Hello, everyone.

Thank you for joining me today.

I'm Miss Sutherland, and in today's lesson we'll be reading "The Boscombe Valley Mystery." Our learning outcome for today is to be able to comprehend and summarise a text.

So we'll be reading "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," and we'll be making sure that we understand text and can summarise the events.

And this is a brand new Sherlock Holmes text, so I'm sure you will enjoy it.

We have five keywords today and they are, paradoxical.

If something is paradoxical, it seems to contradict itself.

Conjecture.

A conjecture is a conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.

Singularity.

If something has singularity, you could say it is one of a kind.

Quarrel.

A quarrel is a heated argument or disagreement.

And circumstantial.

Circumstantial means indirectly pointing towards someone's guilt but not proving it.

So if there was some evidence that was circumstantial, it would suggest someone is guilty, but not necessarily prove they're guilty.

I'll give you a moment to jot down any of those words that you may wish to.

Great.

Let's get started.

So in today's lesson we'll be reading "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," and as I said, that is a brand new Sherlock Holmes text, so that's very exciting.

In the second learning cycle, we'll be summarising the details of the case.

So as it is a Sherlock Holmes text, of course there will be another mystery.

We'll be making sure we've understood all those mysterious details in the second part of the lesson.

So let's begin with reading "The Boscombe Valley Mystery." We are going to begin reading a new Sherlock Holmes story and it is called "The Boscombe Valley Mystery." Based on what you remember about our reading of "The Speckled Band," what do you think this mystery could involve? Pause the video and have a think.

I heard some really imaginative discussions there.

Let's see if you are right.

Let's delve into the reading.

"We were seated at breakfast one morning, my wife and I, when the maid bought in a telegram.

It was from Sherlock Holmes and ran in this way.

'Have you a couple of days to spare? I've just been wired for from the west of England in connection with Boscombe Valley tragedy.

Shall be glad if you will come with me.

Air and scenery perfect.

Leave Paddington by the 11:15.

' 'What do you say, dear?' said, my wife looking across at me.

'Will you go?' 'I really don't know what to say.

I have a fairly long list at present.

' 'Oh, Anstruther would do your work for you.

You have been looking a little pale lately.

I think that the change would do you good and you are always so interested in Mr. Sherlock Holmes cases.

' 'I should be ungrateful if I were not, seeing what I gained through one of them,' I answered, 'but if I'm to go, I must pack it once, for I've only half an hour.

' My experience of camp life in Afghanistan had at least had the effect of making me a prompt and ready traveller.

My wants were few and simple, so that in less than the time stated I was in a cab with my valise rattling away to Paddington Station.

Sherlock Holmes was pacing up and down the platform, his tall, gaunt figure made even gaunter and taller by his long grey travelling cloak and close-fitting cloth hat cap.

'It is really very good of you to come, Watson' said he.

It makes a considerable difference to me having someone with me on whom I can thoroughly rely.

Local aid is always either worthless or else biassed.

If you will keep the two corner seats, I shall get the tickets.

' We had the carriage to ourselves save for an immense litter of papers, which Holmes had bought with him.

Among these he rummaged and read with intervals of note taking and a meditation until we were past Reading.

Then he suddenly rolled them all into a gigantic ball and tossed them up onto the rack.

'Have you heard anything of the case?' he asked.

'Not a word.

I've not seen a paper for some days.

The London press has not had very full accounts.

I've just been looking through all the recent papers in order to master the particulars.

It seems, from what I gather to be one of those simple cases which are so extremely difficult.

' 'That sounds a little paradoxical.

' 'But it is profoundly true.

Singularity is almost invariably a clue.

The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the more difficult it is to bring it home.

In this case, however, they've established a very serious case against the son of a murdered man.

' 'It is a murder then?' 'Well, it is conjectured to be so.

I shall take nothing for granted until I have the opportunity of looking personally into it.

I'll explain the state of things to you as far as I've been able to understand it in a very few words.

'" As you can see on this page, we've got quite a few keywords.

Let's make sure that we've understood how they're being applied to the text.

So Holmes says that this is a simple and difficult case, and Watson replies that that's a little paradoxical, meaning it doesn't really make sense that such a simple case would be so difficult to solve.

Those two things seem to be going against each other.

But then Holmes replies that because it is so simple, because it's so featureless and commonplace, that makes it difficult.

In fact, if the crime was one of a kind, if the crime was singular, that would make it easier, because that provides a clue in itself.

And then we have conjectured right at the end there.

So Watson's asked if it was a murder and Holmes says it is conjectured to be so.

So people are assuming it's a murder.

They're not necessarily 100% sure, but they strongly believe with the evidence they have that it's a murder.

So we are delving in now to the clues of this supposed murder.

What is believed to be true about the Boscombe Valley mystery? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said it is believed that the Boscombe Valley mystery is a murder.

It's conjectured to be a murder.

Now here we are with the clues.

"Boscombe Valley is a country district not very far from Ross in Herefordshire.

The largest landed proprietor in that part is a Mr. John Turner who made his money in Australia and returned some years ago to the old country.

One of the farms which he held, that of Hatherley, was let to Mr. Charles McCarthy, who was also an ex-Australian.

