CLOSE READING MYSTERY INFERENCE ACTIVITY: WHERE IS THE TREASURE BURIED?

This buried treasure close reading inference mystery is a fun way to engage your students and challenge them to look for text evidence, infer information, and read more closely. The resource includes everything you need to facilitate the activity in your classroom.

An experienced treasure hunter gets a tip that there is a hidden treasure just one town over from where they live. The treasure has yet to be discovered, despite the valiant efforts of devoted treasure hunters from near and far. Your students, assuming the role of experienced treasure hunters, need to find where it is buried.


Included in your purchase:

• A teacher presentation that guides the mystery with the backstory, evidence, the correct answer, and detailed explanations of the evidence for each location.
• A classroom poster that reads “Can you find the treasure?” that you can put up on the door to hook students into the activity.
• An original narrative backstory that sets up and initiates the mystery.
• A variety of clues that require students to close read and use their inference skills. There is a treasure map, a treasure hunting blog, an agricultural farmer’s digest, a treasure hunting social media group, and town council meeting notes.
• A graphic organizer where students can keep track of their findings that support or refute different locations in the mystery.
• A detailed teacher answer key in print format and within the presentation slideshow.

How it works:

• Start by putting up the poster on your door to build anticipation when students enter the room. When students enter, put them in small groups, so they can work together to try to solve the mystery.
• Use the presentation slides to guide you through each element of the lesson. The slides will help you introduce the story and evidence to each of the groups.
• Hand out all the evidence to students and allow them time to make their predictions and inferences and solve the mystery.
• Once each group has made their final prediction, use the presentation slides to reveal the answer and go through the evidence for each location.

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