Middle school · Grades 6–8
The Westing Game Homeschool Literature Study Guide
For grades 6–8 · 6-week family study
by Ellen Raskin
Prepared by StudyGuide Pro · Updated
About the book
What this guide helps your family notice
Sixteen very different heirs move into Sunset Towers and become pieces in a puzzle that tests how well they read one another.
Why we place this guide in grades 6–8
The book treats reading itself as the central skill: students must track structure, revise theories, and distinguish a clever guess from a supported conclusion.
Placement reflects the independence, evidence, vocabulary, content, and project expected by this guide. It is a teaching recommendation, not a claim that every child reads at the same pace.
Free sample lesson
Week 1 · The players
Read Chapters 1–8
What does the opening reveal about how appearances can mislead?
Parent answer guidance
A strong answer should name a specific choice, detail, or line from Chapters 1–8; explain what it shows about the players; and make room for a different answer when the child can support it from the story. Prompt once with “What in the chapter makes you think that?” before supplying an interpretation.
Edition-independent chapter map
A 6-week reading schedule
The plan follows chapters or named sections rather than page numbers, so it stays usable across common paperback, hardcover, and ebook editions. If an edition numbers supplemental material differently, match the chapter title or stopping event.
Week 1 · Chapters 1–8
The players
What does the opening reveal about how appearances can mislead?
Activity: Create suspect profiles.
Week 2 · Chapters 9–15
Clues and contracts
Which clue seems small now but may matter later?
Activity: Start a clue ledger.
Week 3 · Chapters 16–22
Revising theories
What makes you change your mind about a suspect?
Activity: Record theory changes with evidence.
Week 4 · Chapters 23–29
Names and identity
How do names help characters hide or reveal themselves?
Activity: Map name and identity clues.
Week 5 · Chapters 30–end
A fair solution
Which details make the ending feel earned?
Activity: Sort red herrings from decisive clues.
Week 6 · Review and revisit
Reading as reasoning
What kind of reader does the mystery reward?
Activity: Present the solved-case board.
Learning objectives and extra prompts
What students will practice
- Use the text to practice inference.
- Use the text to practice structure.
- Use the text to practice character clues.
- Use the text to practice argument.
More sample questions
- 01What clues does Raskin give readers before the characters notice them?
- 02How do names and identities function in the mystery?
- 03What makes a solution feel earned?
Extension activities
- Keep a clue ledger
- Build suspect profiles
- Defend a solution with evidence
Content notes for parents
Know what to expect before you begin.
A murder mystery built around deception, inheritance, and identity; violence is not graphic.
Children practice: Inference · Structure · Character clues · Argument
Final reflection
Finish with a final project.
Present a solved-case board that separates red herrings, decisive clues, and evidence for the final solution.
Final-project rubric
Four things to look for
01
Understanding
Accurately represents the book’s characters, events, setting, or central ideas.
02
Text evidence
Uses specific moments, details, or language from the reading to support choices.
03
Communication
Explains the project clearly in words suited to the student’s grade band.
04
Reflection
Connects the finished work to a theme, change, question, or insight from the book.
Use the rubric descriptively: beginning, developing, clear, or especially strong. It is answer support for family feedback, not a standardized assessment.
Editorial and worldview note
What kind of guide this is
Written for Christian homeschool families: literary analysis stays grounded in the book, with room for biblical reflection at home. These are literature guides, not Bible curriculum.
Prepared by StudyGuide Pro; reviewed September 1, 2026. Read the editorial method →
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