Learning Goal: I can identify language used to build tension and suspense and describe how this impacts me.  

Today, we will be focusing on how author’s intentionally build suspense and tension through careful selection of words and phrases in mystery texts to engage a reader and draw them in as a participant to solve the mystery! 

Tension is something that writers use to create a problem in their stories, it means feeling worry, fear, nerves or pressure. You can also create tension between characters if they argue.

Suspense is something used in stories to make them mysterious or scary. Suspense means waiting for something to happen or being uncertain about what will happen.

To build suspense a writer might use the following elements; 

• Onomatopoeia (whoosh, snap, bang, creak!) 
• Short sentences 
•  Ellipsis …
• Adding a character’s internal thoughts (What was that?) 
• Descriptive language that is interesting and imaginative said – whispered 
• A physical reaction from a character (screamed, jumped, shivered) 

When an author uses language to build tension and suspense well it should evoke an emotional response and; 

• spellbind you and leave you on the edge of your seat  
• anticipating what will happen next  
• keep the momentum of the story up  

First, read or listen to the information below. Please note this is read to you in the audio recording. 

Next, read the piece of text below from ‘The Curse of Cogston House’ and look at the bold text and example table to identify how suspense has been created and the impact that this may have had on you, as the reader.

Nothing moved. Cogston House was as silent as the grave. Perhaps the only thing worse than hearing her best friend desperately calling her name was being alone in this endless quiet. Alice’s eyes searched through the darkness, scouring the corridor which faded into more murky gloom. She could make out the hallway right in front of her, the door opposite, and beyond it, the enormous winding staircase. As she looked, blinking through the tears which had begun to stream hopelessly down her face, she was met with a sight at the top of the staircase which all but turned her to stone…

Something was moving.

Alice watched numbly. Her heart was in her mouth and her breath came in sharp, rattling gasps. Descending the stairs one careful, agonising, creaking step at a time, a hunched silhouette shuffled out from the darkness…

Then, draw up a table just like the one above,  read at the least the first page of the passage below from ‘The Curse of Cogston House’,  and as you read, identify the text features which build suspense and tension.  

We have also attached an audio recording of “The Curse of Cogston House” if you would like to listen along.   

Cogston House Text Thursday

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download

Finally, write a short statement about how you felt overall reading the text. 

For example, 

As I read the text ‘The Curse of Cogston House’ I felt, my heart begin racing as they described the sad, broken, house suddenly appearing from the darkness. This reminded me of a time when I woke up in the middle of the night and could see something moving in the shadows of my room. I was frozen on the spot and could not yell. I shivered and closed my eyes hoping I could find my voice to call out to my parents. As a tiny squeak came out of my throat, my giant fluffy cat jumped onto my bed and shoved her head under my hand demanding a pat. I fell back into my pillows and giggled before drifting back to sleep. 

Challenge: can you record any synonyms for the adjectives used in the text that might make it even scarier? 

Work sample to upload to OneNote: table and response to text. 

Learning Goals: 

• I can follow the elements of a mystery to solve it and create a case report. 
• I can use evidence from a mystery text to justify my answer. 

Today, we are going to  read a short-story and using our knowledge of the key elements of the mystery genre, we are going to solve the mystery. You will need to pay close attention to each element of the story to ensure you follow all the right clues, avoid red-herrings and put together a solid case report with evidence from the text to support your conclusion. 

Remember, the mystery genre is a genre of fiction that follows a crime from the moment it happens until it is solved. Mysteries are sometimes called “whodunnits” because they turn readers into detectives to figure out the who, what, when, and how of a crime. Most mysteries feature a detective or private eye solving a case as the main character. In this case we are working with my favourite Mystery-solving crew Scooby Doo and Mystery Inc.!

First, listen to, or read the information below, 

Next, you will be reading a short story and completing the Detective’s case report as you read the story.

Here is the blurb of the story to get you thinking…

A whacky werewolf is terrorizing a hot air balloon race. Shaggy and Scooby take to the sky to save the day.

Before you begin reading, draw up a table in your book like the Detective Case report, or if you have access to a printer you might like to print this out. 

Detective Case Report Final (1)

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download

Log onto to EPIC and read Scooby-Doo in Up, Up, and Away! https://www.getepic.com/app/read/75066 

Remember, to hear any tricky words read to you, use your mouse to hover over the word and it will be read out loud with  a definition!

Please note; Your teacher may have allocated this to you in your personal EPIC mailbox. As this requires concentration, this reading will count as your 20 – 30 minutes of independent reading. 

Then, pay close attention to the key elements of a mystery story placing yourself, the reader, as part of the Mystery Inc. detective crew to solve the case! 

As you read-along with the story, add notes to your case file and remember, to solve the mystery and justify your answer, focus on the following elements; 

• The setting of the story 
• What do the characters say, or do to cause you to think they might be a suspect or villain?  
• What red-herrings or distractions might there be in the text?  

Finally, when you arrive at the page where the werewolf is captured in the net, STOP! Before you read the final few pages of the book, make a prediction about who the werewolf really is! Remember, you must use the evidence you have entered into your Detective case report from within the text to justify your answer. 

Read to the end and don’t forget to let us know if your prediction was correct! Make sure you review and check your answers, because all may not be as it seems! 

Work sample to upload to OneNote: Detective case report. 

Learning Goal: I can identify the ‘suspect’ in a mystery story using clues and avoid ‘red herrings’. 

Today, it is time to get your detective hats on and solve a mystery!

First, watch this introductory ‘crime’ video to set the scene and solved the mystery of who pushed Humpty Dumpty? 

https://youtu.be/ohuvXWLAtSw

Next, read the text below as you read The Humpty Dumpty Mystery, use the suspect list to take notes of clues to narrow down the suspect list and find your villain! To solve the mystery you will need to answer the following questions; 

• Where is the story set?  
• What is the mystery to be solved?  
• Who are the possible suspects?  
• What are the possible red-herrings in the story?  
• Who is the victim?  
• Are there any witnesses?  

Humpty Dumpty Story Final

Here is an audio recording of the Humpty Dumpty Mystery if you would like to read along!

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download

Suspect List Final

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download

Finally, after taking a moment to review your answers to the questions above, write a statement about what you think really happened to solve the mystery using evidence from the text. 

For example; I believe that Katniss Kingsman pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall as she hid something behind her back as she was being questioned by Detective Kenny Kingsman. 

Work sample to upload to OneNote: Humpty Dumpty suspect list and statement about what you think happened. 

Hello 3/4s,

Today in your small groups you will again be working with your teacher on reading. This week we will be exploring the mystery genre with today’s lesson focusing on the key ‘ingredients’ for a great mystery story! 

Before you come to your small group lesson, please watch this short Scooby Doo clip; Scooby-Doo! One Minute Mysteries | The Menace of the Manticore | WB Kids  and take notes about what you see, hear and feel as you read along. What features of the visual text make this a mystery? 

Please come prepared with your notes, a lined book, a pencil and an eraser. Please make sure that you attend the correct time for your small group focus.

See you soon,

3/4 Teachers