Mystery Unit Tips
18.5 tips from Brooke Beder Geller and Alissa Reicherter
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Photo Credit: Alissa Reicherter
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Photo Credit (for images below): Alissa Reicherter
TIp #11
As your children grow as readers, check out the conferring/small group work section in session 17. It is on complex sentences. Ready to teach independent and dependent clauses in fun ways? Here it is! Select a small group of children (4 at the most) and do an inquiry of sentences about RAY PICKING HIS NOSE. Listen to children giggle and grasp the concept. After talking about the sentences, they read their mysteries and you coach them to identify and explain some of the complex sentences. Instant transfer!
Also, you can do this same small group during Writing Workshop. See the photo of the sentences on page 165 of the unit book. The sentences are formatted for you to print out on the online resources.
This small group suggestion was so much fun to write. Alissa Reicherterand I laughed about it and we are grateful to Kelly Boland Hohne who helped us break part this challenging concept
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Photo Credit: Amazon.com
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Photo Credit: Brook Beder Geller
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Alissa Reicherter and I thought long and hard about our last tip.
Hundreds of you comment about how engaged your children are in this unit. You post pictures of children looking for a mystery. You found a way to serve mystery oreos to children to get the unit off the ground. You are impressed and proud of your children. You are proud of yourself for sticking with the unit, modeling, and for working with one more small group before the end of the workshop.
Well, what's our tip to you? Bring the same energy and excitement to your next unit. And the one after that. Your children did it. You did it. Keep going. Remember the days of dressing like a detective and reminding children to look for clues. Embrace the mess. Our best teaching comes in these uncomfortable times.
Additional Ideas
Session 9
Photo Credit: Alissa Reicherter