DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING

Educate · Equip · Empower

Whodunnit? Uncovering Mysteries

What do dark themes reveal about human nature?
In this four week genre study, students will explore various styles and interpretations of the mystery story. This optional unit can be used at any
time during the school year for 8th graders to explore how writing techniques develop emotional responses in the audience and how the mystery
genre provides insight on human nature.

Texts Writing Prompts

Short Stories
● “A Scandal in Bohemia” by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle
● “The Bus Ride” by Sahar Sabati
● The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde excerpt by Robert Louis Stevenson
● “The Hand” by Guy de Maupassant
● “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl
● “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl
● “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” excerpt
by Washington Irving
● “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar
Allan Poe
● “The Purloined Letter” by Edgar Allan
Poe
● “Three Skeleton Key” by George G.
Toudouze
Drama
● Arsenic and Old Lace excerpt by Joseph
Kesselring
Articles
● Ghostland: An American History in
Haunted Places excerpt by Colin Dickey
● “Queen of Crime” by Joan Acocella
● “This is why you’re hooked on true crime
stories” by Sarah DiGiulio
Multimedia
● “Alfred Hitchcock on Making Cinematic
Writing prompts can be given on-demand or used as process pieces. Writing instruction
should focus on opportunities for students to practice the skills required of them in the
W.TTP.1-3 substandards. Students should be exposed to multiple modes of writing throughout
each unit.
Argumentative Writing Prompt:
After studying the clips from Alfred Hitchcock, write an argumentative essay detailing which
story in this unit has the better use of suspense. Apply your knowledge of what makes good
suspenseful writing and how it relates to human emotions to your analysis.
W.TTP.1
Explanatory Writing Prompt:
Many of the texts in this unit cover dark and obscure topics. In an explanatory essay write
about how the author’s techniques, topics, and the elements of a mystery used build up to the
audience having a cathartic response. Use evidence from two texts from this unit.
W.TTP.2
Narrative Writing Prompt:
At the end of “The Landlady,” the audience comes to a realization, but what happens next?
Write a continuation of this story explaining how the main character responds to the conflict
and how that conflict is resolved.
W.TTP.3

HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.1

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

Tension” by the American Film Institute

● “Alfred Hitchcock: The Difference
Between Suspense and Mystery” by the
American Film Institute
● Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and
Mr. Toad Scenes
● Scenes from “The Scandal in Bohemia”
from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(1984)
Book Club Options
● The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
● And Then There Were None by Agatha
Christie
● Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing
Marquess by Carrie Kingsley
● The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline
B. Cooney
● The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle
● Jackaby by Andrea Beach
● Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha
Christie
● The Mysterious Benedict Society by
Trenton Lee Stewart
● Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders
by Kevin Sylvester
● The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn
Keene
● The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
● The Tower Treasure by Franklin W.
Dixon
● The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B.
Cooney
● The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.2

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

Culminating Task

Analyze society’s fascination with the dark and obscure topics within the mystery genre. Explain how an author uses these topics to create an
emotional experience for the audience. Determine and explain what this interest reveals about human nature. Use evidence from multiple texts to
support your response.
RL.KID.1, RRTC.10, W.RBPK.9

Questions for Exit Tickets & Student Discourse

“A Scandal in Bohemia”
● How does the mystery become revealed over the course of the text? When the mystery is finally solved, how does this help us better
understand Irene Adler and the King? RL.KID.2
● What does the conversation with the King on pages 5-6 reveal to the reader about Holmes’ character? RL.KID.3
● How do the conversations between Watson and Holmes help propel the action? RL.KID.3
● Mysteries are based on an omission of details and a controlled reveal of the character’s secrets. How does this compare to “The Purloined
letter” as a mystery? How do the authors contribute differently to the genre? RL.CS.5
● Analyze the kind of archetype that is created from Holmes’ character and describe how this archetype is seen in modern texts. RL.IKI.9

“The Bus Ride”

● What is the theme of the passage, and how is it developed over the course of the text? RL.KID.2
● How does the narrator's perception of the man change over the course of the text? What details led to this new perception? RL.KID.3
● How is the text structure of this mystery support the author’s purpose? How is it similar or different than other mysteries, like “A Scandal in
Bohemia?” RL.CS.5
● How does the author build suspense in this story? RL.CS.6

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde excerpt

● What do the concepts of the extreme and exaggerated imply about the supernatural here? RL.KID.2
● What does the last paragraph suggest about Jekyll? What impact will this realization have on Utterson’s decision making now? RL.KID.3
● How does the description of Henry Jekyll and the room in which he sits contribute to the meaning and tone of the passage? RL.CS.4
● How does telling the story from Utterson’s perspective in chapter 5 help the author to build suspense? RL.CS.6
● What technique is used to make connections between the murder and the supernatural? What do these connections reveal about Jekyll?
RL.KID.3
● Compare and contrast this story with “The Fall of the House of Usher.” What techniques are used to maintain the mystery? RL.CS.6

