The Case of the Backyard Treasure

CHALLENGING WORDS

brother
case
crack
guess
knows
leave
piece
shouts
solve
waving

SUMMARY

Liz-the-whiz and her brother Henry help their friend Zack use clues to find a treasure. They must solve the mystery by 2p. Will they do it?

--- Conversation Questions---

(1) / Describe the characters in the story.
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Who was your favorite?
(2) / Suppose you were Zack. How would you feel if you got the letter?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Have you ever used a secret code/
(3) / Estimate how long it took the kids to solve the clues and find the treasure.
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Do you think the treasure was worth looking for?
(4) / Compare a time you looked for something to what the children did.
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Did you find what you were looking for?
(5) / Define “whiz.”
(Answer) / A person having notable expertise.
(Follow Up) / Use whiz in a sentence.
(6) / Name who sent Zack the letter.
(Answer) / Sam.
(Follow Up) / Who is Sam?
(7) / Recall the shiny new gift Henry got for his birthday.
(Answer) / A watch.
(Follow Up) / Is the watch useful to solving this mystery?
(8) / Find where the letter said to look first.
(Answer) / Under the big tree.
(Follow Up) / How did they know to do that first?
(9) / State what ‘feet’ Zack and Henry thought the clue was speaking of.
(Answer) / Their feet.
(Follow Up) / What kind of feet did Sam mean?
(10) / Recall what the treasure was.
(Answer) / Sam’s new address and phone number.
(Follow Up) / Why did they have to find it by 2p?
Activities
1. / Make a list of clues they had to follow.
2. / Draw a treasure map and list clues to help someone along the way.
3. / Write a thank you note from Zack to Liz and Henry for helping him.
4. / Looking at the last page, write a paragraph telling what might happen next.
Introductions
1. / Write the word ‘clue.’ Ask children when we use clues. Today we are reading about some friends who use clues to find a treasure.
2. / Show a code, a magnifying glass, a notebook, etc. Ask the children what these items might be used for. Explain that today we are reading about some friends that use different items to solve the clues.
3. / Show the cover of the book. Ask students what they think this book will be about. Tell them that today we are reading about friends who work together to solve clues.

Book Title: The Case of the Backyard Treasure

Author: Joanne Rocklin / Illustrator: John Speirs
ISBN: 0-590-30872 / # of Text Pages: 31 AR: 2.0 LEX: 250
Building Oral Vocabulary
1 / whiz / 2 / snores / 7 / Treasure
Prediction Questions
5 / What is Zack’s problem?
11 / What will the clue lead them to?
22 / What is the answer?

This resource is provided by THE LEARNING CORPS—Barren County Board of Education, an AmeriCorps project funded in part by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service and the Corporation for National and Community Service.