Ahoura Ahoura

Murder mystery interview
Elementary(A1) level

Description

In this engaging speaking-based lesson, students take part in a murder mystery interview to practice past simple tense, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Through reading, listening, and role-play activities, learners become detectives and suspects, using real-life language in a fun and interactive context.

Materials

A?size=16&default=html Flashcards – Murder Mystery Vocabulary
Na?size=16&default=html American English file books
Abc American English file voice

Main Aims

  • To develop students’ ability to use past simple tense accurately in context, expand vocabulary related to murder mystery stories, and improve listening and speaking skills through interactive tasks and role-play.

Subsidiary Aims

  • To improve students’ pronunciation of key vocabulary related to detective stories, enhance listening comprehension through chart-based tasks, and encourage collaborative speaking through role-play and pair work.

Procedure

Lead-in (5-5 minutes) • To engage learners and activate interest in the topic of detective stories.

Ask students: “Do you like detective stories?” Briefly explain what a detective does. Mention famous examples like Detective Gadget.

Vocabulary presentation (10-15 minutes) • To introduce and clarify key vocabulary related to murder mystery (Inspector, Suspect, Kill, Interview).

Use flashcards to present each word. Elicit meanings from students and check understanding using CCQs. Then, students match words with definitions in pairs.

Reading practice (10-25 minutes) • To develop learners’ ability to read for gist and specific information in a narrative context.

Students skim the murder mystery text to get the general idea, then scan for specific details (e.g., What time did Jeremy go to bed? Did Amanda love Jeremy?). Pair check and brief whole-class feedback.

pronunciation focus (7-32 minutes) • To improve learners’ pronunciation of key vocabulary from the murder mystery context.

Focus on pronunciation of target words (e.g., porch, justice). Use board work and drilling techniques. Clarify stress and sound differences using CCQs.

Listening task (15-47 minutes) • To develop listening for specific information and support comprehension through chart completion.

Students listen to the inspector’s interview and fill in a chart with details about each suspect. Then check answers with a partner and discuss who they think the murderer is.

Listening task (15-47 minutes) • To develop listening for specific information and support comprehension through chart completion.

Students listen to the inspector’s interview and fill in a chart with details about each suspect. Then check answers with a partner and discuss who they think the murderer is.

Listening task (15-47 minutes) • To develop listening for specific information and support comprehension through chart completion.

Students listen to the inspector’s interview and fill in a chart with details about each suspect. Then check answers with a partner and discuss who they think the murderer is.

Grammar focus (10-57 minutes) • To review past simple tense forms and reinforce grammar rules.

Use coursebook page 165 to highlight regular and irregular verb forms. Clarify rules for forming past tense (e.g., -ed endings, irregular forms). Use CCQs to check understanding and provide examples on the board.

Speaking practice (8-65 minutes) • To encourage freer production of past simple structures in a communicative context.

Students role-play as inspector and suspect, asking and answering questions about their evening. Then share ideas in groups and discuss who they think committed the murder. Teacher monitors and provides delayed error correction.

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