Earlier this year, we reported on how some English teachers are using murder mysteries to teach English.
Today we tell about an educational series called "One Minute Mysteries." Each book in the series requires students to solve a mystery by using their knowledge of mathematics and science.
The latest additions are written in both English and Spanish. The books are targeted at schools where students are taught in both languages.
Here is an example.
Imagine this situation: A mother writes a note to her children and then leaves home for the day. The note says the children should prepare a meal for themselves. There are eggs in the home. Some are hard-boiled, while others are not. Both kinds of eggs look the same. How can the children know which is which, without breaking them open?
The students at Mundo Verde have to think scientifically to solve this mystery. One fifth grader, Samadhi, says she had to try more than one idea to recognize a difference between the eggs.
"It was kind of difficult, but it was fun too ...You get to do things yourself. You get to try new things, you don't have to do what the teacher tells you. You get to try stuff that you think might work for what you're doing."
Samadhi discovered that spinning the eggs solved the problem. Raw eggs spin more slowly than hard-boiled ones because the liquid inside slows them down.
This mystery is called, "The Eggcellent Idea." It is one of 65 mysteries in the series. Each one takes about 90 seconds to read and requires students to solve it using their math and science knowledge.