Unit 5

What Are the Traits of a Good Mystery?

Lesson 6

Reader's Notebook

The Clue Catchers

In this lesson, you will be reading a type of graphic story.

When you are reading a graphic story, you must look at both the pictures and the text. Graphic stories also usually include a narrator. The narrator gives background information and important information during the story.

Look at pages 88 and 89 in your Literacy in Action 5B book. Notice that the text of the story is given in speech bubbles that show which character is speaking. The coloured rectangles that appear in almost every frame show that the narrator is speaking. You will find the same layout if you look through the rest of the story.

Click each coloured row for information about the activity.

Think About It


How do detectives know where to look for clues? Write at least three ideas about how detectives find clues.

Reader's Notebook


Before you begin to read the story, think about and answer the question in the Before Reading section on the Reader’s Notebook: The Clue Catchers worksheet.

Remember to write at least one complete sentence for every question on the Reader’s Notebook page.




Document: Reader’s Notebook: The Clue Catchers
Click here to download

Download PDF


  1. Download the document Reader’s Notebook: The Clue Catchers.
  2. IMPORTANT NOTE: When the download screen opens: 
      • Click the "Open with" button.
      • Select "Adobe Reader".
      • Click "OK".
      • You will then be able to view the document Reader’s Notebook: The Clue Catchers.

  3. Print the document.

Turn to pages 88 to 93 in the book Literacy in Action 5B.


As you are reading, pay close attention to how the characters are portrayed or described. Characters can be portrayed using visual clues (how they are drawn, their facial expressions, their actions, etc.) or through textual clues (what they say, how other characters talk to and with them).

Click each coloured tab for information about the activity.

Reader's Notebook

Answer the During Reading question on the Reader’s Notebook: The Clue Catchers page.
Figurative Language

Find another example of a simile or a metaphor to add to your Crack the Code Figurative Language Chart. Refer back to Unit 5, Lesson 2: Reading Mystery Stories - Crack the Code for information about similes and metaphors.

Click on the image of the worksheet to view it larger and remind yourself what the worksheet looks like.
Click the image to view a larger version.

When you are finished reading the story, choose one of the characters from the story. Think about how that character was portrayed in the story. Find at least five words or phrases that describe your character, and write them in the chart in the After Reading section on the Reader’s Notebook: The Clue Catchers page.

Next, think about if the words or phrases you wrote show something positive about the character, something negative, or something neutral (neither good nor bad). Add a plus sign (+) beside the words or phrases that are positive, a minus sign (-) beside the words or phrases that are negative, and an equal sign (=) beside the words or phrases that are neutral.

Then, answer questions 3 and 4 on the worksheet.

Save

How to save a file:

  1. Scan the document to your computer.
  2. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
  3. Name your Reader's Notebook: The Clue Catchers file in this format: jsmith_rncluecatchers and save the file to your Documents folder.
Compare your responses with those in the Key by clicking here.