Hand eachgroup a “mystery envelope.” Inside is an index card with a question for thegroup to answer. Here are some examples of mystery questions:

·      What is thesingle most important word in this chapter? Why?

·      Which characterhas changed the most so far? Is the change good or bad? What caused thischange?

·      What lesson(s)have we learned from a specific character?

·      This chapterdoesn’t have a title. What should the title be? Why?

·      Which minorcharacter played the most important role in this book? Why?

·      Why did we readthis book? Why spend four weeks reading it? What value does it hold for themodern reader?

·      What techniquesdid the author use in this chapter to hold the readers’ interest?

·      What is thecentral theme of this passage/chapter/book?

·      Why did theauthor write this passage/chapter/book?

·      Which characteris most (least) believable? Why?

·      Revisit thechapter and search for the foreshadowing. Was the foreshadowing obvious or wasit well hidden?

·      How does theauthor use setting to advance the story?

The groups may be given the samequestion or different ones. Each group shares their answers, with all studentstaking notes as a group shares.