Student Activities for The Westing Game
Essential Questions for The Westing Game
- How do friendships improve a person’s life?
- How does Westing’s game end up helping the heirs?
- Is Sam Westing a good person?
- What does it mean to make amends? Why is this important?
- How important is money to a person’s happiness?
- What is more important to the Westing heirs: friendship or money?
Mystery Genre
The most compelling aspect of The Westing Game is its mystery: who killed Sam Westing and why were all the heirs lured to Sunset Towers? The thrill of solving the crime keeps students reading and often makes them attentive to small details and clues. For this reason, The Westing Game can be an effective novel with which to teach about the mystery genre. Pre-teaching common mystery elements from the list below will help students identify them as they appear in the novel.
Elements of Mystery
- Mysterious death or crime to be solved
- Main character is a detective and sorts out the mystery
- Group of suspects and their motives that must be weighed and evaluated
- Clues
- Hidden evidence
- Suspense
- Foreshadowing
- Red herrings
How Tos about The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Engage students with a collaborative mystery-solving activity
Boost student excitement and teamwork by organizing a classroom mystery game inspired by The Westing Game. This approach lets students practice deduction, analyze clues, and work together, bringing the book’s intrigue to life.
Set up the classroom mystery scenario
Prepare a fictional mystery for your students to solve. Write a short story or scenario with a crime, suspects, motives, and hidden clues. Use details and twists similar to those in The Westing Game to make it engaging.
Assign roles and teams
Divide your class into small detective teams. Give each student a role, such as detective, suspect, or clue master, so everyone is involved. This encourages participation and mirrors the novel’s group dynamics.
Distribute clues and evidence
Hand out clues, evidence, and red herrings to teams. Let students examine and discuss each piece, just as characters do in the book. This strengthens critical thinking and observation skills.
Guide student investigation and discussion
Facilitate teamwork as students debate motives, suspects, and possible solutions. Encourage them to use evidence and logic, connecting the activity to the mystery genre’s elements.
Reveal the solution and reflect together
Announce the answer to the mystery and lead a reflection on strategies used, clues noticed, and teamwork. Discuss how the activity connects to The Westing Game and what students learned about mysteries.
Frequently Asked Questions about The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
What is The Westing Game about?
The Westing Game is a mystery novel by Ellen Raskin where heirs compete to solve the puzzle of Sam Westing's death and claim his fortune. The story is known for its engaging plot and quirky characters.
How can teachers use The Westing Game to teach the mystery genre?
Teachers can use The Westing Game to introduce students to elements of the mystery genre, such as clues, suspects, red herrings, and foreshadowing, by encouraging students to identify these features as they read.
What are the main themes in The Westing Game?
Friendship, making amends, and the importance of money are major themes in The Westing Game. The novel explores how relationships and personal growth can be more valuable than wealth.
What are some quick lesson ideas for teaching The Westing Game?
Quick lesson ideas include analyzing clues and suspects, discussing the essential questions, mapping out the plot structure, and exploring character motives using group activities or storyboards.
Why is The Westing Game a popular choice for middle school classrooms?
The Westing Game is a popular classroom novel because it captivates students with its suspenseful mystery, diverse characters, and opportunities to teach critical thinking and literary elements.
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