01
13 SepEntering the Case
What makes a crime story a thinking story?
Open this week's task
In class
Choose one story problem and say: “The biggest problem is...”
After class, 5-8 min
Record one sentence and add one reason with because.
English reading course · autumn
Deconstructing
Detective Fiction
Four crime stories. Twelve Sundays. Prepare one question, notice evidence in class, then practise one clear answer and say it again.
Read closely. Say one clear idea. Keep going.
01 / Your Sundays
One story, one question, one small task.
Every session follows the same easy rhythm: read, notice, speak, and try once more. Open a story page when you want the original text and your quiz.
02
20 SepThe Lottery I: A Normal Day
Read the village setting for details that feel safe.
Open this week's task
In class
Find two ordinary details and one detail that makes you suspicious.
After class, 5-8 min
Say your answer within five seconds, then retell the opening in four sentences.
03
27 SepThe Lottery II: A Rule and Its Cost
Ask how repetition can make violence look lawful.
Open this week's task
In class
Choose one line that shows the community knows the ritual.
After class, 5-8 min
Give one answer with because, change one sentence, and say it again.
04
04 OctThe Tell-Tale Heart I: Trust the Voice?
Notice how the narrator tries to control your opinion.
Open this week's task
In class
Find one repeated word or sudden change in tone.
After class, 5-8 min
Answer the core question, then record a clearer second answer.
05
11 OctThe Tell-Tale Heart II: The Sound of Guilt
Decide what the beating sound tells the reader.
Open this week's task
In class
Compare two possible meanings of the sound.
After class, 5-8 min
Retell the ending in four sentences and reuse one phrase from the page.
06
18 OctA Scandal in Bohemia I: Follow the Clues
Watch how Holmes moves from a detail to an idea.
Open this week's task
In class
Describe what Holmes sees before saying what he thinks.
After class, 5-8 min
Say one three-step answer: detail, idea, result.
07
25 OctA Scandal in Bohemia II: Irene's Move
Read the case from the other person's point of view.
Open this week's task
In class
Find one action showing that Irene understands the plan.
After class, 5-8 min
Answer “Who is really investigating whom?” and add however.
08
01 NovA Haunted House I: A Clue Without a Body
Follow sound, movement and feeling through the house.
Open this week's task
In class
Choose one literal detail and one image that feels symbolic.
After class, 5-8 min
Record a five-second answer and repeat it after changing one word.
09
08 NovA Haunted House II: What Is the Treasure?
Test more than one meaning for the final image.
Open this week's task
In class
Give one possible meaning and one detail that supports it.
After class, 5-8 min
Write 4-6 sentences about what the house may remember.
10
15 NovReview: Four Kinds of Truth
Compare how the four stories make readers decide.
Open this week's task
In class
Choose two stories and one question they share.
After class, 5-8 min
Give a two-story answer with one phrase from each text.
11
22 NovBuild Your Own Case
Choose one story and make a short personal reading.
Open this week's task
In class
Pick one question, three story details and one possible answer.
After class, 5-8 min
Record a 45-second answer, then record it once more after one correction.
12
29 NovPresent, Challenge, Repeat
Show how your reading changed across the course.
Open this week's task
In class
Present one clear idea and answer one follow-up question.
After class, 5-8 min
Keep your best answer and write one sentence about what you can now do faster.
02 / Your case work
Jack's next case
I will help you notice one clue, ask one useful question, and build one clear answer. Use this same page before, during and after each story.
Before class
Start small: read the opening, keep three useful words, and bring one question.
In class
Write the detail before the idea. Keep one question open until you find evidence.
After class
Come back three times. Each return is short, so the idea stays in your memory.
02 / Story library
Choose a story and start reading.
Each story has its own page with the original text, useful words, free reading tools and a short quiz.
Story 01 / social crime
The Lottery
A peaceful village follows an annual ritual until “winning” reveals the violence beneath the ordinary surface.
Open reader: source link, phrases, quiz
Story 02 / inner crime
The Tell-Tale Heart
An unnamed speaker claims perfect sanity while fear, murder and guilt shape every detail of the account.
Open reader: full text, phrases, quiz
Story 03 / classic case
A Scandal in Bohemia
Holmes is asked to recover a photograph, but the person he expects to outwit has already anticipated the investigation.
Open reader: full text, phrases, quiz
Story 04 / ambiguous case
A Haunted House
A house seems to hold a ghostly search. The “evidence” opens into memory, love and the limits of explanation.
Open reader: full text, phrases, quiz
03 / Your long-term routine
Keep it short. Keep saying it.
This is the same low-load practice used in the summer: one answer, one small improvement, one second attempt. No long memorisation task.
01 / START
Start your answer
Begin with one clear idea before you add detail.
What is the biggest problem in this story?
Start speaking before the five-second timer ends. Type the sentence here as your first answer.
Ready
One sentence is enough. You can type if microphone dictation is unavailable.
Can you carry one story phrase into your answer?
Choose a story and phrase, listen once, then use it in your own sentence.
Can you retell the story in four sentences?
Keep the shape: at first, then, the important detail, and your idea.
What will you change in your second attempt?
Keep one answer, choose one correction, and say it again more clearly.
First attempt
Not added yet.
Second attempt
Not added yet.