2025-06-06 Curse of the Sunken City: A Murder Mystery

Supporting Materials for the Teacher

Slide Deck Outline (Rough Draft)

• Slide 1: Title Slide
  • Curse of the Sunken City: The Abydos Dagger
  • An EFL Murder Mystery Game
• Slide 2: The Scenario
  • Where: Remote Egyptian archaeological dig site, near Heracleion.
  • Who: Professor Alistair Finch, the expedition leader.
  • What: Found murdered in his tent this morning.
  • Weapon: The ancient “Abydos Dagger” he just discovered.
  • Problem: A sandstorm has trapped everyone. The killer is among you!
• Slide 3: Your Goal
  • Work together as a team (but remember, one of you is the killer!).
  • Talk to everyone. Ask questions. Listen carefully.
  • Find out:
    1. WHO killed Professor Alistair Finch?
    2. HOW did they kill him? (The weapon is known, but what about the opportunity?)
    3. WHY did they kill him? (What was the motive?)
• Slide 4: How to Play
  • You will each receive a character role sheet. Read it carefully.
  • This sheet tells you who you are, your relationship to Professor Finch, your alibi, and a key piece of information (a clue) that you know.
  • Do NOT show your sheet to others!
  • Stay in character. Pretend to be the person on your sheet.
  • Mingle and talk to other characters.
  • Share the information on your sheet (your “Key Information”) when you talk to others. (The killer can lie about some things!)
  • Use the “Detective’s Toolkit” worksheet for useful words and phrases.
• Slide 5: Rules of the Game
  • Speak English! This is a great chance to practice.
  • Only ONE person is the killer. The killer knows they are the killer.
  • The killer MUST lie about committing the murder. They will try to blame someone else.
  • All other characters MUST tell the truth about the “Key Information/Clue You Possess” on their sheet. You can be suspicious, or act nervous, but you must share your specific clue truthfully.
  • You can be creative with other parts of your character’s personality or background.
  • Goal: Have fun, practice English, and solve the crime!
• Slide 6 (Optional): Character Introductions
  • (Teacher can briefly state the names of all characters involved in the game).
  • Example: “Today, we have Dr. Lena Hanson, Ben Carter, Dr. Evelyn Hayes…” (Avoid giving away any information from their sheets).
• Slide 7: Let the Investigation Begin!
  • “Any questions before we start?”
  • “Good luck, detectives!”