Didgeridoo

Inside the case file

Tune in to an iconic sound. This printable Didgeridoo Reading Mystery turns a nonfiction passage about one of the world's oldest instruments into a reading-detective investigation for Grades 3–6 classroom teachers, homeschoolers, and tutors. It drops straight into an Australian studies, music, or culture lesson and makes close reading the whole point.

Careful reading is the key — each text-based answer knocks a suspect off the list until only the culprit stands. Nothing to prep or laminate.

Quick Details

Grade Levels: Grades 3–6
Format: Printable PDF
Resource Type: Reading Mystery worksheets
Reading Skills: Nonfiction comprehension, text evidence, main idea, inference, and cultural understanding
Tech Needed: None — no apps, locks, passwords, or student logins required

The Case

An ancient instrument has gone missing, and a line-up of suspects is waiting. The only way to crack the case is to read closely about the didgeridoo — its origins, how it is made and played, and its place in Aboriginal culture — using every comprehension answer as a clue to rule a suspect out, until just one remains.

How the Reading Mystery Works

Students work as Reading Detectives, reading about the didgeridoo and clearing a suspect with each text-based answer until the culprit is all that's left. The answers are all in the passage.

What's Included

• A "You are a detective" case-file page that sets the scene and the mission
• An engaging nonfiction passage on the didgeridoo (its origins, how it is made and played, and its cultural significance)
• Multiple-choice comprehension questions (all answers found in the text)
• Open-ended comprehension questions
• A suspect line-up page for eliminating suspects one clue at a time
• Vocabulary support and extension activities for early finishers
• A full answer key
• Colour and black-and-white versions
• Print-and-go PDF format

Skills Covered

• Reading and understanding nonfiction informational text
• Finding and using text evidence
• Identifying main idea and supporting details
• Drawing inferences and conclusions
• Vocabulary in context
• Logic, reasoning, and critical thinking

Best Used For

• Australian studies, music, and culture lessons
• Nonfiction reading comprehension practice
• Reading centres, early finishers, sub plans, and small groups
• NAIDOC Week and cultural studies
• Homeschool reading