4th Grade November Math Adventure- Case of the Influential Native Americans

The Learning League has been assigned a project to study an influential Native American, but as soon as they open their history books, the information on one of the pages starts to fade away. It turns out that the Bungler has travelled back in time and gotten in the way of someone’s impact on history!! Your classroom explorers will solve clues and answer math questions to find out which Native American has been erased from history, while learning some social studies!

100% of the earnings from this resource will go directly to the Partnership with Native Americans, an organization that supports the immediate needs of impoverished Native American communities.

Also available for 3rd and 5th grade.

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WHO is this mystery for?

*DISTANCE LEARNING TEACHERS- THE DIGITAL TRACK WAS DESIGNED FOR YOU*

Students on the 4th grade level who are practicing these math skills: 

• Lines of Symmetry
• Area
• Types of Angles
• Equivalent Fractions (tenths & hundredths)
• Identify the Parallelograms

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, 42 math problems, 5 Social Studies Exploration posters, a Writing Challenge, and an integral poster about:

Crazy Horse, Jim Thorpe, Nanye-hi, Sacajawea, & Sequoyah

Students will walk away from this lesson knowing these social studies concepts:

• The history behind why Native Americans have been referred to as Indians
• Why communities are choosing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day
• How Native people have shaped U.S. history since the beginning to and continue to influence our country today
• and more!!

*interested in exploring more important Native American topics? Check out the Native American Activism Mystery and the Native American Tradition Mystery*

WHEN is it designed to be completed?

These skills are best practiced sometime around American Indian Heritage Day, which is celebrated annually on November 29th.

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.

Leave a REVIEW because it benefits YOU!!

Write a review over a Learning League Adventure, take a screenshot of it, and share it HERE! You'll get ANY mystery of your choice at no cost!! FREE ADVENTURE AWAITS!

These same resources are also made for 3rd and 5th graders!

FOLLOW ME for upcoming ADVENTURES with the Learning League!