Classic Mysteries – Ind. Study – FALL
Date & Time
Instructor
Grade Level
Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book? Do you enjoy hunting for clues, piecing together evidence, and spotting the red herrings authors use to throw readers off track? This independent study in classic mysteries invites students to dive into some of the genre’s finest examples, known for their clever plots, twists, and surprises.
Meet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and discover why this iconic detective continues to fascinate readers today. Try to outsmart Agatha Christie—if you can. Her works are outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, and for good reason. The works to be covered, along with the student’s objectives and goals for the semester, must be approved by the teacher before the semester begins. Books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton, and Dashiell Hammett may be selected. Other works outside these authors will require approval and may incur an additional fee. Students will meet with the teacher an average of three to five times during the semester.
Special Note:Â Please contact the teacher to discuss your ideas and desired book list for the independent study before registering. For middle school students, please email to discuss appropriate book options.
Please view the prerequisites below.
Jenny Cutler earned her B.A. in Education in 2005 and her Master’s in Multicultural Education in 2012, both from Eastern University. She has taught in both private and public school settings and later transitioned to full-time online teaching in 2014, finding it an ideal fit for both her students and her family. In addition to teaching, Jenny has experience running a tutoring business and continues to serve her local church in a variety of capacities. She is currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in English at Wichita State University.
Jenny is passionate about helping students develop a genuine love of literature. She believes that good books cultivate both critical thinking and compassion, and she especially enjoys guiding reluctant readers toward meaningful connections with texts they never expected to love.
Jenny lives in rural Michigan with her husband, four children, and a multitude of pets. When she’s not teaching she can usually be found experimenting with a new recipe, embroidering, swimming, or—most often—with her nose in a book.
Parent S. –
My daughter very much enjoyed the Classic Mysteries creative writing class with Mrs. Cutler. Mrs. Cutler was so sweet and gentle with my daughter as she improved her writing skills. My daughter enjoyed the books that her and Mrs. Cutler picked out together. There was a lot of flexibility in what books my daughter could pick in the genre of mystery. Mrs. Cutler was so patient and did such a great job with my daughter as she was a senior and had a busy work schedule. We would definetely choose to do this course again.
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We chose this course as an alternative for English, wanting to keep the spring semester free for trips. I had such a great experience! Mrs. Cutler was very helpful, and super flexible to my busy schedule when it came to planning one on one meetings. She provided me with great ideas for projects and papers after each book was completed. Highly recommend!