Abstract
Everyone
loves a mystery. Mystery stories provide interesting
and enjoyable material in the language classroom
(Krashen 1982, Gold 1983, Somers and Worthington
1979). They provide rich environments for the
productive and receptive skills of listening,
speaking, reading and writing (Johnson and Louis
1987). Mystery stories also provide useful sources
of practice and reinforcement in the areas of
critical thinking and deductive reasoning (Raths
et al. 1967). This paper explores the ways that
mystery stories can be successfully utilized
to improve language proficiency and linguistic
ability.
Background
Howard
Haycraft states in his introduction to A Treasury
of Great Mysteries,
. . . people read mystery stories for a diversity
of reasons. Some, for the intellectual challenge
of the puzzles they present, others for the
vicarious pleasure of the chase. Others believe
. . . that the vast popularity of the genre
lies in the fact that, in a disorderly world,
it represents one of the few fixed points of
order and morality, where justice may be counted
on to emerge triumphant.
It
is these reasons that make the mystery story
a very powerful tool in the teacher's arsenal
of activities. Whether you are using a 1 minute
mystery story to give the class something to
talk about or do while you take attendance,
a filler at the end of class if you have time
left over from your daily plan, or a full fledged
dissection of a mystery story over a 2 hour
class, mystery stories are very versatile (Dills
1989). Mystery stories range from the 1 minute
mystery story that occupies 3 paragraphs to
full length novels of Sherlock Holmes or Agatha
Christie. Mystery stories can also be found
to suit any number or type of class objectives
whether it be a focus on pronunciation, grammar,
listening, reading, or speaking (Green 1987).
There
are many kinds of mysteries. Some can be solved
and some cannot. The mystery of the Great Pyramids,
or the mystery of UFOs have yet to be explained
and solved. Everyone is faced with a mystery
of some kind or another in their lives. Missing
objects such as keys or important papers, or
even missing people and crimes constitute many
of the mysteries we face on a daily basis. A
certain type of mystery that can be solved and
that has a definite conclusion is the mystery
story. A mystery story is a genre of literature
that has a plot which involves the solving of
a puzzle, esp. a crime.
Mysteries
such as Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie,
provide insight and context into the time that
they were written. If the writer is successful,
they can appeal to the reader on an emotional
level and reveal significant insights about
the way people lived and will live. The writer
develops the characters, setting, and plot so
they elucidate the times in which they live.
Attention to detail even in romantic mystery
novels provides the reader with excellent sources
to improve vocabulary (Sage 1987). The writer
of good mysteries uses research and realizes
the importance of accuracy and detail in leaving
clues for the reader to follow. The mystery
writer is as interested in conveying a story
as they are in providing clues to the puzzle
and solving the crime.
Good
mysteries must also be good stories. The mystery
story presents the reader with characters and
suspects caught up in a web of intrigue and
untruthfulness, and builds the mystery with
clues and details. As the reader becomes involved
with the characters and story line, they begin
to absorb the information and begin to recognize
the many clues that the writer leaves them .
Gradually the characters become real to the
reader and the reader can begin to "cheer"
for one character, the sleuth, over another,
the culprit.
And,
at this moment, the reader is unconsciously
using their cognitive ability to sort and group
these details and clues; they compare them to
other characters and positions in the story
and begin to discern the differences in the
truth of what they are reading about and to
compare it to realistic and probable circumstances
(McLaughlin 1987). If the writer accomplishes
this kind of reader involvement, they can make
some impact on the reader's conscience.
Mysteries
make the reader think, consider, discover, and,
most important, begin to realize the importance
and usefulness of studying English. The writer
has, of course, as their central purpose, also
described and explained some aspects of critical
thinking along with reasoning and deductive
skills.
The
mystery writer who is writing mysteries for
the general public is writing literature too.
The writer finds many half-truths, many unspoken
words and many different views of the same facts
as plot or character development. One is looking
for the clues, but it is sometimes difficult
to say what is a clue and what is not, and it
is even harder to say which clues are meaningful
and which are subsidiary. The reader determines
what clues to consider, and in performing this,
they are synthesizing and analyzing clues and
facts in interpreting the story. The reader
chooses the clues and they say what these chosen
clues mean.
The
mystery writer sets their ideas down in writing.
They are writing for people about mysterious
events and in doing so they are writing literature.
The mystery is fiction, unless it is in the
true detective genre, and the writer uses the
skills of the literary writer.
