Mummies

Inside the case file

Unwrap an ancient mystery. This printable Mummies Reading Mystery turns a nonfiction passage about mummies and mummification into a reading-detective investigation for Grades 3–6 classroom teachers, homeschoolers, and tutors. It drops straight into an Ancient Egypt or world history unit and makes close reading the whole point.

As students work the questions, the suspect list shrinks — reading carefully is the only way to reach the answer. Just print and hand it out.

Quick Details

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

The Case

A mummy has vanished from the museum, and a line-up of suspects is waiting. The only way to crack the case is to read closely about mummies — how the ancient Egyptians made them, why they did it, and what they believed about the afterlife — using every comprehension answer as a clue to rule a suspect out, until just one remains.

How the Reading Mystery Works

Students take on the Reading Detective role, reading about mummies and using every text-based answer to eliminate a suspect until one remains.

What's Included

• A "You are a detective" case-file page that sets the scene and the mission
• An engaging nonfiction passage on mummies (mummification, Ancient Egypt, and beliefs about the afterlife)
• 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
• Color 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
• Sequencing key steps and drawing inferences
• Vocabulary in context
• Logic, reasoning, and critical thinking

Best Used For

• Ancient Egypt and world history units
• Nonfiction reading comprehension practice
• Reading centers, early finishers, sub plans, and small groups
• Halloween and high-interest reading
• Homeschool reading and history