Back to School

Inside the case file

Five people walked through the front hall that morning and no two of them tell the same story — that is the whole problem, and reading closely is the only way out of it. Students work through a two-page fiction passage, answer comprehension questions from the text, and cross a suspect off the line-up with every correct answer until one name is left. Printable, self-checking and no prep, it is built for the first weeks of school, literacy centers, early finishers, sub days and homework in Grades 3–5.

Quick Details

Skill: Fiction comprehension, point of view, comparing conflicting accounts and text evidence · Grades: 3–5 · Format: One case — two-page passage, 15 multiple-choice questions, written response and full answer keys (printable PDF, color and black-and-white) · Theme: Back to School — The Empty Trophy Case

The Case

The Fernwood shield stands in the glass case in the front hall, where every student walks past it twice a day. One hour before the whole school is due to sit down in front of it, the shield is gone. The case is still locked. The key is still on its hook in the office. Nothing is broken and nothing else is taken. Five people were in that hall between eight and nine o'clock, and the principal asks each of them to write down what they saw — including one who insists the hall clock runs seven minutes slow and that you should use his watch instead. Students weigh the statements against each other, follow the physical clues, and name the culprit.

How the Reading Mystery Works

Students take on the role of Reading Detectives. They read the passage, answer each multiple-choice question from the text, and cross off the suspect shown beneath the correct answer. Every right answer removes a name; the last person standing is the culprit. Because the witnesses contradict each other, students cannot skim — they have to decide which account the evidence actually supports.

What's Included

• A "You are a detective" case-file page that sets the scene and the mission
• A two-page fiction passage told through five witness statements
• Three pages of multiple-choice comprehension questions, every answer found in the text
• A suspect line-up page for eliminating names one clue at a time
• Written-response pages on setting, mood, theme and evidence, with sample answers
• A themed word search and extension activities for early finishers
• Self-checking answer keys for every page
• Full color and ink-saving black-and-white versions
• Teacher instructions and print-and-go PDF format

Skills Covered

• Identifying the narrator and comparing accounts that contradict each other
• Telling fact from opinion in what a witness claims
• Drawing conclusions and making inferences using text evidence
• Cause and effect, and sequencing events when the times people give do not agree
• Vocabulary in context and author's craft — how suspense is built
• Logical reasoning and deductive elimination as suspects are ruled out

Best Used For

• The first weeks of school and back-to-school reading
• Literacy centers and reading rotations
• Morning work, homework and early finishers
• Substitute and relief days
• Small-group reading and intervention
• Comprehension review and test prep for Grades 3–5

More From This Line

Browse every Reading Mystery, or pair it with The Missing School Bus and The Book That Came Back.