Mystery Festival

Rating:
Summary: Get them involved
Review: Students really got involved in science investigation as they tried to solve one of the mysteries in this book. During a summer camp for children ages 9-12, we used the mystery written for the older students. They loved the hands-on involvement and stayed engrossed all week. If your science curriculum is putting your students to sleep, this book will help you jumpstart their interest. There are two different mysteries. One is designed for K-3 while the other works well with the older students. Even students of mixed ages and abilities worked well together and were successful. The students only had one complaint...The book did not give them a definitive answer as to who was the guilty party. They wanted to be told who the criminal was and why, but had to settle for a deduction of their own. Although I find value in that open-ended style, they were frustrated by it.

Rating:
Summary: Get them involved
Review: Students really got involved in science investigation as they tried to solve one of the mysteries in this book. During a summer camp for children ages 9-12, we used the mystery written for the older students. They loved the hands-on involvement and stayed engrossed all week. If your science curriculum is putting your students to sleep, this book will help you jumpstart their interest. There are two different mysteries. One is designed for K-3 while the other works well with the older students. Even students of mixed ages and abilities worked well together and were successful. The students only had one complaint...The book did not give them a definitive answer as to who was the guilty party. They wanted to be told who the criminal was and why, but had to settle for a deduction of their own. Although I find value in that open-ended style, they were frustrated by it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful learning experience!
Review: This book is absolutely amazing! It contains two different mysteries to solve (one for younger grades and one for older grades). In a practicum for my teaching degree we did the older grades mystery with a class of fifth graders and they loved it. They were able to look for clues, gather evidence, map the crime scene, scientifically test the evidence, use deductive reasoning to solve the mystery and much, much, more. The educational value of this book is tremendous. A great supplement for the science curriculum and also to help kids to use logic and reasoning. It's a must have for all teachers!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful learning experience!
Review: This book is absolutely amazing! It contains two different mysteries to solve (one for younger grades and one for older grades). In a practicum for my teaching degree we did the older grades mystery with a class of fifth graders and they loved it. They were able to look for clues, gather evidence, map the crime scene, scientifically test the evidence, use deductive reasoning to solve the mystery and much, much, more. The educational value of this book is tremendous. A great supplement for the science curriculum and also to help kids to use logic and reasoning. It's a must have for all teachers!