Secrets on the Page: Reading & Writing Mysteries
Description
Welcome to a week of suspense, intrigue, red herrings, and deductive reasoning! In this interactive summer camp, students step into the shoes of detectives as they unravel crimes both fictional and historical before crafting their own cases. Through interactive games, age-appropriate historical cases, science-based activities, and short mystery texts, students learn what makes a great mystery work, how to analyze clues, evaluate evidence, investigate suspects, and understand how bias and perspective shape the stories we tell.

Through guided discussions and detective journals, campers strengthen inference, close reading, and critical-thinking skills essential for middle school Humanities. Throughout the week, students collaborate to create an original detective case file, including written case summaries, suspect profiles, evidence logs, witness statements, and a final solution supported by textual evidence.

The camp culminates in a Mystery Case File Showcase, where students attempt to solve one another’s cases. Perfect for budding writers, puzzle-solvers, and fans of mystery series, this camp turns reading and writing into a thrilling, interactive investigation and invites every student to become both a detective and an author.

Instructor: Madeline Warthan, Assistant to Parish Arts & Published Author
Location:
Parish Episcopal School - Midway Campus
Dates:
6/15/2026 - 6/18/2026 11:00 PM
Time:
12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Ages:
Grades 7th - 8th
Cost:
$280.00
Additional:
Academics
Availability:
Registration will begin on 2/4/2026.