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Lesson Plan

What are the Similarities and Differences Between Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot Based on Crime-solving Methods? 

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Objectives: 

 

  1. Students will classify the mystery fiction novels and the three types of detecting methods

  2. Students will be able to compare and contrast Sherlock Holmes with Hercule Poirot

  3. Students will develop an interest in detective fiction novels

 

Lesson: 

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1. Brief captures of Sherlock Holmes (Hook); Source: (Ballew) - 2 min

Q: What do you know about Sherlock Holmes? 

  • Characteristics

  • Quote: “It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” - Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

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2. Mystery fiction and the Whodunnits (Intro); Source: (“Whodunits”) - 1 min

  • List of mystery fictions: Detective novels (Sherlock Holmes Series) / Suspense novels (The Silence of the Lambs) / Science fiction novels (Frankenstein)

  • Whodunnits: The reader is immersed in the investigation of the murderer trying to guess “who the murderer is” from beginning to end (Murder on the Orient Express)

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3. Deduction, Induction, and Abduction methods used by detectives (Lecture); Source: (DeMichele) - 6 min

  • “Deductive reasoning deals with certainty” / “Inductive reasoning deals with probability” / “Abductive reasoning deals with guesswork”

  • Both Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot presented the methods (Holmes emphasizing deductive reasoning) - similarities

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4. Differences between Holmes and Poirot (Lecture); Source: (Nayebpour and Pichler) - 6 min

  • Present a video from Holmes - A Study in Scarlet (1 min)

  • Present a video from Poirot - Five Little Pigs (1 min)

Q: How do the two detectives differ in their approach to the cases? 

  • Holmes: detailed observations/Poirot: completely through the verbal narratives of the witnesses. 

 

5. Poirot as a unique detective - 2 min

Q: What makes a detective?

  • Possible Answers: Keen observation, abundant curiosity, and strong memory (everything Holmes has). But Poirot is unique and can be seen from his conversations and also decisions that fell to real “justice”

 

6. Detective Activity - 2 min

  • Provide a picture of a case and let the class guess the murderer. 

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Materials: 

 

  • Photos of books/films relate to the topic

  • Videos from A Study in Scarlet and Five Little Pigs

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Click                        to view the lesson slides

Bibliography

Ballew, Hunter. “Sherlock Holmes, Master Problem Solver.” The Mathematics Teacher, vol. 87, no. 8, 1994, pp. 596-600. ProQuest. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023. 

 

DeMichele, Thomas. “Deductive, Inductive, and Abductive Reasoning Explained.” Fact Myth, 10 July 2018. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023. 

 

Nayebpour, Karam. “Perspective Structure in Agatha Christie’s Five Little Pigs (Murder in Retrospect).” Journal of Current Researches on Social Sciences, vol. 8, no. 3, 2018, pp. 167-184. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023. 

 

Pichler, Andréas. “Deduction and Geography in Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet.” Cahiers Victoriens & Édouardiens (Online), no. 81, 2015, pp. 2-13. ProQuest. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023. 

 

“Whodunits: The Art of Detective Fiction.” Washington and Lee University, 13 July 2018. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023. 

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