🚀 Mermaids, Robots, Unicorns, Grade 5Reading: grades 5-6RoundingPlace valueSkip countingFractions of a numberDivision
The Great Cosmic Pearl Caper
An sneaky space-thief has swiped the Great Cosmic Pearl from the Star-Cat Temple! The Cosmic Coral Guardian needs your expert detective skills to track the culprit through the glowing stardust of the nebula.
Suspects
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
21 of 21 still in play
| Name | signature cosmic gear | special defense ability | steering grip style | mane color | major distraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comet | Rocket-boost | Spark-shield | Left-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
| Marina | Warp-drive | Solar-flare | Right-handed | Purple | Water-balloons |
| Sprocket | Star-shield | Spark-shield | Right-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
| Ariel | Laser-tail | Spark-shield | Left-handed | Pink | Magnets |
| Gizmo | Rocket-boost | Spark-shield | Right-handed | Pink | Water-balloons |
| Nova | Star-shield | Plasma-claw | Left-handed | Blue | Water-balloons |
| Orion | Laser-tail | Spark-shield | Right-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
| Calypso | Warp-drive | Solar-flare | Right-handed | Purple | Yarn-balls |
| Rusty | Star-shield | Bubble-blast | Right-handed | Blue | Yarn-balls |
| Coral | Laser-tail | Plasma-claw | Right-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
| Ziggy | Horn-beam | Plasma-claw | Left-handed | Purple | Yarn-balls |
| Cleo | Star-shield | Plasma-claw | Right-handed | Blue | Yarn-balls |
| Triton | