FOR THE MURDER OF MR.

KRABS

Murder under the

Sea!
The city of Bikini Bottom has been
rocked with news of the death of Mr.
Krabs, owner of the Krusty Krab
restaurant. From the moment the under-water police discovered
the gruesome scene they suspected foul play. At first, they
thought the killer might be Sheldon Plankton, owner of the Chum
Bucket restaurant and long-time rival of Mr. Krabs.
But no physical evidence could be tied to Plankton.
As the investigation progressed, more and more of
the evidence pointed to one of Mr. Krabss
employees, none other than SpongeBob
Squarepants himself.
SpongeBob insists that hes innocent. The
authorities dont buy Mr. Squarepants claims, but
he has found a team of defense lawyers who do.
Some of the evidence does, in fact, seem to indicate
that SpongeBobs story might actually be true.
Whatever really happened, this is shaping up to be the
trial of the underwater century!

Instructions
In order to solve the case you will be
collecting evidence to prove SpongeBob
is either innocent or guilty. You will be
assigned either the Defense team to
prove SpongeBob is innocent, or you will be on the
Prosecution team to prove SpongeBob is guilty.
The class will be divided into three groups, you will walk
around the room examining going to three different station that
examines three types of evidence: The Crime Scene evidence, the
Suspect evidence, and the Witness testimonies. At each station
read the list of evidence and write down at least one piece of
evidence that you believe most strongly supports your claim.
When you are finished you may rotate to the next station.
After you have gathered 3-4 pieces of evidence you will construct
your argument on the backside of your paper following the
guidelines.

Objectives

Identify facts that support the claim

Discriminate between evidence that helps them prove their point and evidence
that either doesnt help or that actually hurts their case
Organize evidence into a logical sequence to lead their audience to the desired
conclusion

Common Core Standards

(English

Language Arts)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.a
Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.b
Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.c
Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.d
Establish and maintain a formal style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.e
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.

Police Report: Crime Scene Evidence

1) Mr. Krabs was found dead inside of the Krusty Krab
restaurant. His throat had been cut. The coroner concluded that
a metal spatula caused the wound on Mr. Krabss throat.
2) There was a spatula found next to the body. It was covered in
Mr. Krabss blood, but so was everything else around it. The
spatula had several sets of fingerprints, including SpongeBobs,
Squidwards, and Mr. Krabss.
3) The coroner concluded that Mr. Krabs had bled to death, but
the victim also had signs of blunt-force trauma to the back of his
head.
4) The floor in the Krusty Krab restaurant was covered with Mr.
Krabss blood, but it was also very slick with cooking grease
several of the crime scene investigators slipped and fell during
the investigation.
5) SpongeBobs footprints were found all over on the greasy
floor around Mr. Krabss body, along with the footprints of many
other people. His footprints were NOT found in the blood
puddle.
6) There was no sign of a break-in at the restaurant.
7) The Krusty Krab cash register was completely empty.
8) Mr. Krabss safe was found open, and the recipe for his
Krabby Patty was NOT found in it.
9) There was a tiny cut on Mr. Krabss finger, but it was partially
healed. Investigators concluded that this cut happened several
weeks before Mr. Krabss death.

Police Report: Suspect Evidence

1) SpongeBob has worked at the Krusty Krab restaurant for
years. In all that time, he has never received a raise.
2) Plankton has a long history of trying to sabotage Mr. Krabss
restaurant and steal his secret recipes.
3) Inside SpongeBobs home, investigators found a spatula with
traces of Mr. Krabss blood on it. The spatula handle had
SpongeBobs fingerprints, as well as Mr. Krabss.
4) Three days after Mr. Krabss death, Plankton began selling a
crab burger recipe on his website, www.chumbucket.ocean. The
recipe was very similar to Mr. Krabss Krabby Patty recipe, but it
wasnt exactly the same.
5) During a search of Planktons home, investigators did NOT
find the Krabby Patty recipe or any spatulas.
6) SpongeBob was the only person other than Mr. Krabs who had
keys to the restaurant and knew the combination to the safe.
7) Two days after Mr. Krabss death, Plankton went to the bank
and paid the remainder SpongeBobs pineapple house loan.
Plankton says he did this out of the goodness of his heart .

Police Report: Witness Testimony

1) Sandy testified that SpongeBob was desperately in need of
money because the bank was going to repossess his pineapple
house. She said SpongeBob had recently asked Mr. Krabs for a
raise. Mr. Krabs denied him, stating that the business wasnt
doing very well and there wasnt enough money to give anyone
a raise. SpongeBob was pretty upset.
2) Patrick said that SpongeBob told him, Mr. Krabs is a greedy
pig. Hes gonna wish hed given me a raise!
3) SpongeBob said that he went to the Krusty Krab restaurant
the morning of Mr. Krabss death in order to beg one last time
for a raise. When Mr. Krabs denied him again, SpongeBob told
him that he quit. Then he left and went home to his pineapple.
He said he believed that Mr. Krabs would have a difficult time
replacing him and that hed regret losing his best employee.
4) SpongeBob testified that two weeks before Mr. Krabss death,
Mr. Krabs accidentally cut his finger on a spatula. SpongeBob
offered to take it home to get it clean, but then he forgot to
bring it back to the restaurant.
5) Plankton said that the recipe he started selling on his website
was one that he created with the help of his computerized wife,
Karen. He affirmed that he did not steal Mr. Krabss Krabby
Patty recipe and that he did not kill Mr. Krabs.
6) Patrick said he went to the Krusty Krab four hours before Mr.
Krabs was found dead. The restaurant was locked, so Patrick
knocked on the door. Mr. Krabs came out looking very upset. He
told Patrick that the Krusty Krab was closed and that he might
never sell another Krabby Patty again.

Name:

The Defense Team

Identify evidence that proves the CLAIM: SpongeBob is innocent in the

murder of Mr. Krabs.

Evidence (Fact) #1
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Evidence (Fact) #2
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Evidence (Fact) #3
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Evidence (Fact) #4
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Name:
CLAIM: SpongeBob is innocent in the murder of Mr. Krabs.
ARGUMENT: State the reason SpongeBob is innocent (avoid
saying I think):
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EVIDENCE: What facts prove your agreement? (What evidence?)

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EXPLANATION/SO WHAT: What do the facts prove and how does

that support your claim?
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CONCLUSION: Restate your claim, and summarize your

argument.
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Name:

The Prosecution Team

Identify evidence that proves the CLAIM: SpongeBob is guilty in the

murder of Mr. Krabs.

Evidence (Fact) #1
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Evidence (Fact) #2
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Evidence (Fact) #3
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Evidence (Fact) #4
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Name:
CLAIM: SpongeBob is guilty in the murder of Mr. Krabs.
ARGUMENT: State the reason SpongeBob is guilty (avoid saying I
think):
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EVIDENCE: What facts prove your agreement? (What evidence?)

__________________________________________________________________________________________
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EXPLANATION/SO WHAT: What do the facts prove and how does

that support your claim?
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__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

CONCLUSION: Restate your claim, and summarize your

argument.
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