The
writer of good mysteries is aware of the various
aspects of the time period in which the story
takes place, and if they are sophisticated about
the historical view, they will integrate this
in their story. In including the historical
dimension, the writer incorporates facts about
history that are important to the readers' understanding
of the mystery story. These facts are important
because the characters and the story cannot
be understood without knowing them.
In
addition to attention to the historical dimension,
the good mystery writer incorporates accuracy
in specific detail of characters and suspects,
clues, and other information to lead the reader
directly or indirectly to the solving of the
mystery. Only an honest portrayal of the past
events illuminates the times accurately. Mystery
writing is a demanding art form because the
writer has to spend a considerable amount of
time ensuring that details are precise and accurate.
Teachers
should appreciate the importance of mystery
stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie
are masters in the art of mystery writing. American
and British writers such as Dashiell Hammett
and Ellery Queen have a tremendous public following
because of their strict attention to accurate
detail. American writers such as Hy Conrad,
Stan Smith, and Carol Farley write mystery stories
for young adults. They, too, combine accuracy
with fictional form in exciting and interesting
literature. These writers of mystery stories
provide an invaluable experience for readers.
When
the language teacher brings this kind of fiction
into the classroom, they are providing the student
with the ability to understand language. The
mystery story uses imaginative and figurative
language to entice students into a realistic
exploration of events. The characters and drama
interact with each other in such a way as to
involve the student in a study of the story
on an emotional level as well as a cognitive
level. This student involvement is a logical
reason why language teachers should be persuaded
to use mystery stories (Brumfit and Carter 1986).
Once
students become immersed in the story's setting,
character, plot and theme, they become interested
and stimulated by the story. While reading the
mystery, they begin to draw inferences about
history, social attitudes and manners, customs
and beliefs. They begin to absorb the mystery
story details without even realizing they are
being instructed. In contrast, if these same
language techniques were presented in a textbook
and the teacher asked the students to memorize
or know them, it is likely that little information
would be retained by many students.
The
events become more significant because the students
must understand them in order to understand
the story. Students retain information more
easily because it has been understood within
the context of the plot, character, setting
and theme of the story (Mason and Au 1986).
Students begin to consider the relevancy of
learning language in relation to the amount
of enjoyment and interest they receive. The
students begin to see how a study of the mystery
helps them to understand the English language.
The
impact of a mystery story on students cannot
be minimized. The range of their imagination
and understanding can be broadened. If they
respond to a good mystery, they might be motivated
to read more, and use English on a more frequent
basis. They begin to develop their own sense
of enjoyment from discovering information on
their own. Students would then be expected to
read more complex mysteries after they have
finished reading simpler ones.
Piaget,
Vygotsky, and others established the relationship
between thinking and language. Many aspects
of language are important to critical thinking
skills. There is a close relationship between
what students say in class discussions and their
ability to think (Stanford and Roark 1974, Staton
1984). Many people view reading as an active
mental process involving the ability to construct
meaning (Pearson and Tierney 1984).
Boyer
(1983) considers thinking skills to be the "centrality
of language." Critical analysis and evaluative
judgments of elements in any context involves
language. From the abstract to the concrete,
thinking skills are inherent in all that we
do.
Critical
thinking skills are a necessary ingredient to
learn language content (Raths et al 1967). Thinking
skills and language content are inseparable.
The mystery story provides practice in logic,
analysis, comparison and contrast, questioning,
and evaluation. Isolating thinking skills without
adequate context and environment ill prepares
the student for competency (Spache and Spache
1986). When combined with contextually rich
environments in vocabulary and pronunciation,
thinking skills focus are very effective for
realistic learning of language.
By
studying and analyzing mystery stories, students
can become more discerning readers and develop
critical thinking skills. This has many kinds
of ramifications for the students and teacher.
When students become critical thinkers they
are able to discern what is correct and what
is not. They begin to think about what is good
and what is bad, and why it is good or why it
is bad, and what is wrong and what is right,
or why it is wrong or why it is right. They
see the value of objectivity and learn to consider
the many different possibilities before they
decide on an answer or solution. They begin
to recognize biases, review judgments, identify
values, and develop criteria for making generalizations.
They are thinking about ideas, theories, and
philosophies. They attempt to consider and to
discuss, intelligently, the various interpretations
of mysteries. If a mystery story can inspire
these kinds of learning experiences, then students
can understand the importance of studying English
as a means to understanding themselves, and
their role in society.
