Halloween Math Mystery: Case of the Tricking Treat (4th Grade)

$4.95

  • Halloween Math Mystery 4th Grade: solve the Case of the Tricking Treat with five math clue worksheets.
  • Key Skills: prime numbers, word names for numbers, pattern rules, factors, and division.
  • Print or Digital: printable PDF plus a Google Slides version.
  • Includes: optional video hook, ending video, printable awards, and a complete answer key.

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Description

Halloween Math Mystery 4th Grade: The Case of the Tricking Treat is a no-prep Halloween math review for 4th Grade students. Stop the October mischief with this Halloween math activity 4th Grade: ‘The Case of the Tricking Treat’ is a fun, engaging way to review and practice essential mathematical skills. Ideal for spiral review, consolidation, math centers, homework, enrichment, early finishers, or the sub tub, this spooky activity will keep your students hooked until the very end! It includes 5 math clue worksheets and a fun suspect list to eliminate.

The Story: The Case of the Tricking Treat

Someone has taken Larry the Wizard’s magic treats and given them to the children of Mathhattan! These treats were not meant to be eaten, and all the children have turned into PUMPKINS! Larry needs your students’ help to find out who took the treats and which batch was used, so that he can make a cure to turn the children back. Whatever you do… don’t eat any pumpkins!

Set the scene with the optional video hook for the Case of the Tricking Treat on your whiteboard or screen, then wrap up the case with the ending video. Students solve the math worksheets to unlock clues and eliminate possibilities after each clue to crack the case.

Math Skills Required to Unlock Clues

There are five clues to crack to solve the mystery:

  • Clue 1: Prime Numbers (Between 1-100 only)
  • Clue 2: Word Names for Numbers (2-digit, 3-digit, and 4-digit numbers)
  • Clue 3: Applying Pattern Rules (to numbers given in a table)
  • Clue 4: Factors
  • Clue 5: Division (No Remainders)

Students must use critical thinking skills to work out what each clue is telling them to eliminate from the list of possibilities.

What is Included in this Math Mystery?

  • Optional video hook to introduce the case (watch it here).
  • Ending video to wrap up the case.
  • Printable PDF case file: the mystery story, suspect list, and five clue worksheets.
  • Google Slides digital version: 100% paperless. Assign it in Google Classroom. (Students must be in edit mode to type.)
  • Printable awards to celebrate your detectives.
  • Complete answer key.

Easy prep: Print the student pages, staple or place them in a folder, and your students are ready to start. Or assign the digital version for a paperless option.

Halloween Math Activity 4th Grade: Who It Is For

This edition is written for 4th Grade students and works in October and the lead-up to Halloween, or any time of year as a spiral review. Use it for:

  • Spiral review and consolidation
  • Math centers
  • Homework or enrichment
  • Early finishers
  • Your sub tub

Pacing and Timing: Time to complete will vary anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours or more. It mainly depends on how familiar your students are with the math mystery format, and how difficult they find the math skills covered in the clues. Please check the skills above to help determine suitability for your class.

I recommend pacing this activity by giving students one clue at a time. Once the whole class has completed a clue, move on to the next clue, either within the same lesson or in the next math session. New math content presented? Make a lesson out of it by modeling the math before diving into the clue. I like to say, “We must learn something new before attempting the next clue.”

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Easy Grade-Level Differentiation

The Case of the Tricking Treat is available in 8 grade editions. The story is the same; the math is different, so you can match each group to its level:

The 2nd-8th Grade editions can “clue swap” between editions to differentiate within one class. Grade 1 Math Mysteries are formatted for early learners and cannot be clue-swapped with the other grade versions. Read more: How to differentiate using Math Mysteries.

More Halloween and Fall Math for 4th Grade

Skills and Common Core Standards

  • 4.OA.B.4 – Find all factor pairs for a whole number in the range 1-100; determine whether a given whole number in the range 1-100 is prime or composite (prime numbers between 1-100 only (Clue 1), and factors (Clue 4))
  • 4.NBT.A.2 – Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form; compare two multi-digit numbers (word names for 2-digit, 3-digit, and 4-digit numbers (Clue 2))
  • 4.OA.C.5 – Generate a number or shape pattern that follows a given rule (applying pattern rules to numbers given in a table (Clue 3))
  • 4.NBT.B.6 – Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors (division, no remainders (Clue 5))

Looking for more? The Case of the Tricking Treat is part of the 4th Grade Math Mystery Bundle, if you’d like a full set of resources in one place.

Not sure what a math mystery is? Read What is a Math Mystery? on my blog, or watch a short video about Math Mysteries.

Add extra motivation with the free Detective Rank Chart and Mystery Record. New to math mysteries? Try the free Case of the Super Bad Superhero first.

FAQ

How long will this activity take?

Time to complete varies between 30 minutes and 2 hours or more, depending on how familiar your students are with the math mystery format and how difficult they find the math skills. I recommend giving students one clue at a time.

Is an answer key included?

Yes. A complete answer key is included, along with printable awards.

Can I use this with other grades?

Yes. The Case of the Tricking Treat comes in 8 grade editions with the same story and different math, so you can match the edition to your students.

Technical issues? See my Troubleshooting Tips and FAQ page, or email me at jjresourcecreations@gmail.com.

For more ideas, activities, and resources, follow my store to stay updated on new releases. We can also stay connected via:

Thank you!
Jacqui J.
Mrs. J’s Resource Creations

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