KS3> Skills > Creative Writing murder, mystery and suspense > Murder, Murder! Students write a variety of texts based around a murder investigation.

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Brice Hamilton
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1 tweakit resource guide Murder, Murder! KS3> Skills > Creative Writing murder, mystery and suspense > Murder, Murder! How it works Students write a variety of texts based around a murder investigation. Try this! This one resource provides a great opportunity to develop students understanding of how to match language to purpose and audience, i.e. of language variety. Before students write each text in the Murder, Murder! resource, give them an example of that text and ask them to analyse each in terms of its purpose, and the language features that typically match each purpose. The table below provides a simple template to support their analysis. It starts with part of an example relating to the detective s CV. Rather than giving the students the filled-in example, it would be better to work through a completed CV with them. You can find examples with a simple web search (or why not use your own?!) Text Purpose Audience Form Features 1. The detective To inform (and possibly to persuade) 2. Telephone conversation Clients Details sheet/cv Transcript 3. Crime scene Detailed notes 4. Witnesses Witness statement 5. Letter Anonymous letter 6. Interview Notes/ summary 7. Solution Detective fiction 8. Newspaper story Newspaper report bullet points combination of graphics and writing information grouped by category murder

2 Through this exercise, students should develop a good understanding of how language is different for different purposes and audiences, and how speech and writing differ in grammar and structure. They will be working broadly within WAF2: Produce texts which are appropriate to task, reader and purpose. A number of other resources on Teachit will support your work in this area. You could try the following links for useful examples of relevant texts: Language variety - Magna Carta & SMS messaging at the difference between formal and informal modes. Comparing headlines students explore the language choices in newspaper headlines. Purpose, audience, format ience+form&submit.x=0&submit.y=0-guides students on the analysis of different texts and how to target specific purposes, audiences and formats murder

3 Murder The detective s details Name: Age: Contact details: Appearance: Qualifications: Training: Experience (including famous cases): Hobbies, likes & dislikes:

4 Murder, murder How to set out your telephone conversation: Mr Moose: Mrs U.P.Set: Mr Moose: Mrs U.P.Set: Scene: F. A. Moose detective agency (At his desk, Mr Moose swings around on his chair. The telephone rings and he tries to stop. He picks up the phone but wraps the cord around himself as he speaks. His chair keeps swinging round and round) (Dizzily) F.A Moose Detective Agency. Mr Moose speaking. (He manages to stop the chair, but falls onto the floor) (Crying loudly) Mr Moose, please help me my husband he was such a lovely man (Interrupting) You say he was a lovely man. (Stands up, interested) He s been bad hasn t he? Do you want me to follow him and see what he s up to? (Sobbing uncontrollably) No! He s dead! Somebody murdered him! Where the scene takes place. Say what the detective is doing when the telephone rings. Put this description in brackets. The speaker s name goes in the margin. Show how the words are spoken, in brackets. Put all stage directions in brackets. Speech marks are not needed in a script. Remember to put directions after/in the middle of speech in brackets. Punctuation is needed.

5 Telephone conversation Scene:

6 The detective s notepad: crime scene Plan of crime scene (viewed from above):

7 Witness statement Name of witness: Date of statement: Location when taken: I (name) of (address) Time taken: swear that the information I provide here is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Signed:

8 Murder The anonymous letter

9 The detective s notepad: the interview Name of suspect: Date: Time: Information provided by suspect: Comments:

10 Murder - the solution

KS3 > Skills > Story openings and endings (NLS Y7) > Using clues to predict a story

tweakit resource guide Using clues to predict a story KS3 > Skills > Story openings and endings (NLS Y7) > Using clues to predict a story How it works Try this! Students study the opening of a very short