The
idea that students should be able to think while
learning language should be central to the language
classroom. Reading, pragmatic speaking, listening
and reading play vital roles in the student's
life. It is essential that students be given
the skills to learn to evaluate, draw inferences,
and arrive at conclusions based on the evidence
(Zintz and Maggert, 1984). Language, thinking,
and learning cannot be separated (Thaiss 1984).
"If we do not apply the full range of language
resources to our learning of any subject, then
we stifle thought, conscious and unconscious,
and so deprive ourselves of more than the most
superficial understanding (Thaiss 1984)."
And,
perhaps the students begin to grasp what is
meant by a mystery. If a particular event is
described in a situation and they perceive that
event as a mystery that still exists in the
present as well as the future, they might draw
from their own knowledge and skills and with
what they have learned previously, begin to
find a solution. Thus a student can adapt their
previous mystery story skills and understanding
to possible real life situations or circumstances.
They then begin to comprehend the significance
of the study of mystery stories. Agatha Christie
novels are an example of historical mystery
stories that deal with the theme of how men
regard and treat women from the perspective
of her detective Hercule Poirot. His attitude
towards women in her novels provide glimpses
of attitudes toward women in a historical light,
attitudes that remain problematic to this day.
Somers
and Worthington (1979) stated that "...literature...offers
more opportunities than any other area of the
curriculum to consider ideas, values, and ethical
questions." And, literature that challenges
and motivates helps students learn to take a
more engaged approach to their learning. When
students delve into the mystery story, they
become immersed in characters moving through
events and places; they begin to perceive the
continuity of learning. By reading about a historical
character in a mystery story, they begin to
place that character's life in its context;
they more readily grasp the process of age and
the progression of time. This leads to an understanding
of the concept of the present and the past in
terms of learning language and how we are the
way we are now as individuals.
Mystery
stories, throughout history, are the study of
characters whether good or bad. Students can
learn that language is vital to their success
and well-being and that by studying attitudes
and surroundings of characters, they will begin
to appreciate the learning process. Their good
characters and bad characters are just a steeping
stone to good language production and the elements
of the mystery story must be understood in order
for them to understand language. They will begin
to understand the process of learning.
Mystery
stories can also help students to resolve some
of the emptiness they feel as they study English.
They will understand the necessity needed to
understand problems as they identify with characters
dealing with culprits in a certain time and
setting. The form of a well-written mystery
story allows students' imaginations to meld
into the scenes of that story. They begin to
understand English as a human experience, rather
than a series of isolated structures and grammar
points, and, most importantly, learn that it
is not merely a matter of vocabulary to be memorized
for a test.
Students
admire, respect, identify with, or reject as
unworthy, some of the characters involved in
mystery stories. They begin to understand the
courage needed to deal with challenges, the
personal risk involved in fighting crime or
other social evils and the agony in accepting
defeat when the perpetrator escapes, and the
determination needed to succeed. Are the characters
in mystery stories any less important than other
types of English study? Can the study of mystery
stories make students realize that they can
learn English and, in doing so, help them become
smarter, and better prepared to deal with their
future? Can students realize that an understanding
of the mystery story is a means of dealing with
the challenges of learning language? Language
teachers who bring mystery stories into their
classrooms can help their students to realize
some of the answers to these important questions.
Brief
History of the Mystery Story
The
mystery story can be traced to the earliest
of civilizations. As long as there will be laws,
the inherent need to get at the truth of crime
scenes, and the questioning of suspects, people
will be drawn to these suspenseful elements
of the crime or mystery story. Trials of individuals
from the earliest of times will no doubt have
lawyers and the investigation and representation
of their clients that lead to a finding of guilt
or innocence. In written form as a story, the
mystery genre began in the late 18th century.
A group of writers known as the American Renaissance,
developed mystery stories as well as other kinds
of fiction (Grossvogel 1979). The greatest of
these writers were Edgar Allen Poe and Herman
Melville.
Poe
invented the first fictional detective, C. Auguste
Dupin, in the classic story "Murders in
the Rue Morgue." He later wrote "The
Purloined Letter" in 1845. Poe modeled
his detective on the real life aspects of a
French detective, Vidocq, who became the first
head of the French Criminal Investigation Department
in 1811. Vidocq's exploits were also written
about in Melville's "Moby Dick," and
Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations."