“The Hand”
● Perception relies on the facts and details provided. How is the concept of perception portrayed? How does the omission of details create
the perception of the supernatural? RL.KID.2
● How does the judge’s final statement help the reader to logically explain what happened in this story? RL.KID.3
HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.3
DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

● How does the line,”It verges on the supernatural,” from the beginning of the story set the tone for the passage and cause the reader to
decide whether or not the events can be logically explained? RL.CS.4

“Lamb to the Slaughter”

● After reading the story, define and analyze the word “lamb.” Who or what was the lamb? RL.CS.4
● How does the text structure of this mystery support the author’s purpose? How is it similar or different than the structure of other
mysteries, like “The Purloined Letter?” RL.CS.5
● How does the author create dramatic irony at the end of this story? Cite evidence to support your answer. RL.CS.6, RL.KID.1

“The Landlady”
● Which line or lines from this text are the most compelling, inspiring, or provoking? RL.CS.4
● What technique does the author use to create an emotional experience for the audience? RL.CS.6
● How does the author create dramatic irony throughout this story? RL.CS.6
Achieve the Core Lesson

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” excerpt

● What evidence of supernatural elements of this story represent a community’s fears and anxieties? RL.KID.1
● What connections can be made between the concepts of fear and the supernatural here? RL.KID.2
● How does the description of the setting contribute to the development of the theme of the passage? RL.KID.2
● What tone is suggested by the phrase “Cognomen of Crane” and the following description of the character? RL.CS.4

“The Masque of the Red Death”

● How does the use of an extended metaphor emphasize the central idea? L.VAU.5
● How are the concepts of fear and death portrayed? How do the portrayal of these concepts effectively create an emotional experience for
the audience? RL.KID.2
● How does the mysterious appearance of the “strange masquerader” propel the resulting action? RL.KID.3
● What connection can be made between death, disease, and the supernatural in this short story? RL.KID.3

“The Purloined Letter”

● Explain the roles of omission and deduction in this text. Use evidence to support your claim. RL.KID.1
● Mysteries are based on an omission of details and a controlled reveal of the character’s secrets. How does this compare to “A Scandal in
Bohemia” as a mystery? How do the authors contribute differently to the genre? RL.CS.5

“Three Skeleton Key”

● How does the author build suspense in this story? Cite evidence to support your answer. RL.CS.6, RL.KID.1
● What do Itchuoa’s actions reveal about his character? Cite evidence to support your analysis. RL.KID.3
● How does the author convey the scene of the rats swarming the lighthouse? What effect does this have on the reader? RL.CS.6
● What is the theme of the story? Cite evidence to support your answer. RL.KID.2
HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.4
DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

Arsenic and Old Lace excerpt

● What connotation does the word “spoiled” hold in the last line of the play? What does this word mean in context? L.VAU.4
● How does Mortimer’s discovery in the beginning of this passage move the plot forward? RL.KID.3
● How does the author create dramatic irony throughout this story? RL.CS.6
● How does the author create humor through the actions of Mortimer and the aunts? RL.CS.6

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places Excerpt

● The home is typically a symbol of safety. According to this author, how is the American home characterized? How is this central idea
developed? What relationship does the home have with ghosts and what they represent? RI.KID.2
● How are ghost stories and their mysteries distinguished in American History? RI.KID.3
● In what ways are the concepts of the supernatural and society’s fears/anxieties connected? RI.KID.3
● What does the author mean when he says “ghost stories themselves are the dreams of a nation” in paragraph 29? RI.CS.4

“Queen of Crime”
● How does Agatha Christie earn the title the “Queen of Crime? Cite evidence to support how she built a legacy off of others’ foundations.
RI.KID.1
● How does the author make connections between Poe, Doyle, and Christie? RI.KID.3
● How does the author respond to Christie’s statement that “the culprit...was always the most obvious person…” in paragraph 11? RI.CS.6
● How do paragraphs 8-10 support the claim in paragraph 11 that Christie’s novels are “unfair?” Determine whether there is sufficient
relevant evidence to support this claim? RI.IKI.8

This is why you’re hooked on true crime stories

● How does the author’s analogy of reading true crime and riding a roller coaster in paragraph 7 affect the meaning of the passage? RI.CS.4
● Analyze the structure of the section “We want to make sense of the senseless.” How does the last line of this section refine the concept
that we desire to understand the perpetrator? RI.CS.5
● Evaluate the effectiveness of the argument. Is there sufficient and relevant evidence to support the author’s claim that women enjoy true
crime more than men? RI.IKI.8

“Alfred Hitchcock on Making Cinematic Tension”

● How is the concept of a mystery portrayed here? RI.KID.2
● How does the structure of the story discussed here differ than what is studied in “A Scandal in Bohemia?” RI.CS.5
● How does Hitchcock’s theory about building suspense apply to the Arsenic and Old Lace excerpt? RI.IKI.9

“Alfred Hitchcock: The Difference Between Suspense and Mystery”

● What statement identifies the speaker’s main claim? How is that claim developed? RI.KID.2
● What is the significance of the phrase “emotion of curiosity?” How does this influence the reader’s perception of a mystery? RI.CS.4
● Compare and contrast mystery and suspense. How are the speaker’s understanding of the concepts portrayed in “The Bus Ride?” RI.CS.6

HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.5

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

● What is the speaker’s perspective on a mystery? How does the speaker respond to other perspectives? RI.CS.6

Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: Scene 1 and Scene 2
● List the ways the director of this film has chosen to stay true to the original work. RL.IKI.7
● Evaluate whether or not this ghost story should be for children. Determine which choices the director made to gear this toward a young
audience. RL.IKI.7

Scene 1 and Scene 2 from “The Scandal in Bohemia” from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
● How does Irene Adler’s singing affect Holmes? What does this reveal about his unmoveable character? RL.KID.3
● What does the added scene (Scene 1) reveal about Irene Adler’s character? RL.KID.3
● What choices does the director to show us the vulnerability of Holmes? RL.IKI.7
● Why did the director include the added robbery scene (Scene 1) before the story? RL.IKI.7

Sample Pacing for Four Weeks

Week 1: Whodunnit? An Introduction to Mysteries

Text and scaffolded task focus: “Queen of Crime,” “The Purloined Letter,” “A Scandal in Bohemia,” and Scenes from “The Scandal in Bohemia”
from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

● Using “Queen of Crime,” study the elements of the traditional mystery. Analyze the stories for these elements and character archetypes.
● Students complete quick writes around the topic of mysteries W.RW.10
○ What are your favorite mystery stories?
○ What do you like or dislike about the mystery genre?
○ What skills and character traits are important to being a detective?
○ The mystery genre is one of the most-read genres. Why do you think so many people enjoy reading mysteries?
● Students share their quick writes with partners and in small groups SL.CC.1
● Students respond to scaffolded tasks in writing W.RW.10
● Students discuss scaffolded tasks with partners and in small groups SL.CC.1

Week 2: Cliffhangers, Irony, and Suspense

Text and scaffolded task focus: “Alfred Hitchcock: The Difference Between Suspense and Mystery,” “Alfred Hitchcock on Making Cinematic
Tension,” “The Bus Ride,” “The Landlady,” “Three Skeleton Key,” “Lamb to the Slaughter,” and Arsenic and Old Lace excerpt

● Using the clips from Alfred Hitchcock, students will note the difference between mystery and suspense writing, and then students will
analyze the emotional experience that comes from reading suspense.
● Students complete quick writes and reflections around the topic of suspense and cliffhangers W.RW.10

HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.6

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

○ How do authors build suspense? Cliffhangers?

○ What are ways we see suspense used in media?
○ What limits does an author face when building suspense in writing for the audience?
● Students respond to scaffolded tasks in writing W.RW.10
● Students discuss scaffolded tasks with partners and in small groups SL.CC.1

Week 3: The Supernatural in Mysteries

Text and scaffolded task focus: “The Hand,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Excerpt, Ghostland: An American
History in Haunted Places Excerpt, Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad scenes, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
excerpt

● Before reading Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, make the connection for students that ghost stories are considered
supernatural mysteries. Use information from this nonfiction to help analyze the meaning behind the other short stories in this week.
● Students complete quick writes and reflections around the topic of the supernatural in mysteries W.RW.10
○ How does society view the supernatural? Positively or negatively? Why?
○ What does man’s interest in the supernatural tell us about human nature? About the human imagination?
○ How can writing techniques encourage the audience to use their imagination to explain a mystery using the paranormal?
○ In what ways do we make sense of the senseless?
● Students complete one of the unit writing prompts on-demand W.TTP.1, W.TTP.2, or W.TTP.3
● Students begin to work towards the culminating task W.RW.10
● Students connect texts not included in the unit to texts already explored in the unit W.RBPK.7, W.RBPK.8
● Students respond to scaffolded tasks in writing W.RW.10
● Students discuss scaffolded tasks with partners and in small groups SL.CC.1

Week 4: The Darkness of the Human Mind

Text and scaffolded task focus: “This is why you’re hooked on true crime stories”

● Students complete quick writes and reflections around the topic of the human mind W.RW.10
○ How does fear affect someone’s motivations and actions? Your motivations and actions?
○ How do emotions affect your judgement?
○ What are the benefits and drawbacks of curiosity?
● Students (or the teacher) determine a format for their culminating task. Sample format types:
○ Oral Presentation w/ multi-media visuals SL.CC.2, SL.CC.3, SL.PKI.4, SL.PKI.5, SL.PKI.6
○ Essay using only texts from the unit W.TTP.1, W.PDW.4
○ Essays using texts from the unit and additional sources found through student research W.RBPK.7, W.RBPK.8
● Students type drafts of their culminating projects W.PDW.6
● Students receive feedback from their peers and the teacher in order to make revisions W.PDW.5

HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.7

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Educate · Equip · Empower

For resources on how to conduct an end-of-unit seminar alongside or as a part of the culminating task, check out our folder of seminar resources
SL.CC.1, SL.CC.3, SL.PKI.4, SL.PKI.6

HCS ELA Curriculum Guide, p.8