What is Murdoch in the Classroom.
Murdoch in the Classroom is a free, cross-curricular, story-driven, inquiry-based program that adapts to diverse classroom needs and local curricula.
Why Murdoch works in class.
With 19 seasons / 312 episodes and fans in 150+ countries, Murdoch Mysteries offers rich historical context, relatable characters, compelling stories that reflect changing social, technological and cultural times – an ideal lens for authentic learning across Social Studies/History, Science & Technology, Language Arts, Math, and the Arts. Lessons are inquiry-based and story-driven to foster critical thinking, creativity, and confidence.
How the teaching model works.
- Designed for flexibility, not “lock-step.” Lesson plans are built to fit your grade, outcomes, and learner variability.
- Grounded in “big ideas” and essential questions. Each unit names enduring concepts and inquiry prompts to drive analysis and thoughtful discussion.
- Built-in assessment & reflection. Every lesson includes outcomes, curriculum foci, rubrics (teacher and students) and student reflection for metacognition.
- UDL & SEL. The lessons are designed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to meet diverse learner needs and emphasizes Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) to build empathy, self-awareness, and strong communication skills.
What you get.
- 5 ready-to-use lesson plans + 1 introduction to the world of Murdoch Mysteries: aligned across Social Studies/History, Language Art/English, the Arts, Science and Math
- Teacher supports: built-in assessment rubrics, printable assets and clear lesson outcomes.
- Engaging activities: hands-on tasks that make learning visible – create characters, write scripts, compose music, explore crime scenes or design an escape room.
- Media & tools: exclusive actor and crew videos, curated Murdoch clips and episodes, links to websites, media tools and resources.
- Onboarding: a 15-minute recorded welcome webinar, a “World of Murdoch” teacher resource, and a suggested episode list to get started quickly and confidently.
- Ongoing Support: access to educators to answer questions, support implementation and share ideas
Inside a lesson (at a glance).
- Lesson Design: Overview → Preview & Preparation →Essential & Guiding Questions → Learning Goals → Assessment Evidence → Lesson Plan (Hook, Exploration, Creation, Conclusion) → Assessment & Evaluation. Example Lesson – Mystery Meets History: Students research a historical figure of their choice, then plan and pitch a Murdoch Mysteries episode that honours the person’s real-life legacy while creating a compelling, believable story
Transferable skills students build.
Transferable Skills: Communication, teamwork, executive functions, self-awareness, empathy, innovation, decision-making, learner agency and more are explicitly highlighted and practiced across the lessons.
Proven results.
- 90% average student grade (vs 77% previous year)
- 100% of teachers would teach it again
- 60% of students became fans of the series