Valentine's Day Reading Mystery: Once Upon a Crime, Poisoned Valentine
This Valentine's Day Reading Mystery, 'Once Upon a Crime - Poisoned Valentine,' is a fun way to incorporate many ELA skills in one. Easy prep! Just Print & Solve! Or go paperless with the new Google Slides option provided within your download.
All of the reading passages are included in this original story that features your 'student detective' as the star throughout.
EASY PREP Teaching Resource, just print and solve!
Apart from printing paper and a screen to view the video hook, no additional materials are required to set this activity up in the classroom or at home.
- ⭐A video hook is provided to set the stage to engage! Check out the video hook in the preview section.
⭐A bonus ENDING VIDEO clip is included to celebrate finishing the mystery.
⭐NEW: Fun Visual Suspect Character Cards Included.
Distance Learning: There's a Word Document within the folder that contains a Google Slides link to share this resource with your students via Google Classroom or Drive. Parts of the pages are editable, so your students can complete them without printing them. Please note you will need to make a copy of the Google Slides to your drive before you can edit.
Students must highlight the evidence in the reading to prove their answers. - The discovery format requires a fill-in-the-missing-letter process to unlock clues. (Differentiation Option included B-Edition Structure, which requires full answers, but a teacher to check. Word Banks are provided to make the word puzzles easier.)
- Reading is required to solve the missing letters in words, sentences, and statements or to answer questions/solve vocabulary puzzles.
- Each clue requires students to think critically and use deductive reasoning to decide which suspects they can eliminate from their suspect list. The last suspect remaining is the culprit!
(Please note that Snow White is only sleeping and will wake once the mystery is solved.)
Preparation
This is a print-and-solve activity (or use the new update where the worksheets are on Google Slides with editable text boxes for answers). (The B-Edition may require more prep if you wish to set up the clue cards in envelopes or lock boxes for discovery). The reading passages that you need for this activity are in the download. Just print, copy for your students, and set up the (optional) video hook for viewing at the start!
Implementation suggestion:
Depending on reading abilities, the ease of this activity may vary. To keep everyone at the same pace, you could read the passages together as a class and then follow up with the activities to fill in the missing letters that will help unlock a clue. Use the B-Edition to increase the difficulty or remove the missing letter format. Use the optional word bank to ease up the vocabulary puzzles. For independent work, set a timer for reading only, and then allow them time to answer the questions and re-read the text if they need. If your students find this too easy, I'd recommend the 'Private Eye CSI - Literacy Mysteries' range instead, which requires inferring and more skill to solve the mystery.
If your students are trying to attempt the activity section without reading the passages, instruct them to highlight the evidence in the reading text to show you where they found the answers.
Read more about implementing this activity in your classroom HERE.
How long will this activity take?
This varies depending on the age and reading level of your students. If you want to keep your class at the same point, I recommend pacing the clues one by one.
What are Once Upon a Crime Reading Mysteries?
Learn more about what to expect in this blog post.
There are FIVE clues to crack!
⭐SKILLS TARGETED⭐
- Reading
- Comprehension
- Spelling
- Rhyming
- Antonyms
- Character Traits
- Vocabulary
- Critical Thinking
- Writing (optional on the mystery declaration sheet)
Fun printable awards in an article format are included too! (Shhh.... keep these a secret as they reveal the mystery answer in the newspaper article your little star detective is also featured in.)
Differentiation Options are included with this Resource.
A 'B-Edition' Alternative Structure is included for differentiation purposes. This alternative copy of Poisoned Valentine removes the missing letter-filling structure and requires full answers. If you choose to use the B-Edition copy, you will need to prep the clue cards into envelopes or boxes (or keep them hidden), and students will need to check in with you to gain access to each clue. Word Banks are included within a single file found in the alternate options. These are useful to make this activity easier for some students. Check out the 'Read me' file in the folder download first.
You may also be interested in the following:
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Just Print & Solve! Or go paperless with the new Google Slides option provided within your download.
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⭐Optional video hook included for introducing the case! (Check it out in the preview section)
⭐BONUS: Ending video added to wrap up the case!
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Easy prep! Just Print & Solve! Or go paperless with the new Google Slides option provided within your download.
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Valentine's Day Math Mystery: Case of the Valentine Villain - 4th Grade Edition
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Easy prep! Just Print & Solve! Or go paperless with the new Google Slides option provided within your download.
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⭐Optional video hook included for introducing the case! (Check it out in the preview section)
⭐BONUS: Ending video added to wrap up the case!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Distance Learning Update: I've added a Word Document within the folder that contains a Google Doc link to share this resource with your students via Google Classroom or Drive.
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Easy prep! Just Print & Solve! Or go paperless with the new Google Slides option provided within your download.
Students must complete math worksheets to unlock clues. Then, use their powers of deduction to narrow down the list of possibilities to solve the mystery case!
Valentine's Day Math Mystery: Case of the Heartbroken Heroes - 4th Grade Edition
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EASY PREP, print and solve!
Distance Learning Update: I've added a Word Document within the folder that contains a Google Doc link to share this resource with your students via Google Classroom or Drive.
Students must complete math worksheets to unlock clues. Then, use their powers of deduction to narrow down the list of possibilities to solve the mystery case!
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Distance Learning Update: I've added a Word Document within the folder that contains a Google Doc link to share this resource with your students via Google Classroom or Drive.
