Introduction
- Conduct a brief explanation of what Nate the Great does in his story.
Synopsis: Nate is a self-described great detective. He has found many things such as books, slippers, and even chickens. When his friend Annie calls and asks him to help her find a picture she painted, he finishes his fantastic breakfast of pancakes and heads over to Annie’s to solve the case.
Through a process of elimination, Nate discovers all the places Annie’s picture is not. It isn’t until her little brother comes in covered in red paint that Nate gets his first clue to the disappearance of Annie’s picture.
- As a class, brainstorm a list of words used to describe a detective. Some great examples are: smart, observant, curious.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling
- Introduce the concept of a sleuth. Explain that a sleuth is like a detective. He looks for clues and observes things quietly.
- Ask students to share traits that would make someone a good sleuth and traits that would make someone a bad sleuth.
- Tell them that for today, they will each become a «super sleuth.»
- Pick out a name from a bowl of paper strips.
- Quickly model how to track this person’s characteristics in covert ways. Write one or two short observations, e.g. «has short hair» or «has brown eyes,» on the board.
- Give each student a sheet of paper . Students will use these to record their observations.
Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling
- Model how students will present their findings.
- Each sleuth will have an opportunity to come up to the front of the room and present his clues one by one.
- After each clue, classmates will have the opportunity to raise their hands and ask questions. After asking a question, a student may make one guess of which student they think is being described.
- After each successful guess, a new sleuth comes up.
Independent Working Time (20 minutes)
- Have each student pick a name from the bowl. (If a student chooses his own, have him return it and choose another name.) The name each student chooses is his target for the activity.
- Give students about 15 minutes to observe one another and write down clues.
Educando recommends that teachers help students using the following chart.
