4th Grade December Reading Adventure- Mystery of the Nabbed Nobel

The Learning League stumbles onto a garage sale by none other than the Culture Crook. And unsurprisingly, they discover something that probably doesn’t belong to him--a Nobel Peace Prize medal!! But who does it actually belong to?! Help the Learning League discover the true owner by answering reading questions to solve the clues. This Reading Adventure will keep your classroom explorers engaged and working hard on reading skills, while learning some history!
 
Also available for 3rd and 5th grade.
 
WHO is this mystery for?
Students on the 4th grade level who are practicing these reading skills: 
Identify the Opinion
Identify the Fact
Summarizing
Match Details to Topic Sentence
Poetry Rhyme Scheme
 
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, 41 reading problems, 5 Social Studies Exploration posters, a Writing Challenge, and an integral poster about:
 
Al Gore, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, & Rigoberta Menchú
 
Students will walk away from this lesson knowing these social studies concepts:
The history behind the Nobel Peace Prize and its namesake, Alfred Nobel
The stories of each Nobel laureate and how they impacted the world around them
How each of their unique journeys fighting for different causes make for a more peaceful world
and more!!
 
WHEN is it designed to be completed?
These skills are best practiced sometime around December 10th, which is Nobel Prize Day every year!
 
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!