Mystery Flip-Flap

Mystery writers coordinate story elements to develop surprise endings with hidden illustrations.

1.

Write an original mystery story with Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils on lined paper.
2.

Use Crayola Scissors to cut a door or window (a closable flap) in the center of a piece of construction paper. In the margin around the flap, use colored pencils to illustrate your mystery story.
3.

Open the flap. Use Crayola School Glue to attach white paper behind the construction paper. Dry overnight.
4.

Draw the solution to your mystery on the paper behind the flap. Close it. Staple the flip-flap illustration to the front of your mystery story.
5.

Friends read the story, look at the cover illustrations, and try to figure out how the mystery is resolved before they peek behind the flap.

Benefits

Students read and discuss a variety of mystery stories. They recognize how story elements-plot, character, sequence, setting-contribute to surprise endings.
Children use their imaginations, creative writing, and complex problem-solving skills to write original mysteries.
Students illustrate their mystery stories.

Create Flip-Flap books as self-portraits or book reports. Older students draw solutions to questions about curriculum content.
Each year, the first full week in October is Mystery Series Week. Read several mysteries before it's time to celebrate. With Mystery Flip-Flap, arts and language teachers can collaborate.
Younger children and those with special needs may need assistance when writing stories. Invite older students or classroom volunteers to assist in transcribing children's ideas for them. Or record stories on audio tape for classmates to listen to while looking at flip-flap illustrations.