I held my 2nd CSI: Bronxville this past October.
It was a murder mystery program based on “Anyone's Guess: Death Gets a Red Card."
(Anyone’s Guess kits are available from Highsmith.com.)
I ran the program by myself, which is doable, but not recommended. I had 18 teens attend!
I did not do what the kit recommended, which is set up separate crime areas for the "detectives" to investigate. They give you an excellent planning book on how to set up the crime scene, detective's desk, etc., but I didn't have the room to do this.
Here's what I did:
The students were invited into the "Detective's Lounge" where they played warm-up games. (Paper and pencil are needed!)
Game #1 was a side table with a "candy bar crime station." I had six plates set out with chunks of different candy bars set on each plate. The candy was chopped up so it no longer resembled the original candy bar. The students had to test their observational skills and guess what candy bar was on each plate. This is a good game to play while you’re waiting for everyone to arrive.
Warm-up game #2
Set-up a table with various small objects and let the students study the table for one minute. Then cover the items and have them write down as many items & details about the items as they can remember.
Warm-up Game #3
Memory test. I found a blurb online that stated that the average person can only retain 7 pieces of information in their short term memory. So we tested this assertion. I wrote a series of 6 numbers on a display board. After ten seconds, I covered it. We continued this pattern through 10 numbers before going back and checking out answers.
Warm-up game #4
Ask daily observation questions (how many stripes on our flag? how many buttons on a phone? Is the green light on the top or the bottom of a traffic light? how many sides to a stop sign?) I found a quiz list of questions like these online.
Warm-Up game #5
Play "partner mix-up." Each student picks a partner. One person in the pair alters their appearance in some small way (tuck in a shirt, untie a shoe, etc.) while their partner has their back turned. They then had to determine what was different.
If you have a partner for the program, have them wear a crazy outfit (wig, glasses, coat, socks, buttons, etc.) And walk around the room while the other games are taking place. Then once your partner leaves the room, ask the students to write down everything they could remember about your partner's appearance.
I played the first three games w/the teens, & I awarded prizes for the top scorers in each game.
For the murder mystery program:
I wanted to incorporate library skills into my game. So instead of setting up crime scenes to visit, I made the teens hunt for their clues. I divided the students into 3 teams- Team A, B, and C. (In the future, I will have more teams so the number of students in each group isn’t so high.)
The teams had to use location cards to locate specific library materials that contained pieces evidence.
For the set-up, I photocopied 3 sets of the "evidence" provided in the "Anyone's Guess" box. I paired one piece of evidence with a location clue and put them into envelopes marked "Team A,” "Team B,” or “Team C.” I had a specfic location course mapped out ahead of time. I staggered the teams so they wouldn't be looking for the same clues at the same time.
Note: I noticed that some of the teens try to cheat! So warn them in advance that you have library spies watching them & “misconduct” points will be deducted if they’re caught running or cheating. (They were trying to hide the book so the other team wouldn't be able to find it, etc.)
I gave my teams 10 locations to visit w/ a piece of evidence to collect at each stop.
I also instructed to kids to be on the lookout for extra "bonus" clues. The actual mystery solution was only worth 75%-- the other 25% would be made up of bonus clues. So, if both teams got the solution, the bonus questions would determine the winner.
For the bonuses, I asked each team to elect an official transcriber. That person was in charge of writing down evidence or anything suspicious that the team encounters. The bonus questions were given on the back of each location card. The final location envelope contained a solution sheet and list of questions.For example, one location clue read: Find "The View from the Cherry Tree" in the Children's Room. Who is the author of this book?
For game start, I invited the two teams to visit the crime scene. The kit describes how to set up the "evidence." I gave the kids the background info. on the victim and crime scene (supplied by "Anyone’s Guess")-- I instructed the team transcribers to take notes on everything.
Then the teams had to search for more evidence. I handed each team a location start card and they took off! (They got so excited-- I had to keep reminding them to stop running or they would lose points.)
The trail took them all over the library, testing their knowledge of the catalog system and the layout of the library. The teens even had to pick up a book on hold and inquire with the reference librarian about a book. The last location clue led the detectives back to their lounge where they were
instructed to piece together the crime using the gathered evidence— They had to be able to tell me the suspect, murder weapon, motive, and give supporting evidence. They were to list their answers on their solution sheet.
I gave them a deadline--- hand in your sheet within 40 minutes. Everything would count-- bonus questions, solution, even time.
The last clue led them back to the “detective’s lounge” where they worked on their solution sheets.
I ended up with one clear winning team. They got the solution 100% correct and got some of the bonus questions. I gave each participant some candy and a bookmark. The winning team got Halloween toys and face paint.
Using the "Anyone's Guess" game is really the way to go!
Anyone’s Guess Kits include everything you need to plan and produce a mystery program for middle and high school age students. Unlike role–playing mysteries, Anyone’s Guess kits work with any size group. Participants examine the evidence, read accounts from witnesses and suspects, and then solve the mystery. Each kit includes a planning guide that details the props you will need, suggestions for creating the scenes, program procedures and the solution to the mystery. Display the included evidence sheets for all of the participants to see, and reproduce the crime incident/victim/suspect reports, initial statements to the police and answer sheets for individual handouts. Sample press releases and flyers help you promote your program.
Erin / BRO
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