In
Britain in the 1850's and 1860, writers developed
incredible and melodramatic mysteries (Murch
1975). The best known of these stories was "The
Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins. This
was the haunting story of a terrified young
woman aided only by her half sister. Other British
and French writers during this time started
writing realistic crime stories involving the
police. These stories are the beginnings of
modern detective fiction. Actual policemen such
as Emile Gaboriau made clever deductions based
on physical evidence at crime scenes. They also
used techniques such as tracking criminals and
the use of disguises.
In
America in 1878, Anna Katherine Green wrote
"The Circular Study", a novel containing
skilled detective work, in which the hero uncovers
hidden facts about the past and the characters
related to the crime. In the late 1800's the
best writer of detective mystery stories emerged.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes,
the greatest fictional detective of all, and
wrote about him in a series of short stories.
The best are collected in two volumes, "The
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes."
The
early to mid 20th Century saw the greatest production
of mystery fiction. Many different kinds of
books were published then. One major group included
writers whose detectives solved mysteries through
pure logic and reasoning. These mystery plots
tended to be extremely clever puzzles, with
tricky, surprising solutions (Rodell 1943).
These authors have tremendous followings of
loyal fans. The British author G. K. Chesterson
invented the character of the priest-detective
Father Brown. These stories and others of the
time period made sleuths more realistic and
believable compared to the exploits of characters
such as Sherlock Holmes.
The
best known of these mystery writers included
the greatest mystery writer of all, England-born
Agatha Christie. She wrote, in 1920, "The
Mysterious Affair at Styles," which introduced
the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot; later
she introduced Jane Marple, through whose a
number of tales are told. Her most celebrated
works include: "The Tuesday Night Club
Murders" and "And Then There Were
None." The most staggering characteristic
of Agatha Christie's work is that she is only
outsold in production by the Bible and Shakespeare.
That is Christie's amazing legacy to her craft
of the mystery story.
The
American author S. S. Van Dine created his own
style of impossible crimes in his novel "The
Kidnap Murder Case." Van Dine's greatest
follower, and 20th Century America's greatest
mystery writer, was Ellery Queen. His stories
feature highly complex plots, bizarre events,
and mysteries solved through clever chains of
reasoning. His best works include "The
Siamese Twin Mystery" and "The Tragedy
of Z."
In
the 1920's and 1930's, the mystery story developed
a "tougher edge" known as the "hard-boiled"
detective. Writers in this sub-genre included
Erle Stanley Gardner with his lawyer; detective
Perry Mason, , Raymond Chandler, with his detective
Philip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammett, author
of "The Big Knockover" and "The
Continental Op." These mystery stories
provided a great deal of action and drama and
let the actual solving of the crime take a more
subdued place.
Bridging
the cultural gap between the philosophies of
East and West saw the rise of the popular detective
Charlie Chan in The United States in the 1930's.
Charlie Chan was both Hawaiian and Chinese.
This character replaced the stereotypical "evil
Asian villain," and saw the philosophies
and thinking between the East and West come
together.
Classroom
Application
This
section is designed to help teachers use mysteries
in the language classroom. The language teacher
can use this genre of literature to clarify,
reinforce and dramatize significant language
structures and main points that students might
not otherwise remember or understand. These
mysteries can provide unusual insights into
language for the student who is confused, uninterested,
or unreceptive to textbook language. The student's
personal response to an interesting and enjoyable
mystery novel can be the beginning of an understanding
of what language is all about and why. This
helps the student to find pleasure in reading
and allows material to be utilized by the student
in school libraries, public libraries, and book
stores.
Mystery
writers write about logic and reasoning. They
allow the reader to interpret and remember those
important clues and events in the story that
give meaning to our involvement as a reader.
As a working definition a mystery story is "facts.
The writer does not distort logic nor simple
deduction. Very often, in the classroom, mere
vocabulary and grammar facts become a body of
information that seems irrelevant and dull to
students. Textbook exercises often become so
dull and uninteresting or so unchallenging and
lifeless that students cannot conceive of these
linguistic points as useful or necessary to
themselves. Students cannot comprehend that
these linguistic structures are important to
their education and profession. When students
cannot grasp the relevance of language structures
and meanings, then their motivation becomes
depleted day by day.
All
students love a good mystery, a story with excitement,
adventure and challenge; if a mystery is written
well, it includes these elements and more. The
"more" is accuracy in detail and "realistic
probability," the necessary elements of
a meaningful exploration through mysteries.
