Close Reading Mystery Inference Activity - Who Stole the Bunny Mascot?
This close reading inference mystery activity 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. This works well as an Easter reading mystery since the mascot is a bunny, but there are no direct references to Easter, so it can be used at any point in the year!
The high school football team made it to the semi-finals, and to celebrate, there's a pep rally in the cafeteria before the big game. When the pep rally begins, the beloved school mascot, Mr. Bold Bunny, is nowhere to be found. Someone stole the mascot costume. Your students need to find out who did it.
This is included in our best-selling full-year program:
Included In This Close Reading Inference Activity:
➡️ Presentation Slides: This 15-slide PowerPoint presentation guides the mystery with the backstory, evidence, and detailed explanations for why each suspect is innocent and why the person is guilty ofstealing the school mascot.
➡️ “Who Stole the Mascot?” Classroom Poster: Put this poster up on your classroom door or somewhere visible so that when students come in, they are hooked into the activity.
➡️ Original Narrative Backstory: Use this short story to set up and initiate the mystery, with clues hidden within the text!
➡️ A Variety of Clues and Evidence: These require students to close read and use their inference skills. There is a football team initiation list, a text message, a work order for a water treatment service, an email, a student permission slip, an exam booklet, an overheard monologue, school staff meeting notes, and a school schedule.
➡️ “Who Stole the Mascot?” Graphic Organizer: Students can use this to keep track of their findings that support or refute different suspects in the mystery.
➡️ Teacher Answer Key: This is made available in print format and within the presentation slideshow to make reviewing students’ work a breeze.
How The Close Reading Inference Activity 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 inference activity. 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 culprit and go through each of the suspects to show the evidence of their innocence or guilt.
What Teachers Are Saying About This Close Reading Inference Activity:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The was really fun and challenging for my 8th grade students. A perfect activity for the end of the week!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My students ADORE any of these mystery activities! They really get into being the first one to figure everything out. It's also a great way for them to practice some of the skills less practiced on the daily worksheet-type assessments.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love using these mystery inferencing activities with my 7th-grade ELA classes! We set up each of the pages in different stations around our large group instruction room, and students are always interested in getting to the answer! They are set up in a fun and engaging way!
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>>> Inference Activities Bundle
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