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Read Chapters 11-15; Complete Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 11-15

Scatter and hide the Paper Towel Clues from Chapters 6-10 around the classroom. You may wish to rewrite the clues on actual paper towel squares. Have students search for the clues. As the students find the clues, ask them to write their clues on chart paper. Ask: "Where have you heard these words before? What can we conclude about these words?" They were given to the heirs in The Westing Game as clues to the puzzle. They may or may not help the reader solve the mystery in the book.

will mention that just like the paper towel clues that were scattered around the classroom, clues are details in a story that are suspicious or out of place. Clues can be used to help solve a mystery. They can be words that characters think or say, actions characters take, or objects in the story. Clues answer the 5W and H questions about the mystery: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? I will explain that it is up to the reader of a mystery to draw a conclusion about which details are useful clues. Some clues in a mystery are explicit. That means these clues are stated in the text and they are easy to find. Other clues are not stated. These clues are subtle or implied. To find clues that are implied, I have to pay attention to how words are used in the book.

I will review Chapters 11-15, looking for clues. I will look for details that are suspicious or out of place. As I come across clues in The Westing Game, I will write each clue on my Clue Tracker. Then, I will use the clue to answer the 5W and H questions about a mystery. These clues will come in handy as I try to predict the outcome of the mystery. Note: See the Clue Tracker for specific examples. Have students follow along in their books while you read aloud. Save the Clue Tracker for use with Lessons 4 and 5.

For example, in Chapter 13, this detail stands out to me: “What better disguise for a thief or a murderer than a wheelchair, the perfect alibi.” I’ll write this clue on my Clue Tracker. I will then answer the 5W and H questions about the clue to figure out if this clue is useful or not. (Who? Chris Theodorakis. What? He cannot walk and uses a wheelchair. Where? The Westing Mansion. When? The night the body was found in the Westing Mansion. Why? A murderer needs to be able to move around and walk. If someone is in a wheelchair, they usually cannot walk. The need for a wheelchair could have been fake. We know it is not because Chris really cannot walk. How? Unknown.) This clue is useful, because it helps me understand that Chris did not commit the crime. Since this clue is useful, I will place a check mark by it on my Clue Tracker. Note: You will need to save the Clue Tracker that you created on chart paper for use with Lessons 4 and 5.

Ask: "How did l find useful clues in the story?" Students should respond that you looked for odd or suspicious details that could be useful in solving the mystery. You asked and answered the 5W and H questions about the detail to draw a conclusion about its usefulness as a clue.

will find clues for Chapters 1-5 and write them on the Clue Tracker. We will then determine if each clue is a useful clue by answering as many 5W and H questions as we can. If a clue is useful, we will place a check mark by it on our Clue Tracker. Note: Continue to use the Clue Tracker started during the Direct Teaching.

will work with a partner to find useful clues for each chapter for Chapters 6-10. Your group will write your clues on your Clue Tracker Worksheet, discuss each clue, and answer the 5W and H questions to determine if each clue is useful. (See page 23 in the Student Packet.)

will look at our Clue Tracker Worksheets and share the clues that we found. We will discuss why some clues are useful and what each clue may reveal about the mystery. As a class, we will pick our strongest clues. We will try to answer the 5W and H questions based on these clues.