OUR UNIT OF MYSTERY

GRADE SEVEN ELA

THE ORIGIN OF MYSTERYThe origin of the mystery is uncertain, but it can be traced back to ancient times.  As long as there has

been crime, there has been mystery.

The very first mystery was published in 1841 by Edgar Allan Poe.  The title of his book was The Murders in the Rue Morgue. He inspired many others to write mysteries, including the famous Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote about his well-known character, Sherlock Holmes.

In 1903, the first mystery movie was made based on a train robbery, called The Great Train Robbery.  The 1920's brought books we still read and enjoy today, including Agatha Christie's novels and The Hardy Boys, which were first published in 1927.  Three years later, Nancy Drew embarked on her

numerous mystery adventures and Ellery Queen was introduced to the delight of many. That same year, the first radio show based on detectives began to air weekly. It was a popular show for all

listeners. Comic books were soon showcasing Batman and Robin, which drew the younger crowd into the mystery scene.

In the 1950's, more people became exposed to mystery and detective stories when they aired as television shows.  Hitchcock, Perry Mason and Dragnet, were among the first. The first interactive mystery series called Unsolved Mysteries, provides viewers with scenarios about true life cases. 

People are encouraged to help by giving authorities any information they have about the mysteries.

Although they continued to be popular, it wasn't until 1972 that the first bookstore opened that was dedicated entirely to mysteries. The first online mystery website was created in the year 1995; and in

1999, the only type of book that was more popular than the mystery was romance.

CASE OF THE MURDERED HUSBAND

“It was terrible,” Mrs. Johnson was saying to a uniformed officer as Detective Nose arrived on the scene. “I had just got home from the grocery store and was coming in to ask Steve to help me get the groceries in. I could tell something was wrong the minute I opened the back door, but before I could do anything, someone slapped something over my mouth and nose. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on the kitchen floor. Steve was stabbed to death in the living room – there was nothing I could do, so I called the police right away and waited out here for you to get here.”

“You haven’t touched anything in the living room at all?” The detective asked Mrs. Johnson. She shook her head firmly.

“I knew that if I touched anything, I might disturb clues, and I really want you to catch the scum that killed my husband!” She said fervently.

“I’m sure we will,” Detective Nose assured her. He started into the living room to look over the scene of the crime. As he entered, he noticed the victim’s feet sticking out from the other side of the couch, and noted that he was in his stocking feet. It wasn’t until he walked around the end of the couch that he could see Mr. Johnson, lying on his stomach on the floor. Two uniformed officers stood by, waiting for him to arrive.

“Help me turn him over,” Detective Nose told one of them. The man was definitely dead. The bloodstain had seeped into the carpet, and soaked the kitchen knife that was hidden under his body. Without a word, he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

“Mrs. Johnson,” he said, “I’m ready to arrest the scum that murdered your husband. Please stand up and turn around,” he added, unhooking the handcuffs from his belt.How did Detective Nose know that Mrs. Johnson had killed her husband?

Mrs. Johnson claimed she never moved anything in the living room because she didn’t want to alter the evidence. However, she claimed her husband was stabbed to death, this was only

revealed after he was turned over.

CASE OF THE MISSING RINGS

Detective Nose entered the dark cottage and spied the distraught woman Ms. Lloyd sitting on her sofa by candle light. A uniformed Officer passed by and assured Nose that they would have the power on in an instant. Detective Nose then approached the woman and asked for her story.

“I was watching an old movie when the lights suddenly went out. Just then, I heard some strange noises coming from the bedroom. I got up to investigate when all of a sudden someone came flying out of the bedroom in such a rush that they knocked me down. Although I did not get a look at the offender, I did hear them open the front door and run out.. At this point, I crawled over to my desk and picked up my phone to call you people. When I got off the phone I lit some candles and checked the bedroom, that’s when I saw that my diamond rings were missing.”

The lights suddenly flashed on and Detective Nose was able to get a good look at the neat cottage. There was a large fireplace, and a very modern computer sitting on a desk. The front door was opposite another door which lead to the bedroom. The phone rang and the woman got up to answer it. Inspector Nose watched as Ms. Lloyd picked up the cordless phone and nodded as she politely excused herself and went into the bedroom to continue with the call. When she returned, the Detective asked her if that was the only phone in the cottage. She assured him that it was.

“I guess the only other question I have then, Ms. Lloyd, is where did you hide the rings?”Why did detective Nose suspect that the woman was lying?

If the power had gone out, like Ms. Lloyd suggested, the cordless phone would not have been able to operate because the phone base would not have been functioning without electricity.

MYSTERIOUS VOCABULARYMystery – Anything that is kept secret or unknown, remaining unexplained.

Alibi - an excuse that an accused person uses to show that he/she was somewhere else other than at the scene of the crime.Breakthrough - an advance or discovery that helps solve a crime.Deduce- to infer by logical reasoning.Hunch - a guess or feeling not based on known facts.Motive - an inner drive that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way; the reason behind action.Purloin - to steal or filch; to take dishonestly. Red herring - something that is used to divert attention from the basic issue.Sleuth - another name for a detective.

Clue - a  fact or object that helps to solve mysteries.Crime - an act committed in violation of the law.Detective - a person who investigates crimes and gathers information. Evidence - something, such as a witness statement or object that is used as proof in a crime.Plot - the arrangement of incidents in a story.Setting - the time, place, environment and surrounding circumstances of a story.

Suspect - a person who may be involved with or committed a crime. Victim - someone who is harmed or suffers some loss .Witness - someone who saw or can give a firsthand account of something .

INGREDIENTS OF A MYSTERYThe 5 Key Elements:

1) CHARACTERS – Use vivid physical descriptions that create a good mental picture. The main character is the one that will determine which way the plot turns. They may make a mistake and get tangled into the plot or get to the bottom of the mystery. Other characters such as a perpetrator, a victim, a detective, and/or an assistant are important to the success of the story. They should be believable characters and each of their roles should be carefully planned out.

The 5 Key Elements:2) SETTING: Provide a vivid description of the

surroundings in your story. Make the readers feel as if they can close their eyes and picture just where the scene is taking place. Create interest and excitement by providing unusual settings for the events of the story. The setting should have a suspicious feel to it, like a dark character is lurking around the corner.

The 5 Key Elements3) THE PLOT - Begin your mystery with action and suspense. Something exciting

should occur. You need to create a plot or a storyline telling what the mystery is about right away.

4) THE PROBLEM - Every mystery has a problem to solve, like who committed a crime or where something is hidden. Leave clues for the reader to put the pieces of the story together like a puzzle. You can be tricky and put "red herrings" into your plot to throw the readers off track. This forces them to sift through the clues and decide which ones pertain to the solution of the problem and which do not. It also makes it more interesting if more than one person is the suspect.

The 5 Key Elements5) THE SOLUTION - The solution should be believable. In order for the story to

work, all of the clues have to be included in the story. You cannot have unknown surprises that no one would know about. That would not be fair!

Ensure your script has the following elements:• Plot – Problem• Descriptive Characters• Mysterious setting• Crucial Clues• Red herrings/distractions• Conclusion/solution