The antagonistic conflicts of sleuth and criminal,
of and between characters, become real to the
student because these characters can be presented
in a lively dimension. They are ordinary people
taking advantage of a particular event. Their
defeats and successes evoke an emotional response
from readers. This response draws students into
the world of the mystery and imparts their perspective
with an analytical dimension. The characters
emerge as human beings responding to a human
condition in the context of crime, mischief,
and troubles.
The
language teacher can devise numerous strategies
and techniques for sifting the clues from the
story. The clues may be picked out by students
who see textbook English come to life in mystery
stories. Students can become experts in deduction
and analysis and the elements of the mystery
can be stimulating for class discussion. Reference
sources for checking the accuracy of the vocabulary
in the story and clues include encyclopedias,
almanacs, dictionaries, libraries and other
readily available sources.
As language teachers use more mystery stories
in the classroom students will develop the ability
to recognize and analyze, remember significant
details, and form opinions as to the identity
of culprits. More important, the mystery story
will become a subject of interest for students.
There is no mystery in using mystery stories
in the language classroom. It's a positive way
to learn language.
Guidelines
for Using Mystery Stories
The
guidelines for teaching a mystery story can
be divided into six main categories: linguistic
components, introduction, setting, characters,
plot, and summary. Here are some suggested ideas
and examples for using mystery stories.
I.
Linguistic components
a. Insure that all students are able to pronounce
the names of characters, places, and vocabulary
items that are involved in the mystery story.
This can be achieved with information-gap exercises,
matching exercises, fluency square activities,
and dialogues (Bowen 1975).
Information-gap exercises require some preparation.
An example of this can be for the teacher to
show or hold up several caricatures of a detective
involved in various activities and the students
have to guess what is happening. If the students
are having difficulty with a particular sound
such as /f/ or /v/, the pictures might show,
falling, praying, fighting, painting, etc. Another
exercise would be for the students to come up
with words containing these sounds.
Matching exercises are a good source for vocabulary
development. An example would be to divide the
class into small groups. Several students have
a written description of a character. The other
students in the group have the pictures of the
characters. The object of the activity is to
match the written descriptions of the characters
with the pictures. Some examples of written
descriptions might be:
Nick is wearing a short-sleeve shirt and shorts.
(For lower level students)
Dr. Alcott, mid-fifties and extremely short,
is an over-weight pharmacist who works at the
Severance Hospital. (For higher-level students)
Large
square activities are another way to practice
pronunciation and vocabulary. A large square
is divided up into smaller squares with activities
taking place that differ from a contrasting
square in terms of one variable. This can be
a vocabulary item to be found, or an activity
to be explained. For example, divide the class
into pairs or teams. Each pair has pictures
handed to them, and the object is to correctly
either find the vocabulary objects or say what
the activity is in the picture. Students must
be able to describe the activities in each square
or correctly pronounce the vocabulary items
to successfully finish the activity.
a. Crossword puzzles and word search puzzles
can be made with the following common vocabulary
of mysteries: alibi, caper, clue, corpse, crime,
deduction, detective, evidence, fingerprints,
hunch, investigate, logical, motive, plot, scene,
sleuth, suspect, tracks, victim, witness.
b. Read a short passage from the mystery story
and have students guess certain elements such
as, what happened, what does the person (or
persons) mean, who might say that, where it
might be located, or the time period it might
be located in.
c. Take out some dialogues or passages from
the mystery story beforehand and before the
students receive the actual mystery story; have
them read a small dialogue or passage of not
more than a few sentences from the mystery story
to further highlight pronunciation and reading
skills.
II.
Introduction
a. Have students solve a simple word problem
or math problem.
b. Discuss the basic ways in which we solve
problems, and the strategies that should be
utilized, such as sequence of events and the
use of reported speech.
c. Discuss the meaning of the word 'mystery'.
d. Discuss what a mystery story is.
d. Ask a question such as "What do you
think of when you hear the word 'mystery'?"
e. Discuss popular and favorite mystery TV programs,
novels, and movies.
f. Discuss what a detective is.
g. Discuss how a detective solves mysteries.
III. Setting
a. Discuss where the mystery story takes place.
b. Discuss the time period in which the mystery
story takes place.
c. Discuss some customs such as food and clothing
that are appropriate for that particular place
and time.
d. Is the setting real or imaginary?
e. Discuss ways in which people lived during
the time period.
