This activity
demonstrates to students the need for considering the contributions of
every group member and gives them practice in organizing cooperatively
to accomplish a task. In
this exercise every student is given bits of information essential to
the solution of a murder mystery. With
modifications this exercise can be used to help students organize and
evaluate information and data in a variety of contexts.
Link
to Clues
Students are seated in a circle with the teacher
standing outside the group. The
teacher gives the following explanation:
Today we are going to play another game that will
help improve your discussion skills.
Each of the pieces of paper I am holding contains one clue that
will help you solve a murder mystery.
If you put all the facts together, you will be able to solve the
mystery. You must find the murderer, the weapon, the time of the murder,
the place of the murder, and the motive.
Any time you think you know the answers and the group agrees on
the guess, you may tell me. I
will only tell you whether all five answers are right or wrong.
If parts of your answers are incorrect, I will not tell you which
answers are wrong.
You may organize yourselves in any way you like.
You may not, however, pass your clues around or show them to
anyone else, and you may not leave your seats to walk around the group.
All sharing of clues and ideas must be done verbally.
Answer – After receiving a superficial gunshot
wound from Mr. Jones, Mr. Kelley went to Mr. Scott’s apartment where
Mr. Scott killed him with a knife at 12:30 AM because Mr. Scott was in
love with Mr. Kelley’s wife.
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