Reading Mystery: Once Upon A Crime – Humpty’s Fall! Bring excitement to your reading lessons with this fun and engaging comprehension activity! Perfect for young readers, this mystery will have your students solving clues while practicing critical thinking and reading skills.
⭐ Easy Prep: Just Print & Solve! Or go paperless with the included Google Docs option. ⭐ Prefer a Digital Escape Room? If you’d like this resource in a Digital Graphic Game Escape Room format to play online, <click here>.
What’s Included?
Distance Learning Update This resource now includes a Word Document with a Google Slides link, making it easy to share with your students via Google Classroom or Drive. Parts of the pages are editable, allowing students to complete the activity digitally without printing. (Note: You’ll need to make a copy of the Google Slides to your drive before editing.)
No Extra Materials Needed
Apart from printing paper and having a screen to view the optional video hook, no additional materials are required to set up this activity in the classroom or at home.
How It Works
Students will highlight evidence in the reading passages to support their answers. The activity follows a discovery format, where students fill in missing letters to unlock clues.
⭐ Differentiation Options:
To solve the mystery, students must carefully read the passages to complete missing letters in words, sentences, and statements, or answer questions and vocabulary puzzles. Each clue challenges them to think critically and use deductive reasoning to eliminate suspects. The final suspect standing is the solution to the mystery!
This original story places your ‘student detective’ at the center of the action, making them the star throughout the activity.
Video Hook
An optional video hook is included to set the stage and spark curiosity. Students will be asking, “What’s going on?”—encouraging them to dive into the reading.
Preparation
This is a print-and-solve activity! Everything you need is included in the download, including the reading passages. Simply print, copy for your students, and set up the optional video hook for viewing at the start.
Implementation Suggestions
For more advanced readers, consider the Private Eye CSI – Literacy Mysteries series, which requires more inference and critical thinking skills.
What Are “Once Upon a Crime” Reading Mysteries?
These engaging activities combine reading, comprehension, and critical thinking in a fun, mystery-solving format. Learn more about what to expect in the included blog post.
How Long Will It Take?
The time required depends on the age and reading level of your students. To keep the class together, pace the clues one by one.
What’s Included?
After solving all five clues, students can complete an optional Mystery Declaration Sheet to report their solution. On this page, they’ll identify who they think is responsible for Humpty’s fall—or conclude whether Humpty simply sneezed and fell! They’ll also outline the clues they discovered, along with their reasoning for eliminating other suspects.
Bonus: The story wraps up with a one-page article certificate featuring your little star detective! (Keep this a secret—it reveals the mystery answer!)
You’ll also receive detailed instructions, answer sheets, and an elimination guide.
Differentiation Options
Be sure to check out the “Read Me” file in the download folder for tips and instructions.
The Grand Finale
The end of the story is wrapped up in a one-page article certificate. (Shhh… keep this a secret—it reveals the mystery answer in a newspaper article featuring your little detective!)
Thank you!
Mrs. J.
© 2018
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