Ellen Raskin
Lesson plans and teaching ideas for
The Westing Game
Launch your own Murder Mystery
Students will write a murder mystery, choosing the victim, murder weapon and the suspect. The assignment asks them to write a story about the murder for their reader, giving clues through the story for the reader to solve as they are reading the story. Students are encouraged to use descriptive words that help to paint the picture for the reader. This lesson focuses on idea development and organization.
Mystery Writing with Joan Lowery Nixon
This site guides students with a mentor text and tips for writing a mystery. At the end they are invited to publish their writing online.
Novel Unit:
The Westing Game
A list of activities a variety of teachers have used with the novel.
The Westing Game
This very thorough unit plan is divided into 11 lessons. It includes anticipation guide, graphic organizers, vocabulary development, and more. Designed for 8th grade.
The Westing Game
A variety of reading strategies and activities, including an anticipation guide, a Cloze activity, and minute mysteries.
The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
Three postreading activities.
The Westing Game
Discussion Guide
Printable student handout with 15 discussion questions, 3 activities, and 2 related titles. Requires Adobe Reader for access.