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ActiveMath Mysteries

Rated 4.63 out of 5, based on 49 reviews
84 Followers
Oakwood, Ohio, United States
About the store
The authors and designers of this store have vast experience in creating top-notch math resources! You'll find high quality review or warm-up activities that engage and challenge students in middle school or beyond. Students will review math as they learn about inspirational people, places, and events throughout the year!
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All resources

Preview of Jesse Owens Track & Field Star | Middle School Math Review Activity & Slides

Jesse Owens Track & Field Star | Middle School Math Review Activity & Slides

The math clues in this Mystery Year review puzzle involve division of multi-digit numbers, solving equations, and applying divisibility rules for 3 and 5. The context is the record-setting performances of track-and-field star Jesse Owens. This engaging puzzle is great for middle school students to use at any time. Your Purchase Includes Print & Digital Options:1-page printable puzzle with 1-page answer key5 pages of Easel screens showing introduction and the four puzzle questions2 pages of Tea
Preview of April 13 Math & Literature Puzzle: 1st James Bond Novel Published | Mixed Review

April 13 Math & Literature Puzzle: 1st James Bond Novel Published | Mixed Review

April 13 of the Mystery Year was when the first James Bond novel was published. The clues to this cross-curricular warm-up require students to add probabilities, find corresponding parts of similar triangles, find ordered arrangements of a set of objects (permutations), and find the dimensions of a rectangle when given the area and the perimeter. Math connections are made to author Ian Fleming's Casino Royale and other of his James Bond spy novels. Your Zip download includes printable/digital
Preview of March 13 Math & TV Puzzle: Betty White's First Sitcom | Daily Mixed Review

March 13 Math & TV Puzzle: Betty White's First Sitcom | Daily Mixed Review

This warm-up activity related to March 13 addresses these skills: find percent increase, evaluate expressions involving fractions, decimals, or exponents, use the work backwards problem-solving strategy, find the percent of a number. The puzzle is about the life and work of Betty White, actress, animal rights activist, comedian, and pioneer of early TV. Your Zip download includes printable/digital PDFs:1-page printable Student Puzzle, also prepped for Easel1-page Answer Key with sample solut
Preview of Feb. 2 Groundhog Day Holiday Math Puzzle | Mixed Review | Repeating Decimals

Feb. 2 Groundhog Day Holiday Math Puzzle | Mixed Review | Repeating Decimals

February 2 of the Mystery Year was the first observance of Groundhog Day. As students solve math clues to find the year, they review percent increase and repeating decimals. The clues relate to the movie "Groundhog Day" where a man continually repeats Groundhog Day in a time loop.  Your Download Includes:1-page Student Puzzle prepped for Easel1-page Answer Key with sample solutions 1-page version of puzzle with expanding form fields – use with Acrobat Reader A complete file with the above page
Preview of Jan. 9 Mathematician Puzzle: Maria Agnesi | Venn Diagram Extension

Jan. 9 Mathematician Puzzle: Maria Agnesi | Venn Diagram Extension

January 9 of the Mystery Year is a day to remember mathematician Maria Agnesi. Math clues for finding the year involve patterns, integer addition & multiplication, fraction equivalence, logical reasoning, and a Venn diagram Extension. This puzzle can be a springboard for math review in Grade 7 or higher. Your PDF download includes:2-page digital version with horizontal layout, prepped for Easel 1-page printable version6 pages of Teacher Notes including step-by-step Solutions, optional Extensi
Preview of Dec. 3 Math & Music Puzzle: Launch of the 7-Inch 45 RPM Record | Mixed Review

Dec. 3 Math & Music Puzzle: Launch of the 7-Inch 45 RPM Record | Mixed Review

This warm-up puzzle for middle school has math clues involving unit rate, probability, area of the remaining portion of a circle when an inner concentric circle is removed, greatest common factor, and least common multiple. The context is finding the Mystery Year that 7-in. 45 RPM records were announced.  Your PDF download includes:2-page digital version with horizontal layout, prepped for Easel 1-page printable version5 pages of Teacher Notes including step-by-step Solutions, Extensions (inclu
Preview of Middle School Math-History PDF Mini Lesson Puzzles Catalog & Correlation Chart

Middle School Math-History PDF Mini Lesson Puzzles Catalog & Correlation Chart

Are you looking for engaging middle-school mixed review activities to use for holidays and special days all year, September through May? View titles, cross-curricular connections, and math domainsClick cover images for links to full descriptions on TpT.With Adobe Reader, you'll also see handy navigation bookmarks.All Math History-Mystery Puzzles connect mathematics to history, inspirational individuals, current events, social justice issues, and pop culture. Save money by purchasing the
Preview of Sept. 17 Math & Black History: Ernie Banks, 1st Black on the Cubs | Mixed Review

Sept. 17 Math & Black History: Ernie Banks, 1st Black on the Cubs | Mixed Review

On September 17 of the Mystery Year, Ernie Banks became the first Black player for the Chicago Cubs. As student solve clues for the year, they review multiplicative comparisons, percent (win percentage), factors, and least common multiple in a real-world context. This puzzle is perfect for 6th grade and up. Your PDF download includes:2-page digital version with horizontal layout, prepped for Easel 1-page printable version2 pages of Teacher Notes including step-by-step Solutions, an Extension, H
Preview of Nov. 23 Math & Thanksgiving Puzzle: Presidential Turkey Pardon | Mixed Review

Nov. 23 Math & Thanksgiving Puzzle: Presidential Turkey Pardon | Mixed Review

In the Mystery Year, President George H.W. Bush made the annual turkey pardon official. To find the year, students solve clues involving volume of a rectangular prism, division by a mixed number, circumference of a circle, and evaluating an expression with an exponent. Specific Thanksgiving-related Extension ideas are provided for each of Grades 5–8. See the complete PREVIEW that shows all pages of the PDF:2-page digital version with horizontal layout, prepped for Easel 1-page printable versi
Preview of Halloween Puzzle for Middle School: Math & Halloween Movies | Mixed Review

Halloween Puzzle for Middle School: Math & Halloween Movies | Mixed Review

This puzzle is a daily warm-up activity that connects math with Halloween movies. The skills include perimeter, exponents, multiplying decimals and fractions, and solving equations. This puzzle is great for middle school or high school students to use in October. Also see another puzzle for Halloween about "The Great Pumpkin" that has questions for review of proportions, making a diagram, area of a circle, and measurement conversions. Your FREE download includes:2-page digital version with ho
Preview of FREE: How to Use Math History-Mystery Puzzles for Middle School (manual)

FREE: How to Use Math History-Mystery Puzzles for Middle School (manual)

This 7-page document provides helpful suggestions on various ways to engage students with Math History-Mystery Puzzles and individualize instruction. FEATURES OF PUZZLESThe puzzles connect mathematics to history, inspirational individuals, current events, social justice issues, and pop culture. Each puzzle requires the critical reading of a passage and the solving of math clues based on middle-school skills and concepts. Easel activities are included and ready to assign! Or, you can upload PDF
Preview of Polya Problem-Solving Mini Lesson PDF: Integrate Middle School Math and History

Polya Problem-Solving Mini Lesson PDF: Integrate Middle School Math and History

This math-history activity is dated December 13, the birthday of Hungarian mathematician George Pólya. Middle school students apply problem-solving strategies as they solve math clues for the missing year. Your print/digit PDF include these pages:1-page student puzzle, prepped for Easel 1-page annotated Answer Key Teacher Notes including step-by-step solutions, extensions, and a variety of professional development supportAll Math History-Mystery Puzzles connect mathematics to history, inspir
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About the store

Experience

The authors and designers of this store have vast experience in creating top-notch math resources! You'll find high quality review or warm-up activities that engage and challenge students in middle school or beyond. Students will review math as they learn about inspirational people, places, and events throughout the year!

Teaching style

DAVID B. SPANGLER wrote or inspired the entire series of puzzles in this store. He was active in mathematics education from 1972 until his passing in 2022. He taught at the middle school and community college levels, while continuing to teach math methods courses at the university level. In 1994, he co-founded ActiveMath Workshops for teachers. Over the years, he helped develop math programs for major publishers, authored seven math books, wrote numerous articles for math education journals, and was a frequent speaker at math conferences. David held a master's degree in education with an emphasis in mathematics from Northern Illinois University. David epitomized what good mathematics instruction looked and sounded like. His legacy will live on in the many lives his work and works impacted. His coworkers, Karen and Angie, will continue to update puzzles in this store. KAREN S. CORDELL has been a trusted math educator/coach/consultant for 35 years. Her focus is development of resources that support efficacy, access, and equity for all students. She has taught middle school and high school mathematics and has planned and delivered engaging lessons that helped all students build conceptual understanding through varied reflective learning activities. Karen has created both formative and summative assessments. Her master's degree in educational leadership is from The College of New Jersey. ANGIE SELTZER has 30+ years of experience in math curriculum writing, editing, and instructional design. She has been a supervising editor of major textbooks, assessment resources, and technology supplements. Angie has taught at the middle school level and tutored students of all ages. She has a master's degree in mathematics education from The Ohio State University. Angie has her own TpT Store with thousands of 5-star reviews on games to promote math sense! (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/K8mathsense)

Additional biographical information

STORE CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE TEAM David and Karen were co-authors of more than 130 Math History-Mystery Puzzles in this store. Angie designed the covers, previews, correlation charts, and other elements for Math History-Mystery Puzzles. READ MORE ON LINKED-IN for KarenCordell and Angie-Seltzer.