Today, as we launched our mystery genre study, we were challenged first by a “one-minute mystery.” Examining text-based clues, accessing our background knowledge, and posing clarifying questions allowed us not only to seek a solution but also to identify skills and strategies necessary for growth as readers. We realized that rereading the lines was valuable as was “reading BETWEEN the lines.” 
Upon discussing this further, we were able to uncover a new “secret agent code” to add to our collection. Today’s code is:
schema + text evidence = inference
We then examined one illustration and caption from Chris Van Allsburg’s book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
Archie Smith, Boy Wonder
A tiny voice asked, “Is he the one?”
From this simple scene, we allowed our imaginations to wander and wonder. After taking a few minutes to start a story, we stopped to collect some questions sparked by our curiosity and that of our prospective readers.
- What are the balls of light?
- Who is the tiny voice?
- Is the voice related to the balls of light?
- Why is Archie Smith a “boy wonder?”
- Why is he sleeping? Is he tired because of something he has done?
- Is the window open? Why?
- Why is there a boat in the scene?
- Is the boat like Cinderella’s slippers? Does it cause the boy to change? Does it give him special powers?
- Why is there a bat? How does Archie use it?
- What else is on the window sill? How does that affect Archie?
Will we be able to answer all these questions? How will our stories develop from this one mysterious image?