4th Grade September Reading Adventure- Mystery of the Stolen Spacesuit

The Learning League is so excited about their trip to the Air & Space Museum, especially the NASA exhibit. But when they show up, the showcased spacesuit is missing!! Turns out, the Culture Crook is up to his old tricks. In order for the League to hunt it down, they’ll have to figure out which astronaut it belongs to!! They need your help to answer the clues by solving reading problems and finding the astronaut with the stolen suit. This Reading Adventure will keep your classroom explorers engaged and working hard on reading skills, while learning some science!
 
Also available for 3rd and 5th grade.
 
WHO is this mystery for?
Students on the 4th grade level who are practicing these reading skills: 
Determine Order of Events
Identify the Noun
Choose the Best Conjunction
Fiction and Nonfiction Titles
Point of View
 
Teachers looking for a quick-prep, rigorous but differentiated, interdisciplinary activity that showcases topics that are often ignored or unexplored within social studies and science curriculum. 
 
WHAT is included?
This adventure is an hour-long activity that can be completed in 3 Tracks:
 
Track 1: ORIGINAL
Students read the mystery on a printed booklet, and they solve the clues by answering questions on Google Slides, which they can access with a QR code or link on a computer, tablet, or phone.
Track 2: ANALOG
Students read the mystery on a printed booklet, and they solve the clues by answering questions on printed task cards.
Track 3: DIGITAL
Students read the mystery in one browser window of Google Slides, and they solve the clues by toggling between another browser window of Google Slides to answer questions. This method works great for laptops, but is not recommended for tablets. 
 
No matter which track you take, the core of the activity is the same. Students always have access to the mystery story, 39 reading problems, 5 Science Exploration posters, a Writing Challenge, and an integral poster about:
 
Buzz Aldrin, Kalpana Chawla, Mae Jemison, Neil Armstrong, & Sally Ride
 
Students will walk away from this lesson knowing these science concepts:
How both people and animals become astronauts
What life is like in a spaceship and the International Space Station
Where astronauts have gone and where they plan to go
and more!!
 
WHEN is it designed to be completed?
These skills are best practiced at the beginning of the year, and the second week in September is National Aerospace Week!
 
WHERE can students solve this mystery?
Students can complete this activity in your classroom with pen and paper or technology, and even from home, thanks to the Digital Track!
 
HOW can this activity be differentiated?
Using either of these methods, you can scaffold these activities to meet each of your students, exactly where they’re at.
 
CUSTOMIZATION: great for students above and below grade level
Each math problem can be edited to whatever you please! Hypothetically, you could buy this mystery for the framework it provides, and change every single question. 
AUDIO SUPPORTS: great for multilingual students
For the tracks including technology, your students have access to a read-aloud of not just the story, but each word written on Google Slides. 
 
WHY should your students adventure with the Learning League?
 
Low teacher prep/High student engagement
Anti-racist curriculum that uplifts women and Black and Indigenous people of color
Three activity tracks with DISTANCE LEARNING OPTION
Audio scaffolding and editable problems
 
TRY OUT A MYSTERY FOR FREE!
Download The Oil Spill Mystery for math and The Case of the Absent Abolitionist for reading.
 
Adventure also available on TeachersPayTeachers!