Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Reading Comprehension for May 22
To Sherlock Holmes, a good mystery became an elementary, or simple, problem. Sherlock Holmes was a detective. He was born in the mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes possessed the skills of logic, observation, deduction, and diagnosis that Doyle had found in one of his favorite professors. The skill of telling a good story came from Doyle's mother.
Doyle was born on May 22, 1859. His full name at birth was Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle. At a much later age, Doyle decided to use his middle name, Conan, as part of his last name. He liked being called Conan Doyle. Ignatius disappeared. The Doyle family lived in Edinburgh, Scotland. Unfortunately, Arthur's father was an alcoholic. He drank up most of the money the family had.
Arthur's mother was the center of his life. She kept the family together. She had a wonderful ability to tell stories. She changed her voice to give the listener an insight into the character she was telling about. Arthur's mother provided the only stability the young boy knew. When Arthur turned nine, wealthy uncles made the decision to send him to school in England. He spent the next seven years in boarding school. Arthur developed the habit of writing long letters to his mother. This habit continued throughout his life.
Arthur developed his skill of storytelling during his school years. Many times he could be found surrounded by his classmates. He spun stories that none of his friends wanted to miss. He graduated at the age of seventeen and returned to Scotland to decide his future.
When Doyle returned home, he found that his father's health and mental state had failed. His father had to be sent to a mental institution. To make ends meet, his mother had to take in a renter. The renter happened to be a doctor. This young doctor convinced Arthur to pursue a career in medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Joseph Bell was one of his teachers. Dr. Bell possessed all of the special skills Doyle would later use in his novels.
