What is... A murder mystery? What happens during the mystery? What is a detective? What does the detective do? How does it end?

THE GAME!

What you know.... During a school reunion a scream

was heard... It's 8.30pm... Shortly after the dead body of Miss

Eliza McGowan, a cranky old English teacher is discovered...

She has been hit on the head...

What you know... Also found were a number of clues

that may lead us to the killer...

A book written by one of her ex-students, Simon Donnelly...

A photograph of one of her fellow teachers, a young man called Saul Sheen...

A handkerchief with the initials IW...

At the moment these are the three main suspects but everyone who was at the party and saw or spoke to Miss McGowan needs to be

questioned.

Now.... Read the your character card... Memorise the information... Act out your role... Don't just read out the card...

Now... Use the worksheets to collect

information...

Now... First some word definitions...

Alibi: /ˈælɪbaɪ/ someone who has an alibi can

prove that they were somewhere else when a crime was committed and so can claim to be not guilty

Now... First some word definitions...

Motive: /ˈməʊtɪv/ the reason that you do

something

Now... First some word definitions...

Clue:/kluː/ an object or fact that someone

discovers that helps them solve a crime or mystery

POSSIBLE MOTIVESGREED / NEEDLOVEREVENGEFRAMING SOMEONEFAMEPOWER MONEY

Now... Ask these questions:

Why were you at the party? What was your relationship with

Ms. McGowan? When did you last see Ms. McGowan? Did you hear the scream? What were you doing when you

heard the scream?

NOW PLAY THE GAME!(use the worksheet to collect information)

DISCUSS WHAT YOU THINK HAPPENED IN PAIRS!(give the character cards back)

Who killed Ms. McGowan?

Why did they kill her?

The Solution... Mr. Green is Saul Sheen's

father; he and Miss McGowan had a relationship in college.

Miss McGowan has always kept it a secret but after the last argument with Saul she plans to tell him the truth.

She tells Mr. Green about her plan and they argue.

The Solution... Louise King hears them. Mr. Green is furious and it is he

who follows Miss McGowan to the classroom and hits her over the head.

He wasn't in his office when everyone heard the scream, that's why when Saul Sheen knocked on the door he got no answer.

Thanks to...Murder in the

Classroomwww.onestopenglish.com

There is a full lesson plan on Onestop English and an adapted set of Character Cards on Slideshare.net –

links on the download pages.