Learning Made Fun: Education Ideas and Resources

Mystery Writing Prompt #7

5/28/2018

All of the graduation items have been stolen from the school hall! Almost, nothing has been left . . . almost.

Use this mystery prompt to see what ideas your students come up with about 'what could have happened?

Prep: Print and laminate the image below into a card to use for an early finisher or writing center activity.
OR
Display on the board for a whole class writing activity.

There are plenty of ways you may wish to use this prompt. If you would like some ideas, please keep reading below the image prompt.

Lesson Suggestions:

Present the image above to your class. Either show on the Interactive Whiteboard, or print and hang somewhere. If using as an early finisher activity, print and laminate these images as cards.
Either brainstorm as a class or instruct students to think about what could have happened in the image scene. Setting a timer for 'thinking time' is recommended.
Invite students to share their ideas with the rest of the class. Remind students that there are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. This prompt is to invite creative thinking.
Set a writing task to follow the discussion. Instruct students to pretend they are detectives and must write what they think happened.
A simple print and go template for this writing task can be downloaded below. Otherwise you could just use plain lined paper or workbooks to carry out the writing activity.

basic_crime_scene_theory_writing_template.pdf
File Size:	427 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Remind everyone that there's no right and wrong, otherwise there would be no room for creative thinking in this task.

To develop this as a writing activity, you could extend it by having your students work towards writing a full story around this crime scene.

Now, I think it is only fair for students to find out what actually happened.
The below video is my original story that goes with this prompt. This is in no way a 'correct' answer, just an example of a possible story that works with this prompt.
You may wish to skip this option.

After viewing the video, discuss if anyone had any similar ideas in their stories. Do a compare and contrast session with the story above and what students wrote.
Further extend this mystery activity by instructing students to rewrite their mystery story using the ideas from the video.

You may have noticed the 'Math Mystery' tag in the video, and that is because this case can be further resolved and integrated with a math activity if you wish.

Solve the case! Where are the gremlins hiding with all of the graduation items?
If you are interested in extending this mystery activity by integrating it with your math lesson and giving your students lots of math practice and review, click on your grade level below to find the file case on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Each of the five math pages will require students to complete math i to unlock clues. Be sure to check out the product description to see the specific math skills covered in that grade version.

Not sure what a math mystery is? Do you want to know more about how to use them? Check out the video below. 

You may also like to read this blog post
'Five Easy Ways to Use Math Mysteries in your Classroom.'

Still not sure if a math mystery is something you want? Try a full FREE math mystery available to download from my TPT Shop. The link will redirect you to where you can download the multi-grade bundle. It is free to register if you don't have a login with TPT.
CLICK HERE to find in my TPT store. Find more Mystery Prompts HERE Subscribe to my newsletter to find out when new mystery prompts are added to this section of my website. The newsletter will also announce any special giveaways, flash freebies, sales, free stuff, plus other marketing communications such as new blog posts and resources. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Save Ink and PAPER BY CreatING reusable MATh Mystery Case Files

5/14/2018

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If you use Math Mysteries, however hate the amount of paper that is required with all of the photocopying, you may like to try this reusable idea to save paper in the long run.

A bit more prep is required at the start, but then a simple wipe and store away is required for the next time you want to use the case.

Items needed:
- Copies of the mystery pages (story, suspect list, clue pages, and the optional declaration page). Decide how many copies of a single case you would need at a time.
- Laminating pouches + a Laminator
- Manila 'Case File' Folders. One folder for each mystery set.

Steps:

Laminate all of the printed pages.
Then store each laminated 'mystery set' into a folder file.
I like to print the cover page in color to stick onto the front of the folder . This step is optional. To save ink and paper, you could just label the case title on the tab.

Now your case files are ready for use!

Complete the mystery using a washable marker as in the image examples below:

Once the mystery is solved, grab a damp cloth or a bit of water on some paper towel/tissues to wipe all of the pages clean.

Let the pages dry and put back into the folder. The mystery is ready to be used again.

While the initial prep for this requires a little bit more effort, the extra step is worth it if you are trying to save on ink and paper in the long run.

In the sample images, I used the Math Mystery 'Case of the Super Bad Superhero.' Download this fun Math Mystery resource for FREE HERE!

Optional Video Hook to Set the Stage to Engage!

Download Here

What is a Math Mystery?

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A FUN ACTIVITY TO GET EVERYONE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR!

6/3/2017

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It’s the end of the year; holiday time is almost there, but just not quite yet! However, it seems that many students have already mentally gone on holiday, allowing the poor behavior to begin accelerating and brains shutting down. At this time of the year, it seems like all you can do is hold on tight and wait till the scary ride of making it those last few days is over.

What if I said that there is an activity that will surely engage your students and keep them learning valuable skills right to the end of the year? An activity that is practically self-checking (yay minimal marking) is easy prep, and will help keep your rising stress levels down during those last few tiring days? An activity where a complete set is FREE to try (with others in the range available for purchase if you wish)?

If you are still interested, you may like to try the Math Mystery: Case of The Super Bad Superhero! I’ve provided links at the end of this post to download the product for FREE! It is a FULL math mystery that will get your students calculating, thinking and probably competing to solve the case first!

FULL STAR REVIEWS . . .

Anne . W June 2, 2017
“I loved how this preview was all grades, I was able to differentiate for all of my students. It's the end of the year, and EVERY single one of my students were actively engaged in this. Thanks!”

Andrea C. May 17, 2017
“I can't even begin to tell you how excited my 2's and 3's were over this math "assignment." This is just so awesome and what a fantastic way to present a review to kids. They were so excited to be able to not just "know" about what they were learning, but to appreciate that they were cracking a case!!! I am off to buy the next one. Thank you! Also, thank you for making a free sample of your work so fantastic - it made me excited to purchase more! There is tremendous value in what you have created.”

Pam D. May 16, 2017
“My first graders love this. It is fun to see them so engrossed in finding the Bad Superhero. I will be getting the rest of them at my grade level. So much more fun than a drill type worksheet!!”

Liz F.May 11, 2017
“Super Cute! My students loved solving the mystery. They were so excited with each math problem because it helped them with the clue.”

Try it out and make the end of the year fun but still educational. CLICK below to download the file. It will be a compressed ZIP file with multiple levels of the activity and an MP4 file that has a fun video hook to introduce the activity.

super_bad_superhero_math_mystery_grade_bundle.zip
File Size:	78360 kb
File Type:	zip

Download File

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Mystery Writing Prompt #7

Save Ink and PAPER BY CreatING reusable MATh Mystery Case Files

Optional Video Hook to Set the Stage to Engage!

What is a Math Mystery?

A FUN ACTIVITY TO GET EVERYONE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR!

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