Crime Scene Detectives KS2/KS3

The aim of this exercise is to practice inference skills and assess relationships between characters. It is also good practice for 2/3 - mark questions.

Start by reading out the background story, then give out the clues and statements alternatively every few minutes. Every time a clue or statement is given out ask the student to read it out loud and to say what their opinion is on the respective characters and who they suspect the murderer is. Have them highlight important pieces of information in each statement. Make sure the student writes down their assumptions and opinions and, once all the statements and clues have been read out, have the students rank their top suspects and write out why they think said character is a good suspect. When writing out their answers, make sure they use the P.E.E format (Point Evidence Explanation) as if they were answering a 2/3 - mark question. Once the student has written out all their suspects and their reasoning, reveal to them the real murderer and explain to them how.