Mystery Writing

A mystery is something that is difficult or impossible to explain that can puzzle someone. Writing a mystery story is a great way to improve on students’ creative approach to story writing, making it more interesting and diverse.

With these worksheets students will plan their own mystery following 7 simple steps.

Step 1: Main Character

The first thing we need to do is think of a character that has great detail that will draw a reader’s interest. Basing a character on yourself is a great choice for you to get started!

• Think about their appearance.
• What kind of personality does he/she have?
• Anything interesting about the character?

Step 2. Setting

Choose a place you know well as you must be able to describe the setting in great detail to give the reader a better understanding. School, your home, your neighbourhood are great choices.

• What can your character see, hear, smell, touch and taste?

Step 3. The Puzzle

Your characters needs something to happen that causes the mystery. It can be something bizarre/weird, like for example, the box of toys moved by itself!

• Be creative! It can be something that is not normal.
• Tie it into the setting to avoid confusion.
• Your character must be involved.

Step 4. Building the Puzzle

You don’t want your character to solve the mystery instantly! There should be a number of steps before they are able to solve the problem. You can be creative as you like.

• Maybe something bad happened and they need to try something else!
• Something changed in the story that made the character do something else!
• The character may have found a clue and had to go to the next task.

Step 5. The Final Part of the Puzzle

Before solving the mystery, there should a final part of the puzzle that draws in the most attention of the reader. This will help keep the story interesting and thrilling.

• Maybe you character rescues somebody!
• Something dangerous happened but they overcame it.
• Maybe the character found something surprising!

Step 6. Solving the Mystery

This part your character will have solved the puzzle that you came up with in step 3.

• It is important to relate back to step 3 to ensure no confusion.

Step 7. The Ending

The best finish to the story is what happens next. You can end it on a happy note, or on another cliff hanger! Maybe your character found another mystery!

Importance of Grammar

Each sentence is more than a pile of words that is jumbled up! The most important element of English language studies is grammar.

Grammar is the key to speaking English fluently and confidently when spoken correctly. Knowing the grammar concepts will help speakers avoid errors that can make their English sound strange to native speakers. Grammar shows diligence and an eye for detail.

Well spoken grammar doesn’t come naturally for second language speakers. For native speakers like myself, we have the benefits of learning the structures from a young age from listening. Learning grammar takes time and requires the student to practice it proactively to use it effectively. For young learners who are new to English, it is important that the teacher does the following;

• Be patient with the student. It won’t come naturally
• Explain the concept clearly and remind the student of how to use it effectively
• Always use the concept in an example, full sentences are best
• Be thorough with correction. Consistency is key

Useful Links

For more worksheets: http://www.mrgregenglish.com/mr-gregs-worksheets/

For teaching resources: http://www.mrgregenglish.com/teaching-resources/