Text type:
Fiction / Mystery

Word Count:
3,118

Page count:
26 

Text Summary
Stanley DeCapers and his class are on a field trip to the Anasazi ruins in Colorado. Stanley is determined to solve the mystery of the vanishing Anasazi. With a friend's help, he manages to slip away from the group and strike out on his own to search for clues. He meets a mysterious security guard who helps him learn about how the Anasazi left these dwellings to move to a different area. When Stanley asks why they moved, the guard tells him that there are some mysteries the sky will never reveal. 

Vocabulary
Challenging Words
ancestor
camouflage
descendant
disapproving
disintegrate
drought
kiva
mesa
Native Americans
petroglyph
ruins
summon 

Reproducibles
Worksheets
Worksheet 1-Mystery Story Features Chart
Worksheet 2-Context Clues  

Lesson Objectives

Comprehension
You will likely address a number of comprehension skills as students work to understand the text, for example, identifying character traits and evaluating character actions. The targeted comprehension strategy for this lesson is: identify structure and features of a mystery story. 

Word Work
Figurative Language
Identify examples of figurative language 

Context Clues
Use context clues to understand word meanings 

Visual Literacy
Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret illustrations. 

Before Reading

Introduce
Introduce the book by showing students the front cover.
Ask: What do you see on the cover? What kind of story do you think this is? Have you ever read any mystery stories? What are some features in a mystery story that are the same as in other types of stories? What are some things that are different?  

Ask students if they have a prediction about what might happen in the story.
Ask: Do you think that Stanley will be able to solve the mystery? 

Elicit Prior Knowledge and Build Background
Discuss with students what they know about the civilization of the ancient Anasazi. Provide a map and show them where these people once lived. Explain that these people vanished from the area, leaving behind their homes and many artifacts. Today, there is speculation about why these people seemed to leave so suddenly. If any student has visited Anasazi ruins, have them describe what they saw. Bring some of the vocabulary words into the discussion in an informal way, such as Native Americans, ruins, ancestor, descendant, mesa.  

Skim and Scan
Give students their copy of the book, and have them skim through it, looking at the illustrations. Ask them what they think might be happening. Suggest that they might want to revise or add to their predictions now that they have looked at the illustrations. 

During Reading

Set the purpose
Introduce Worksheet 1. Explain to students that this chart lists common features of a mystery. Define what a "red herring" is (a false clue). Explain that all stories have characters and a setting. All stories have a problem too, but in a mystery story, the problem is posed as a mystery to be solved. 

Explain to students what they are to do.
Say: As you read the story, I want you to take note of the features of a mystery story. Think about who the main characters are and where the story takes place. Jot these down as you read. Look for clues in the story and record those. See if you can find any red herrings. When you have finished reading, you can take a few minutes to finish the worksheet. Then we'll talk about the features you recorded. 

After Reading

Building Comprehension
Discuss the characters. Encourage students to make inferences about them and to evaluate character actions.
Ask: What characters did you list on the worksheet? What do you know about each one? How would you describe Stanley? Why? What do you think about Stanley leaving the group on his own? What are your thoughts about the mysterious security guard? 

Discuss the setting.
Ask: What is the setting of this story? Could this story have happened in a different setting? 

Discuss the problem in the story and the clues to the solution.
Ask: What is the mystery that Stanley wants to solve? What clues does the author provide? (the ring, the security guard) The security guard is central to the solution of the mystery. What clues does the author provide that let you know the guard is not what he appears to be? (guard has unusually long thumb; the author describes him as "this unusual security guard;" the way the guard speaks: "there are some mysteries the sky will never reveal;" Ranger John says he's never heard of the guard. 

Ask students if they found any red herrings and what the purpose of red herrings is. Students may not have discovered the red herring in Stanley's notes: "Ranger John has suspicious red moustache." The author includes this to divert the reader and make them think Ranger John may have something to do with the solution to the mystery. 

Word Work
Figurative Language
Discuss how writers of fiction include figurative language in their stories to help the reader visualize what's happening. Have students look on page 12 to find and read the sentences that include the phrases, "heavy clouds began to blanket the western horizon" and "moonÉbathed Cliff Palace in a soft light." Explain that these are examples of personification where inanimate objects are given human characteristics. In these phrases, the clouds are described as if it were spreading a blanket across the sky, as a person might spread a blanket over a bed. The moon is described as if it were bathing the area.

Read the phrase on page 14 "Stanley danced around the holes, flapping his arms like a chicken." In this example the author wants the reader to visualize Stanley's movements as if he were moving around like a chicken. Explain that this is an example of a simile.

Remind students to be aware of language in fiction they read. They should try to include examples of figurative language in their own writing. 

Context Clues
Explain that students can often use context clues to help them figure out words 'they dont know or understand. Have them turn to page 8 and find the word kiva in bold print. Point out that by reading the whole paragraph, they can understand what a kiva is.
Say: The text first tells us what the kiva was used for. This is an example of a context clue that describes the unknown word. The text then restates the meaning, using a different word that is familiar us, and tells us that it is a big pit. 

Explain that context clues sometimes use description to help the reader. Sometimes they provide an example of something familiar the reader can compare the word to, and sometimes they explain directly what the unknown word is. 

Have students find these words and explain how the context helped them understand their meaning.

• petroglyphs (the text describes them)
• summon (need to read several sentences. Author provides the clue "invitation" )
• mesas (description is provided). 

Have students read worksheet 2 to figure out the words. Have them point to features in the text that helped them understand the words. 

Learning through Visual Devices
Illustrations
Have students look at the illustrations on each page. Have volunteers describe what is happening in the illustrations that corresponds to the story line. Ask them what else the illustrator might have done to express the story's events. Explain that illustrators always have choices in illustrating stories, and that they try to create images that are both visually interesting and helpful in interpreting the story's meaning. 

Writing Link
In a group setting, have students write some descriptive sentences that use examples of figurative language. Choose something to personify, for example, the wind. Ask students to brainstorm ways the wind moves. Jot their ideas on the board. Ask students how they can make the wind seem alive by using words that compare its movements to that of a person. 

Remind students that a simile uses the word "like" to compare two things, and give them an example such as, "he looked like the cat that had eaten the cream." Ask them what the phrase means. Then as a group, brainstorm examples of similes. Write these on the board as students suggest them. Read through the examples of personification and similes on the board. 

Finally, have students write their own examples of figurative language. 

Assessment

• Review students' completed comprehension worksheets to assess their understanding of the structure and features of a narrative, and of a mystery story in particular.
• Review students' completed context clues worksheet to assess how well they can use context clues to understand the meanings of new words.
• Review students' completed writing to evaluate their ability to use figurative language.