IV.
Characters
a. Who are the characters in the mystery story?
b. Are the characters real and historical, imaginary,
or a combination of both?
c. What are the physical and psychological features
of the characters?
c(1) A rather interesting question for the fictional
detective Sherlock Holmes is, What role does
his taking drugs play and do they interfere
with his crime solving abilities?
d. Are the historical characters accurately
portrayed?
e. Are fictional characters in keeping with
the historical setting?
f. List positive and negative character traits
of the characters. Show parts of
the mystery story that illustrate these traits.
g. Explain the characters' involvement in the
mystery story.
V. Plot
a. Discuss what happens in the mystery story.
b. Discuss alibis and what witnesses said.
c. Discuss clues and evidence at crime scenes.
d. Discuss possible suspects.
e. Discuss motives for each character.
f. Discuss the timeline of events.
g. Discuss the chain of events in the story.
VI.
Summary
a. Discuss the ways in which the detectives
solve the mysteries.
b. Discuss how the sleuths reach their conclusions.
c. Have students write their own mystery with
simple story plots and no more than three suspects.
d. Discuss ways in which particular popular
detectives and crime solvers solve mysteries.
e. Discuss any insights about the characters
or events.
f. Discuss good mystery stories and how students
perceive mystery stories after the classroom
experience.
g. Discuss positive aspects and negative aspects
of studying mystery stories.
h. Discuss what students have learned from reading
mysteries including any morals or lessons.
i. Discuss ways in which the author tries to
make any comments about personal character.
Suggested
Strategies for Using Mystery Stories in the
Language Classroom
After
studying a particular mystery story, have students
bring in their own mystery stories to read and
discuss.
Divide
the class up into groups of three or four. These
groups are responsible for presenting a mystery
story to the class using the guidelines listed
above.
For
example, one group has read a The Case of the
Costumed Thief, by Carol Farley. This is a lower-level
mystery suitable for beginners to intermediate
students of English. Each member of the group
can divide up the guidelines: one person responsible
for plot, one student responsible for the setting,
introduction, characters, etc.
Examples of questions and activities to cover:
I.
Background
Define the following vocabulary words. Make
sure students can pronounce them correctly.
1) adjusted 2) plopped 3) weird
4) plastic 5) thinnest 6) patted
7) floppy 8) admiring 9) stuffed
10) turned down 11) stringy 12) hobo
13) props 14) character 15) lying
16) cousin 17) rec room 18) velveteen
19) skeleton 20) denied 21) swear
22 vouch
Pronounce
the following names correctly.
1) Nina Chase
2) Max Decker
3) Pete
4) Ann
5) Marylea
6) Jerry
7) Ginger
8) Nathan
9) Darlene
10) Bill
Review
the past tense of verbs ending in -ed. Pronounce
the following past tense verbs correctly. Note
that there are three possible sounds for past
tense verbs that end in -ed: /t/, /d/, /id/.
The following verbs are taken directly from
the story and should be placed in the proper
column according to the sound of -ed.
/t/ /d/ /id/
laughed feathered adjusted
plopped covered patted
dressed peered nodded
stuffed followed noted
shocked unaccounted
looked
dropped
asked
Listen to the following conversations. Repeat
and practice them.
Conversation
#1
N:
Are you ready?
M: This is stupid. I feel like a clown.
N: You are a clown. This costume party at Pete's
house is going to be fun. He told me that he's
going to be a hobo. The party's in his basement.
M: I've been in his basement before. There's
a neat rec room down there, next to his bedroom.
Pete he invited nine of us, so I guess we'll
all look weird.
Conversation
#2
M: You were right. This party is lots of fun.
Good music. And the food's great! Did you try--?
P: Hey! Somebody stole my best baseball card!
I had it lying on the table by my bed and now
it's gone!
N: Did you see anybody leave this room and go
in there?"
M: I was too busy eating. Can we see inside?
Conversation
#3
N:
I admit that I have lots of yellow feathers
on this costume. Big Bird is nothing but yellow
feathers. But I swear I never left this room.
A: That's the truth. Nathan and I have been
sitting here beside each other ever since we
got here. I can vouch for him.
G: Well, I never left this room either.
D: She really didn't. Ginger and I have been
talking together the whole time. Neither one
of us ever left this room. She's telling the
truth.
II.
Introduction
1) Discuss the characters of Max and Nina.
