Week 6: Whodunit? Argumentative Writing

Hint: Notice the bones in the trash. Monday 3. 9. 15 Warm-Up: Can You Solve It? Mystery: An inconsiderate slob dumped trash on Rachel Rabbit's lawn. One of these two suspects is guilty. Slylock Fox found evidence that may identify the loathsome litterbug. Answer: What did Slylock observe to help him identify the trash tosser? Explain your answer. Hint: Notice the bones in the trash. Source: http://www.slylockfox.com/arcade/BrainBogglers/index.html

Solution Slylock found bones in the trash. The bull is an herbivore and only eats plants. The raccoon is an omnivore and eats both plants and animals. The raccoon is the trash tosser.

Monday 3.9.15 Discuss Elements of Reporting and Writing Summaries. Summarize the following two scenarios: INFORMATION: The principal of Davis School is going to press charges. Over the weekend someone sprayed graffiti on the side of the school building. This is the third time this year graffiti has been found. The school building is beige with brown trim. The graffiti is hot pink and orange. The school is in a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes and apartments. The custodian reported the graffiti. He was really mad. He doesn’t like to clean it off. No one saw who did it, but the teachers of two eighth-grade boys have seen them writing “graffiti-type drawings” in their school binders. The boys’ names are Jimmy Worth and Buddy Boice.

Summary Scenario #2 INFORMATION: The girls are ages 13 and 14. They both have blond hair and blue eyes. A saleslady saw the two girls slip earrings into their coat pockets in the JCPenney store. The girls have never been in trouble before. They both were crying. The earrings were costume jewelry—imitation gold with blue stones in one set and red stones in the other. The girls’ names are Janey Jones and Carol Crumb. The saleslady reported the incident to the security patrol. The security guard arrested the girls and detained them until their parents came to pick them up. The parents were very unhappy about it.

Why was David so sure the man had been a thief? Tuesday 3.10.15 Warm-up: Solve the Mystery David was sitting in his hotel room reading a book, when he heard a knock at the door, and the sound of someone trying the door handle. He opened the door, where he saw a man whom he had never seen before. The man said, "I'm terribly sorry ... I thought this was my room. Wrong floor, I guess." He then walked off down the hall toward the elevator. David went back into his room, thought about what had just happened, and then phoned the front desk, suggesting they call the police, since the man at the door had obviously been a thief. Why was David so sure the man had been a thief?

Solution The man had knocked first. He wouldn't have done that if he'd thought it was his room.

Tuesday 3.10.15 Slip or Trip Mystery. Investigate the picture as I read the scenario. Look for clues that are inconsistent with the story. Answer the questions about the mystery. Let’s fill out an Evidence/Rule Chart for this mystery. There are 8 pieces of evidence. We’ll do a couple together and you will work with your investigative team to fill in the rest. Links to resources on the next slide.

Slip or Trip This website includes: Teacher Answer Key (My Sample) https://sites.google.com/site/dukes9thgradeenglish/course-sections/unit-3-argument/whodunit This website includes: Teacher Answer Key (My Sample) Student worksheet Large version of the images

Tuesday 3.10.15 Evidence Rule Arthur is still holding the glass. There is something cooking on the stove. As a rule, when people fall they drop what they are holding to stop the fall. As a rule, people usually do not cook at 1AM.

Wednesday 3.11.15 Warm-up: Get a police report form off the podium and fill it in for the slip or trip mystery. Be sure to fill in all spaces. You are the reporting officer. Information NOT included in the story. City: Cedartown Date: 3/1/15 Arthur’s Bday- 5/8/89 No addresses for witnesses No Vehicle

Wednesday 3.11.15 Let’s turn your Evidence/Rule chart into a full police report. This will be an argumentative writing piece. If we were really an investigative team and if this were a real crime, we would have to write a report for the police chief. We would need to include: when we arrived what we found what Queenie said what the autopsy found whether the evidence supports what Queenie said our conclusion and/or recommendation explanation of evidence supporting our conclusion and recommendation

Guide for Writing In the first paragraph, describe the scene in detail. Also include a brief summary of what Queenie said happened. In the second paragraph, make your claim that you believe Queenie is lying. Then present your evidence along with the rule to prove your claim.

