Here at Remedia, we love a good mystery! We’ve found that the mystery genre is a great way to engage students in reading, build comprehension skills, and improve critical thinking. That’s why we’ve put together this four-part series all about the wonderful genre of MYSTERIES!
PART 4: 5 Mysteries Students Should Read
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is typically more appropriate for grade 8, so if that is where your student’s reading level is, then terrific! If not, your students reading at a grade 5 will appreciate our High-Interest/Low Readability Classic adaptation of TheAdventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of Baskervilles. These activity books break the mysteries into 10 chapters that include follow-up comprehension questions and vocabulary-building activities. Plus, you can pair the activity book with an audio CD, which features a word-for-word reading and exciting sound effects.
Nancy Drew
In 1993, the New York Times called Nancy Drew a “30s sleuth and a 90s role-model.” And we think that over twenty years later, this still holds true. Especially since the publisher continues to update and modernize Nancy Drew’s stories. Follow this link for a list of titles and their reading and interest levels.
Flavia De Luce
This series of six books is set in England, in the 1950s. Flavia, a saucy 11-year-old chemistry enthusiast, will capture adults and young adults’ attention! She plays pranks on her pesky sisters while solving mysteries around her hometown. The reading level of these books is best for your older students reading at a grade 8 to 10 level or ages 14 to adult. Follow this link to see suggested vocabulary words and Lexile reading level information.
High-Interest Mini Mysteries Binder
These short, suspenseful mysteries are perfect for introducing the mystery genre! Plus they’ll capture your struggling readers attention and give comprehension and critical thinking skills a workout. The stories don’t tell the reader “whodunit”. Each story finishes by saying something like, “The detective knows who stole the purse. Do you?” Plus each mystery is part of a “unit” that includes pre-reading activities where students make predictions and practice vocabulary. Also included is a nonfiction informational text about the location where the mystery takes place, which will also give students practice reading multiple text types. Skill-specific questions follow each mystery to test comprehension skills and improve critical thinking skills. These mysteries are perfect for your students in grades 2 to 12 and reading at grades 2 to 5. Follow this link to preview sample pages.
Mini Mystery Readers App
Oh yeah, you can even get mysteries on your iPad! What’s great about this app is that it brings these very short mysteries (8-pages each) to life with its interactive components! Stories can be read aloud word-for-word with the text highlighted along the way. Or a student can read the story to his or herself. If the reader struggles with a word, he/she can touch the word and it is read out loud. Then at the end of each story, questions test the reader’s comprehension skills. There are 12 stories written at a grade 2-3 reading level and 12 stories written at a grade 3-4 level. Click here to check out the app.
Follow this link to see all of Remedia’s teaching materials for the mystery genre.
