If you, like me, are staring out at a sea of nearly-graduated seniors in your classes and wondering how in God’s name you’ll convince them to do ANYTHING between now and May, you are not alone. Looking for a unique and engaging way to make research skills and writing hands-on, interesting, and relevant for your secondary ELA students? I’ve got just the thing!

These kids love some true crime. I mean, screw “1-2-3, Eyes on Me!” as an attention-getter; just record the “dum-dum” from Law and Order SVU; they’re like Pavlov’s dogs with that noise. Why not lean in to that murder-y voyeurism and sneak in some actual reading and writing skills along the way?

I’m hoarding back this new unit about researching infamous crimes and BUILDING MURDER BOX CRIME SCENES (!!!) until fourth quarter, when I know these seniors will be harder to motivate than a bagful of wet cats. However, if you need to get their attention NOW, go for it!

Check out this new lesson. It’s under ten bucks and might save your sanity. You can see the whole thing in the product preview, so have a quick look! As always, accommodated work is part of the package.

E2E Infamous Unsolved Crimes Research Unit on TpT

Keywords: ELA, secondary ELA, SPED, ELL, accommodations, accessible, scaffolding, research unit, murder, unsolved crime, research project, hands-on activities, high interest, enraged2engaged, E2E, turnkey lesson plans, turnkey sub plans, research organizer