Looking for a low-prep, differentiated math escape room that will engage your students? The Case of the Garden Grazer Math Mystery Challenge and mission is perfect for March, April and Spring! This Solve the Case is designed for teachers wanting an engaging and challenging activity and escape room that meets each child exactly where they're at, while also avoiding hours of prep work and transforming a room! :)

The Case of the Leprechaun on the Loose

In this mystery, Aiden and his mom just planted their spring garden on their farm. When he went out one morning, one of the farm animals ate some of his veggies! He needs your students' help to find the farm friend that has been eating his veggies so he can stop it from eating the rest of his garden. Students will receive help through clues from the farm animals as they complete each of the five math tasks.

The Key Features of this Math Mystery Include...

Spring Excitement -

You're almost to summer break, but need a little something extra to keep students engaged and focused on content. This resource is engaging and rigorous, containing content-based activities, but still engaging and fun! What more can you want? ;) I love using these on Fridays as part of our Fun Friday activities throughout the month.

Teacher-Friendly -

Designed to save YOU time, this resource is ready to go! You'll need to print it and make copies, but other than that, you're all set! You'll get meaningful data from each activity while creating a fun, memorable experience for your students, all with minimal effort on your part.

Differentiated Content -

Tailor the activities to meet the diverse needs of your classroom! With three different levels to each activity (designated with a tiny icon on the bottom right of each page), this resource provides the opportunity for you to meet each child's needs and challenge them appropriately to succeed!

Critical Thinking -

Encourage critical thinking and problem solving as students work through puzzles, analyze clues, and solve who the garden grazer is! They'll have a blast while honing key skills in the process!

Take a Peek Inside the Mystery:

• Teacher Instructions: Suggestions for how to implement, set-up, differentiate, and an explanation for how to use the resource.

• Skill Level Breakdown: A one-page explanation of all activities included based on the differentiated skill level to allow you to select the tasks appropriately for your students.

• Letter and Case File Cover from Aiden: Students will read the case file from Aiden explaining why he and his mom need your students' help and how they can help them.

• The Suspects: Students will receive a list of the 5 suspects from Aiden's farm for your students to investigate. Your students will use this list along the way to keep track of which animals could or couldn't have eaten the veggies from Aiden's garden. As they receive clues about the garden grazer after completing each math task, students can then eliminate a farm friend/suspect and narrow down who they need to investigate.

• The Tasks/Challenges: Students are provided with 5 different challenges. Each one has 3 levels of difficulty for you to choose from so you can differentiate for your students' needs.

1. Flower Fact Fluency - Students will solve addition and subtraction equations and color the flowers by the designated code according to their sum or difference.
2. Wheelbarrow Word Problems - Students will write an equation to match a word problem or generate their own word problem to match an equation.
3. Garden of Comparisons - Students will sort numbers by whether they are greater or less than a number or students will use their knowledge of a comparison symbol to determine if comparison statements are true or false and sort them.
4. Fluttering Fractions - Students will sort shapes that are partitioned by whether they are partitioned eqaully or unequally or students will shade partitioned shapes according to the fraction represented.
5. Planting Place Value - Students will represent numbers in different forms by using their number sense or knowledge of place value.

• Case Report: Students will complete the Case Report when they have correctly solved the 5 tasks and used the clues to identify the garden grazer.

• Clues - 6 rhyming clues/riddles that students receive after they complete each of the math challenges, allowing them to narrow down the farm animal that has been stealing Aiden's veggies.

• Optional Prize Labels in Color: 4 different labels for a gift or trinket to give to students. Attach to a pack of seeds or seasonal trinket as a "thank you" gift from Aiden for students that have completed the math challenges and helping them. You can easily eliminate this clue and part, should you not want to give a prize.

• Answer Keys - Included for each activity. Students can self assess using the answer keys, or these allow you to quickly check student work.

Your students will LOVE solving each of these math tasks to solve the mystery of which farm animal has been munching in Aiden's garden and YOU will appreciate the data that comes from this no-prep resource!

Love these Math Mysteries? Be sure to save big by grabbing the Monthly Seasonal Math Mission Mystery Bundle linked here, including one math escape room for each month!