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Mystery Flip-Flap

What is hidden in this mystery? Students will write a mystery story and illustrate a special clue or solution that will be hidden under a flap.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Heavy Paper
  • Tape

Steps

  • Step 1

    Ask students to recall books or stories they've read that have a surprise ending or mysteries whose solutions are revealed at the end. Could they see any twists coming or solve the mystery before reading the solution? Was it fun to look for clues along the way? Was it stimulating to think about various scenarios and explanations?

  • Step 2

    Challenge students to write a short mystery story. Have them write and illustrate it on heavy paper, and leave a blank space for the answer that they will hide with a flap. Have them cut a small piece of construction paper and draw images on it associated with their story. They will write and/or illustrate the mystery answer in the blank space, then tape the top edge of the illustrated construction paper over that area so that it can be flipped open to reveal the answer.

  • Step 3

    Have students read their stories to the class and ask classmates to guess the solution. When everyone has had a chance to weigh in, ask the students to flip their flaps and see if they were right!

Standards

LA: Write using words, numbers, and images to inform and explain, share experiences, and create narratives, either fictional or non-fictional.  

LA: Add drawings or other visual displays to written text to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. 

Adaptations

Read a lift-the-flap book to the class, such as "Guess What's in Space" by Clever Publishing and Elena Zolotareva or "Look Inside: Things That Go" by Rob Lloyd Jones and Stefano Tognetti. Ask students to predict what will be revealed when the flap is lifted.

Have students form groups and collaboratively write a play about a mystery that another group will try to solve. Ask them to create dialogue for each character and then act it out for the class.