2) Review common mystery vocabulary words such
as alibi, witness, suspect, sleuth, etc.
3) Discuss what a mystery story is.
4) Discuss what's involved in solving the story.
5) What are some common circumstances are there
in a mystery story?
6) Review the following vocabulary words: stealing,
missing, vandalism.
III.
Setting
1) Where does the story take place?
2) Whose house are they in?
3) Why are the people in the house?
4) What room are they in?
IV.
Characters
1) Who are Max Decker and Nina Chase?
2) How old are they?
3) What do they do?
4) What did each person wear to the party?
5) Match the following people with the costumes
they wore.
A) Max 1) Big Bird
B) Nathan 2) Skeleton
C) Jerry 3) Clown
D) Pete 4) Witch
E) Darlene 5) Raggedy Ann
F) Marylea 6) Dancer
G) Nina 7) Hobo
H) Bill 8) Bo Peep
I) Ginger 9) Pirate
J) Ann 10) Ghost
V.
Plot
1) What was happening at the beginning of the
story?
2) What was stolen?
3) Where was it?
4) Who owned it?
5) What was the clue that someone had taken
it?
6) Whose costume could have contained a feather?
7) What was Nathan's alibi?
8) What was Ginger's alibi?
9) What was Jerry's alibi?
10) Who is the most likely suspect?
11) What do you think of Marylea's costume?
12) What about Bill's costume?
13) Why aren't Marylea or Bill suspects?
14) Whose party was it?
VI.
Summary
1) How did Nina and Max know that Jerry was
the culprit?
2) Could Nathan have stolen the baseball card?
3) What do you think Jerry's punishment should
be?
4) Is there a lesson to be learned from this
mystery?
Another group has read The Adventure of The
Three Students, by Arthur Conan Doyle. This
is a higher-level mystery suitable for students
at an intermediate level and above. Students
can focus on questions and activities such as:
I. Background
Pronounce the following names correctly.
1) Sherlock Holmes
2) Dr. Watson
3) College of St. Luke
4) Mr. Hilton Soames
5) Fortescue
6) Bannister
7) Daulat Ras
8) Gilchrist
9) Miles McLaren
Define
and pronounce the following vocabulary words.
1) injudicious 2) discretion 3) endeavor
4) laborious 5) charters 6) proofs
7) temperament 8) agitation 9) utterly
10) congenial 11) untidiness 12) Thucydides
13) baize 14) gesticulation 15) rummaged
16) deplorable 17) unpardonable 18) rumpled
19) devoid 20) enigmatic 21) latticed
22) lichen 23) doughy 24) flaxen
25) flushing 26) babbled 27) fidget
28) callous 29) corroborative 30) tenacious
Listen
to the following conversations. Repeat and practice
them.
Conversation
#1
SH:
The case is not entirely devoid of interest.
Had anyone visited you in your room after the
papers came to you?"
S: Yes, young Daulat Ras, an Indian student,
who lives on the same stair, came in to ask
me some particulars about the examination.
SH: For which he was entered?
S: Yes.
SH: And the papers were on your table?
S: To the best of my belief, they were rolled
up.
SH: But might be recognized as proofs?
S: Possibly.
SH: No one else in your room?
S: No.
SH: Did anyone know that these proofs would
be there?
S: No one save the printer.
SH: Did this man Bannister know?
S: No, certainly not. No one knew.
SH: Where is Bannister now?
S: He was very ill, poor fellow. I left him
collapsed in the chair. I was in such a hurry
to come to you.
SH: You left your door open?
S: I locked up the papers first.
SH: Then it amounts to this, Mr. Soames: that,
unless the Indian student recognized the roll
as being proofs, the man who tampered with them
came upon them accidentally without knowing
that they were there.
S: So it seems to me.
Conversation
#2
S:
We are investigating this unhappy business,
Bannister,.
B: Yes, sir.
SH: I understand that you left your key in the
door?
B: Yes, sir.
SH: Was it not very extraordinary that you should
do this on the very day when there were these
papers inside?
B: It was most unfortunate. sir. But I have
occasionally done the same thing at other times.
SH: When did you enter the room?
B: It was about half-past four. That is Mr.
Soames's tea time.
SH: How long did you stay?
B: When I saw that he was absent. I withdrew
at once.
SH: Did you look at these papers on the table?
B: No, sir certainly not.
SH: How came you to leave the key in the door?
B: I had the tea-tray in my hand. I thought
I would come back for the key. Then I forgot.
