in the passage. All pages also instruct students to highlight the evidence in the text to show where they find the answers.

Each clue will require students to critically think and use deductive reasoning to narrow down the list of suspects to solve the case!

The following sample pages are from the resource
Private Eye CSI - The Case of the Wacky Wand

Students are given three templates to use as they read the pages. 
Each reading page involves answering some comprehension questions. The comprehension questions are sometimes designed to guide students into clues, whereas some are designed to throw them off. Students have to think like real detectives to solve the case! 
Here's a sample reading and comprehension page from the Case of the Wacky Wand below:

There are several pages like this, the amount depends on the mystery story. I generally write them between 6 - 8 pages depending on how long it takes me to wind up the story with enough information mixed amongst red herrings! 

I sometimes also throw in a bonus clue that students can solve in a crack the code style. This involves vocabulary work. See sample page below from the Case of the Critter Chaos:

So, with the Private Eye CSI Literacy Mysteries, students are challenged to read closely, comprehend information, weave through the content to determine what is a clue, build a case file with suspects and evidence, then use critical thinking and deductive reasoning to narrow down their list. 
These are great for discussions, and students will feel like true detectives solving these cases! However, if these are too challenging for your kids, I recommend going for the Reading Mysteries in the Once Upon a Crime series. 

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So, in case you were still trying to decide what would be best for your students, here are a few more points to help with the differences:

Once Upon a Crime Mysteries are ideal for:

• Reading
• Comprehension
• Finding Evidence in the Text
• Spelling and vocabulary
• Critical Thinking 
• Deductive Reasoning
• Students beginning to work with mysteries 

Private Eye CSI Mysteries are ideal for:

• Reading
• Comprehension
• Inferring
• Analyzing Text for Clues
• Critical Thinking
• Deductive Reasoning
• Discussions in groups or as a class 
• Writing - students must present a logical argument at the end with enough evidence to convict a suspect for the crime. 
• Challenging students who understand how mysteries work

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I hope this post helps with giving you a better idea what to expect within these mystery resources. Please feel free to leave any questions or feedback with your experience using the resources in the comments section below.