The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Mystery is my favorite genre! I reread this book last year and tried to think of fun ways to present the information in the book. This book has quite a few characters and I remember finding it difficult to keep everyone straight. Making character cards, doing a detective notebook or "sleuth" log, and displaying the clues as we learn them may help bring the story alive!

Character Cards for The Westing Game. The front (shown) is a cartoon-like representation of the character based on the author's description. Realistic Art, unlike my brother, does not come naturally to me. I intend to put additional information on the back of the card for quick reference checks.

I know of a few teachers who use character cards for this novel as a matching game. One card (shown above) is used with the character drawing and name. The other card has character information.Click here for the Character Card 3x5 index card template Be sure to check printer options to print in the correct format.

This is my detective notebook. Small columns used to collect information on the 16 "heirs".

Each column includes: detailed description, occupation, connection to Westing, Partner (in Game), Important Facts, and do you believe he/she is a suspect?
Click here for the Detective Notebook

The "clues" as seen in the novel. I printed each clue on an index card. I plan to post the clues on a bulletin board in the classroom as we collect them!

Duck Tape Boxes for School Supplies

Designer Duck Tape used to cover ugly shoe boxes. I  use these to hold index cards (3x5) for vocabulary words, mysecret stash of highlighters, pens, colored pencils, post-its, and sharpies.

I wear a size 7 so my shoe boxes are fairly small! Last year I placed these boxes on my bookshelves behind my teacher's desk, if the students needed to borrow something they could just grab the box. I felt this way easier to keep track of my supplies than a big rolly container.