SH: Has the outer door a spring lock?
B: No, sir.
SH: Then it was open all the time?
B: Yes, sir.
SH: Anyone in the room could get out?
B: Yes, sir.
SH: When Mr. Soames returned and called for
you, you were very much disturbed?
B: Yes, sir. Such a thing has never happened
during the many years that I have been here.
I nearly fainted, sir.
SH: So I understand. Where were you when you
began to feel bad?
B: Where was I, sir? Why, here, near the door.
Conversation
#3
SH:
Well, Watson, what do you think of it? Quite
a little parlour game -- sort of three-card
trick, is it not? There are your three men.
It must be one of them. You take your choice.
Which is yours?
DW: The foul-mouthed fellow at the top. He is
the one with the worst record. And yet that
Indian was a sly fellow also. Why should he
be pacing his room all the time?"
SH: There is nothing in that. Many men do it
when they are trying to learn anything by heart.
DW: He looked at us in a queer way.
SH: So would you, if a flock of strangers came
in on you when you were preparing for an examination
next day, and every moment was of value. No,
I see nothing in that. Pencils, too, and knives
-- all was satisfactory. But that fellow does
puzzle me.
DW: Who?
SH: Why, Bannister, the servant. What's his
game in the matter?
DW: He impressed me as being a perfectly honest
man.
SH: So he did me. That's the puzzling part.
Why should a perfectly honest man -- Well, well,
here's a large stationer's. We shall begin our
researches here.
II.
Introduction
1) Discuss the life of Arthur Conan Doyle.
2) Discuss the characters of Sherlock Holmes
and Dr. Watson.
3) Discuss other Sherlock Holmes mystery stories
and describe how Sherlock Holmes solved other
mysteries.
III.
Setting
1) Describe England in 1895.
2) Discuss what inventions have not been made
yet.
3) Describe colleges during that time period.
4) What were some of the classes students had
to take during that time?
5) Discuss the ways in which students lived
then.
6) What is St. Luke's College like?
7) What subjects are offered there?
IV.
Characters
1) Describe the main characters of Holmes and
Watson.
2) What kinds of things would be on their resumes?
3) What kind of a person is Bannister?
4) What kind of a person is Mr. Soames?
5) Who is the best student?
6) Who is the worst student?
7) Who is least likely to steal the proofs?
8) Who is most likely to steal the proofs?
9) What were Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
doing at the beginning of the story?
V.
Plot
1) Discuss the four characters that Holmes asks
to see
2) Discuss which character Holmes does not see.
3) What does Holmes discover about meeting with
the others?
4) In Soame's opinion, who is the "least
likely" suspect? Is he correct?
5) Does he demonstrate any prejudice in his
decision?
6) Discuss the clues that finally help Holmes
to identify the culprit. How do they help?
7) Discuss how Holmes knew that the guilty person
was in Soame's bedroom at some time.
8) How does Holmes know that the guilty person
went from the office into the bedroom?
9) What role do the gloves play?
10) Why are the gloves included in the story?
11) What role does the pencil play?
12) Why is the pencil included in the story?
VI.
Summary
1) Why did Gilchrist steal the proofs?
2) Why did he decide not to take the examination?
3) Who helped Gilchrist change his mind?
4) Do you think Gilchrist should be prosecuted?
5) What is the country of Rhodesia currently
called?
These
strategies are a few examples to illustrate
the kinds of activities that can be organized
around a mystery story. Teachers are encouraged
to develop their own activities in order to
help the students gain a greater motivation
for learning and understanding English. Students
and teachers themselves will become mystery
detectives as they begin to study and learn
about the mystery story. This is a very satisfying
learning experience.
Author's
Note
I
have used mystery stories in all of my language
classes whether in Korea, Japan or the United
States. Mystery stories have no cultural bias
and work well in any setting. I carry approximately
5 different types of mystery stories wherever
I go. One of my favorite uses is to allow students
to solve a short mystery story, generally a
3 to 5 minute mystery of Hy Conrad or Ken Weber,
while I am involved with class administrative
duties such as record keeping or taking attendance.
Also my favorites are Hy Conrad mysteries because
they range from a page or so to 5 page mysteries
that utilize affidavits, lab reports, crime
scene analysis reports, autopsy reports, and
miscellaneous reports that students have to
sift through in order to find the culprit. These
work well if you want to divide the class into
groups.
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