EdupressMathological Liar, Grade 4

This game was a fun activity for my fifth graders to complete when they finished their assignments. It was a good way for them to build critical thinking skills and have fun! This activity has students read through a situation and solve for the suspect using their previously taught skills in math. I love that they range in complexity. It is a great way to spiral review!

Age appropriate Math level questions and makes it fun.

There are 50 different "cases" in this pack, with 4 "suspect" cards for each case (200 cards in total). Each card has the case setup on one side of the card, and then the "alibi" of one of the 4 suspects for each case. The student is supposed to figure out which one of the suspects is lying, and therefore guilty of the alleged crime (mostly they are thefts). The lies are all mathematical. I have to admit, when I got the cards, I was underwhelmed, since it didn't seem like the alibis really had much to do with the cases, but my 7-year-old son really likes them. We carry the deck in the car, and he or I will randomly suggest we do one of the cases while we are driving somewhere. He takes all 4 of the case cards and tries to figure out the liar(s).Here is Case #1:"Pete wants to become famous for his new Plenty O'Pickles Pizza. He told his friends about it. He put up signs. He even asked the TV news people to come to his shop. But now Pete's pickles are gone! Which two people stole the pickles? How do you know?"Rita's statement: "I was helping the new girl learn how to fold the napkins in thirds. It's important that each of the 3 parts is the same size."Nick's: "Just because I own the pizza shop across the street doesn't mean I would steal from Pete. I was busy moving the tables in my shop. I put one half of the tables in the front room. I put the second half in the back room."Joe's: "I was busy with my nephews. Sal, Ray, Tom and Dan came in for a slice. I cut a pizza in fourths. I gave each of the boys a slice, and then I ate the last slice myself."Mary's: I only went into the kitchen because Pete asked me to. He wanted to show off how clean he keeps it. He tore a rag into fifths. I used each one of the pieces to check each section for dust. After I checked the stove, the shelf, the table, and the door, I ran out of pieces and left."(Joe and Mary are the liars.)Since I wasn't able to find this information on the creator's web site, here are the topics that are covered on the 2nd grade cards (it appears there are mostly 2 cases and 8 suspect scenarios per topic):Understanding Commonly used fractions (e.g., halves, thirds, fourths, fifths)Understanding Relative position of cardinal numbersUnderstanding Ordinal numbersComposing and decomposing whole numbersOdds and EvensAdding Whole NumbersSubtracting Whole NumbersComposing & decomposing Whole NumbersOdds & EvensAdding Whole NumbersSubtracting Whole NumbersFluency with basic number combinations: addition & subtractionUnderstanding situations that involve multiplication & division , such as equal groupingsAnalyzing PatternsSorting, Classifying and Ordering by Size, Number, and Other propertiesMeasuring with standing units: liquid volume (e.g, pints, cups, ounces)Measuring with standing units: lengthMeasuring with standing units: weightMeasuring with standing units: timeSelecting an appropriate tool for measuringRecognizing 2D and 3D shapesRecognizing geometric shapes in the environmentDiscussing events as likely or unlikelyRecognizing slides, flips and turns (geometric shapes)Describing quantitative changeUnderstanding commonly used fraction, more or lessUsing addition and subtraction to describe quantitative changeSelecting an appropriate nonstandard tool for measuringRecognizing the attributes of timeDeveloping a sense of whole numbers: relatingAdding & subtracting whole numbers

The problems are pretty easy, they are good remedial work for 6th grade. But once we've gone through all the problems, the game is pretty much over (unless you forget the answers to all of them).

Fun for students who need extra practice with word problems in a fun way with a game like twist. Even I like going through the scenarios with my students and finding the suspects. Would be a great idea for higher students to do as a filler activity when they finish ahead of everyone else.

I am a tutor and my students clamor for this game. It’s a painless way to review skills and identify which skills need reinforcement. They love it so much that I can actually use it as a reward at the end of our sessions!

My 4th grade students love to play this game. Each mystery case has four cards. Your job is to find the people who did not commit the crime. I played this with four students and paired them up. Each group received 2 cards. I also had two players alone play and each has two cards. This is a great math and reading skill practice for all students.

I bought this for the smartest boy in the World, he has been accepted in messa, and he’s my grandson, I think it will make him smarter