THANKSGIVING CLOSE READING INFERENCE MYSTERY: WHO ATE THE PUMPKIN PIE?

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

Mary is hosting the family Thanksgiving dinner, and when she takes the topper off to reveal the delicious pumpkin pie, it is gone! Someone has eaten the whole thing, and it's up to your students to determine who was the most likely culprit.

Included in your purchase:

A teacher presentation that guides the mystery with the backstory, evidence, the culprit reveal, and detailed explanations for why each suspect is innocent and why the thief is guilty.
A classroom poster that reads “Who stole the pumpkin pie?” that you can put up on the door to hook students into the activity.
An original narrative backstory that sets up the mystery and initiates the mystery.
A variety of clues that require students to close read and use their inference skills. There is a letter, a school incident report, a medical record, email conversation, obedience school intake form, text message, social media post, and an evite with an RSVP message board.
A graphic organizer where students can keep track of their findings that support or refute different suspects 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.
Then, 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 tradition, use the presentation slides to reveal the culprit and go through each of the suspects to show the evidence of their innocence or guilt.