Exemplar Writing Piece: We arrived at the home of Arthur and Queenie Volupides at about 2:15 A.M. on March 1st, 2015. We found Arthur Volupides lying at the bottom of the main stairs on his back, faceup, his feet on the third step. He was still holding a glass in the fingertips of his left hand. His clothes were neat. Nothing on the wall beside the stairs was disturbed. The carpet where he lay was undisturbed. Queenie said that Arthur slipped and fell on the stairs. He was coming down for another drink. He still had the glass in his hand.

Exemplar Continued. We believe Queenie is not telling the truth. The evidence does not support what she says happened. First, the cup is in his hand. When people fall down the stairs, they let go of what they are holding to try and get a grip of something to stop. Second, the way Arthur is facing is weird. When someone falls down the stairs, their body would be facedown. Arthur, though, is faced upwards. Third, she waited to long to call the police or ambulance. She waited for her friends to do anything. When someone sees another person hurt they automatically call the police for help.

Hint: What is different about the owls? Thursday 3.12.15 Warm-up: A painting by a world-renowned artist was stolen from the Forest Museum. The missing masterpiece is now in Kopy Kat's studio. The feline forger has already painted a copy of the artwork. Which one does Slylock Fox suspect is the original painting? Hint: What is different about the owls? Source: http://www.slylockfox.com/arcade/BrainBogglers/index.html

The painting with the eyes pointed straight ahead is the original. Solution An owl cannot move its eyes from side to side, but must turn its head to see in other directions. The painting with the eyes pointed straight ahead is the original.

Thursday 3.12.15 Using the iPads go to my online classroom and click the link for the Interactive Investigator Mystery. (How to play on next slide.) http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/detective-investigator/en/game/index.php Work with a partner. Fill out a police report for the crime.

Interactive Investigator How to Play: You are about to investigate a murder. Your goal is to investigate all 3 areas of the crime scene: •The place of entry •The place of struggle •The crime scene Your mission is to discover 4 clues per area, for a total of 12 clues. If you touch a clue, it will take you to another screen with information about the clue. Read ALL the information about the clue and then click “Send to Lab.” Each time you send the clue to the lab, you will be asked questions. You can only answer the question once. Make sure it's the right answer! Depending on your answer, your score will increase or diminish by 1 point. The maximum score is 12 points. Show Mrs. Wade your score when you finish.

Friday 3.13.15 Warm-up: write a crime summary for the following crime. INFORMATION: Someone has been riding a bicycle onto the front lawn of the school. There has been a lot of rain the past several weeks, so the lawn is very wet and very soft. The bicycle tires make big gouges in the lawn and will cost 300 dollars to repair. A neighbor across the street saw two boys doing wheelies on the lawn with their bikes. The principal got to school early this morning and saw Chunky Cheddar riding his bike away from the school. The tires of the bike were covered with mud. He detained Chunky and called the police. Chunky’s mother says she knows Chunky couldn’t do something as bad as ruin the lawn because he’s always good, and everybody knows he’s always good. The neighbor says Chunky isn’t always good and that he was one of the boys doing wheelies.

Friday 3.13.15 Analyze the “Lunchroom Murder” crime scene. https://sites.google.com/site/dukes9thgradeenglish/course-sections/unit-3-argument/whodunit Answer the questions about the crime scene. Fill out an evidence/rule chart for the scene. Write the full police report for the crime. This report will be like the one you wrote Wednesday for the “Slip or Trip Mystery.”

Lunchroom Murder Evidence Rule Copy this chart: Evidence #1: The gun was shot with the ________ hand. Evidence #2: Evidence#3: Evidence #4: Final Claim: Because of all of the evidence, rules and conclusions that I have analyzed, I believe that__________________________________ is responsible for committing this crime.