Become a sleuth and get to know new classmates. Who can crack the codes? Solve mysteries about your friends!

• 1.

  How well do you know your classmates? Are they men of mystery and women of intrigue? What are their hobbies and favorite people? Everyone in the class can be a sleuth! Here’s one way to begin.

• 2.

  <STRONG> Make an ID card</STRONG>. On an index card, create your Secret Agent identity card with Crayola® Gel Markers and Rainbow Twistables. First, come up with an alias, or code name. You could combine your pet’s name with your grandmother’s name, spell your name backwards, or choose a nickname.

• 3.

  Encrypt other vital information about yourself with symbols (you might pick a plane if you like to fly). Design a code for your birthday and street address. Scramble letters or use nonsense symbols. Write your real name on the back. To wear your badge, cut a small X at the top of the card with Crayola Scissors. Slip a button through the X.

• 4.

  <STRONG>Prepare your Secret Agent Notebook</STRONG>. Decorate a small paper for the front of a Mead Mini Notebook. Make sure your Secret Agent code name is on it. Glue it on with a Crayola Glue Stick.

• 5.

  <STRONG>Conduct interviews</STRONG>. Now it’s time to figure out who’s who. As you ask your classmates questions, record their answers in your Secret Agent notebook with Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils. Try to crack the codes on each other’s ID cards! Wh

Benefits

• Students use their imaginations to create a character from their own personalities and create mock papers in the style of secret agents.
• Students interview their classmates to learn more about them.
• Students employ problem-solving skills to match identities with students.

Adaptations

• Plan a mystery event for your school. Decide on a theme, arrange for accomplices, generate clues, and sign up the sleuths!
• Invite a detective or FBI agent to discuss their work. What equipment do they use? What are some of their most challenging aspects of their work?
• Divide into small groups. Each group develops a code for the other groups to try to break.