By “story riddle” I mean a story that calls for a solution. By scrambling the story, we give the students two separate challenges: First, to unscramble the story; second, to solve it.
If this doesn’t seem clear, don’t worry—the example will make it clear.
Look at this PDF: The Bells! The Bells! PDF
PREPARATION: To use this, simply out print the PDF and cut along the lines.
1. Distribute the pieces and direct the students to unscramble them.
2. Once they have the story pieces in order, they ask Yes/No questions to arrive at the solution.
IMPORTANT:
• The piece with the gray background is the master key. Make sure none of the students sees this.
• Also, there is a piece with red text. This is the answer! You can hold that, and the students will ask their questions to you. But I like to give the answer slip to a student (or two or three in a larger class). The other students ask the answer holder the questions. This puts the activity more into the hands of the students. This small change can make a big difference in the learning dynamic!
Once again, here is the PDF to print out if you wish to use it: