Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Mysteries ask the reader to participate in the action by racing the characters to solve a puzzle. What are some techniques that authors use to get readers interested in a puzzle faced by fictional characters? What mystery have you read or watched in which the author did a good job of making you care about the characters and the mystery right away? What was interesting and relatable about the characters and the conflict they faced?

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to think about how mystery writers create initial engagement with a story—creating empathy for the protagonist(s), offering a clear conflict with stakes that matter to the protagonist, and so on. Even if students answer the first part of this question in writing, they may enjoy sharing examples of mysteries they have read and watched. If you decide to have students discuss examples aloud, this offers a good opportunity to talk about audience, because students are likely to disagree about what makes characters and conflicts interesting and relatable.