Mystery Stories - 5 Reading Passages and Inference Detective Activities

Unleash the detective in every student! Eight inference activities and five two-page mystery stories build close reading and critical thinking skills in third, fourth, or fifth grade. The passages are ideal for your genre study or as stand-alone comprehension exercises.

Open the previews to take a closer look at the activities. Carefully created and sequenced, the mystery passages scaffold students to reading success.

First, the class or homeschool group practices strategies for making inferences. Through a series of short read-aloud stories, students consider clues in everyday life. For example, if a character’s eyes are red and puffy, kids can infer that they’ve been crying (or have allergies). Three passages with targeted questions are included:

• Lost in the Forest
• Moving Day
• The Bus Ride

Second, they practice inferring independently. Five worksheets provide brief prompts. For each, students make an inference about people or places.

• Professions
• Age Groups
• Relationships
• Vacation Spots
• Information About People

These brief activities make readers more observant, pull small details from the text, and draw conclusions. They’re great for scaffolding to full-length stories.

Finally, they read short mystery stories. Five simple original passages are included. Students read like detectives to locate subtle clues (including false clues, or red herrings). Then they use the evidence to infer and solve the case.

• The Case of the Missing Cookies
• Mystery of the Missing Bike
• The Case of the Missing Lunch Bag
• The Mysterious Whispering
• The Case of the Disappearing Pansies

Each passage is included with and without solutions printed at the end. With corresponding organizers, kids pinpoint the mystery, write clues, and use deductive reasoning to find the solution.

Files include everything you need:

• Three read-aloud stories for improving inference skills
• Five worksheets to practice inferring
• Mystery vocabulary handout
• Five short whodunnit mystery stories (two pages each) with graphic organizers for clues and solutions
• Answer keys

Resources can be used in a variety of ways.

• Reading activities for your mystery genre study
• Whole class reading comprehension practice
• Small group work, remediation, or tutoring on inferencing
• Homework or sub plans
• Exemplars for student writing

Your third, fourth, or fifth grade students will love it – and so will you!

• Detective stories engage students like nothing else. Let’s face it, figuring out the mystery is fun!
• Carefully planned scaffolding helps kids experience success as readers.
• Your entire class will build inference skills with these literature activities.

Listen to what other educators are saying about these reading resources and passages.

• “My students needed extra practice inferring. This resource was a fun way to do it. Adding the "mystery" made them feel as though they were just being detectives rather than actually practicing a skill.” - Kelsi S.
• “My students loved reading the mysteries and filling out the clues page to try and solve before we read the solution. They were really excited when they predicted the correct solution.” - Sabrina C.

Printable and digital versions of each worksheet are included.

• A PDF provides a traditional pencil and paper option.
• Easel Activities and Google Slides offer digital versions.

Want your students to read, write, and think like detectives? Add these ELA resources to build an entire mystery genre study.

• Challenge kids to write mysteries. This resource includes three different writing activities.
• Provide a variety of detective activities, including secret codes, logic puzzles, observation, invisible ink, and fingerprinting.

Enjoy teaching!

Brenda Kovich