Hummus Mystery | Claim, Evidence, & Reasoning Argumentative Writing Activity

Help your students practice identifying evidence, creating a claim, and writing an argumentative paragraph with this mystery activity. Students will work in small groups to read a story about three friends who are in the school cafeteria when the hummus goes missing. Then, they will collaborate with their partners to write a paragraph that defends their opinion about which animal or person stole the hummus.

If there's time at the end of class, the teacher can extend the activity by asking students to present their case to the classroom in a mock "courtroom." Then, a jury of students can vote for the best case.

This 8.5 x 11 in pdf can be printed in black and white. It contains two pages.

Love this CER activity? You might also enjoy...

• Murder or Accident Mystery - This riveting story about two best friends will prompt lively conversations and thoughtful argumentative writing.
• Case of the Missing Hardware Mystery - This small down robbery will captivate your students' attention!

What teachers are saying...

❤ "My students had so much fun solving the mystery that they did not realize they were using their claim, evidence and reasoning skills. Awesome idea!"

❤ "Really fun to do with the students! Loved reading their reasoning for who they think did it!"

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