The men had known each other in the colonies so that it was not unnatural when they came to settle down, they should do so as near as each other as possible.

Turner was apparently the richer man.

So McCarthy became his tenant, but still remained it seems upon terms of perfect equality as they were frequently together.

McCarthy had one son, a lad of 18, and Turner had an only daughter of the same age, but neither of them had wives living." Let's check your understanding of the text we've read so far.

How do McCarthy and Turner know each other? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said McCarthy and Turner know each other because they both spent time in Australia and the colonies together.

I now want you to answer this question.

Who is most wealthy? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said John Turner is most wealthy, It says in the text that John Turner has more money than Charles McCarthy, but they are treated as equals.

Now it's over to you for the reading.

I want you to read independently from, "They appear to have avoided the society of the neighbouring families," to, "they came out before the coroner and the police court." You have seven questions to answer whilst you are reading.

So pause the video and complete the reading.

I hope you enjoyed learning about "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" and some of the clues there.

Let's go through the answers.

Number one, Charles McCarthy did not make it back from his appointment alive.

So now we know Charles McCarthy was supposedly murdered.

Number two, the gamekeeper saw Charles McCarthy's son walking behind him carrying a gun.

Number three, Patience Moran witnessed Charles McCarthy and his son quarrelling, so arguing, with his son, raising a hand towards McCarthy.

Number four, McCarthy sustained injuries to the head from a blunt, heavy weapon it is thought.

Number five, McCarthy's son had his blood on his sleeve.

Number six, McCarthy's son's gun was found near McCarthy's body.

And lastly, McCarthy's son was arrested on suspicion of his father's murder.

So there we have a lot of the clues that Sherlock Holmes will need to solve this case.

And we also know now that Charles McCarthy's son was arrested for this murder.

So he is the suspect in this case.

Now we are going to make sure we've understood every detail of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery." We're going to summarise the details of the case.

So I want you to have a think about what a summary needs to contain.

Pause the video and discuss that question.

A summary contains essential information about something and usually this is the who, what, where, when, and how of an event.

Let's take a look at a summary of "The Speckled Band," another Sherlock Holmes story.

In the case of "The Speckled Band," Dr.

Roylott is guilty of the murder of his stepdaughter, Julia Stoner.

Two years ago at Stoke Moran in the dead of night, he sent a snake down the ventilator to bite her while she was sleeping in her bedroom.

Julia died from the snake's poisonous bite.

Roylott had a clear motive.

If Julia got married he would lose money.

The cause of death went undetected for such a long time because the chemical test was not able to detect the venom of a swamp adder.

So in that summary there, we've summarised the who, what, where, when, and how of "The Speckled Band" mystery.

I now want us to think about how we can summarise the details of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" so far.

So there's a table here with some of the details about "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," some of the details we've just learned through the reading.

I want you to fill in the rest of the summary table to show your understanding of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" so far.

So pause the video and have a go at filling in the rest of the summary table.

Great, let's go through it.

So you should have said that Charles McCarthy was the victim and the believed perpetrator is McCarthy's son.

What happened? It's believed that Charles McCarthy was murdered.

When did this happen? In the text it says Monday, June 3rd after 3:00 PM at some time.

Where did this happen? Near the Boscombe Pool.

And how? It is believed that McCarthy's head was beaten by some heavy and blunt weapon.

So there we have all the details of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" so far in the table.

I want you now to use your completed table to write a summary of the known details of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery." So you need to write your summary, including the who, what, where, when, and how of this mystery.

Pause the video and write your summary.

Excellent job, everyone.

Let's go through what you may have written.

On Monday, June 3rd, just after 3:00 PM, Charles McCarthy was murdered.

The exact cause of his death is unknown, but his body was found near Boscombe Pool with serious injuries sustained to the head by a heavy, blunt object.

McCarthy's son was seen quarrelling with him just before the death by key witness Patience Moran.

Also his son's gun was found beside his body upon close inspection.

These pieces of evidence led police to arrest McCarthy's son upon suspicion of the murder.

Let's go through the components of that summary so you can make sure you've included everything in yours as well.

So the who is Charles McCarthy, and who also relates to who is the suspect as well.

So the victim is Charles McCarthy, and the suspect is McCarthy's son.

What? It is believed that Charles McCarthy was murdered.

That is the event that we're looking into.

When? On Monday, 3rd of June, just after 3:00 PM.

Where? Near the Boscombe Pool.

And how? We do not know for sure.

But it's believed he sustained serious injuries to the head with a blunt and heavy object.

So that could be the cause of death.

Now you need to check your work.

Did you include all the main details of the case as we know it? Pause the video and check your work.

Great job, everyone.

You've worked really hard on that task.

Let's go through what we've learned in today's lesson.

Holmes and Watson have set out to solve the Boscombe Valley mystery.

It is believed that Charles McCarthy was murdered.

McCarthy was seen arguing with his son prior to his death.

McCarthy's son's gun was found near McCarthy's dead body.

And so McCarthy's son is the main suspect in McCarthy's death.

Thank you for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope you've enjoyed reading the first part of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" and I look forward to seeing you next time.