The Mystery of the Missing Mascot: Case Introduction

Section role: This presentation supports the 'The Mystery of the Missing Mascot' section by introducing the case study narrative and activating students' prior knowledge of the past simple tense. The teacher will use these slides to visually set the scene, introduce the central problem, and present the suspects before leading into a class discussion. Slide outline: (1) Title Slide: The Mystery of the Missing Mascot – An Introduction to the Case. Bullet: A compelling image of a school hallway or display case. (2) The Crime Scene: Missing Bronze Eagle. Bullet: Photo of an empty display case, establishing the theft of the school's bronze eagle mascot between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM last night. (3) Key Vocabulary: Solving the Mystery. Bullets: Define 'theft' (the act of stealing), 'witness' (someone who saw an event), and 'alibi' (proof that someone was elsewhere). (4) Initial Questions: Where Were You? Bullet: Prompt students with 'Where were you yesterday at 7:00 PM?' and 'What did you eat for dinner?' to elicit initial past simple responses. (5) The Suspects: Who Took the Mascot? Bullet: Introduce the three main suspects with placeholder photos: The Janitor, The Coach, and The Science Teacher. (6) Our Mission: Analyze the Statements. Bullet: Explain that students will analyze statements from the suspects to solve the case, setting up the 'Interrogating the Evidence' section. Concrete examples, figures, or vocabulary: Visuals of an empty display case, the bronze eagle (if possible), and placeholder images for the three suspects. Specific vocabulary includes 'theft,' 'witness,' and 'alibi.' Hooks back to the rest of the lesson: This presentation establishes the narrative context for the entire lesson, leading directly into Section 2, 'Interrogating the Evidence,' where students will analyze suspect statements presented in this introduction. It activates prior knowledge of the past simple tense which will be formalized in Section 3 and assessed in Section 4. Closing slide: 'Who stole the mascot? We need your detective skills!' – a call to action for students to engage with the next activity.

Lara from Teachy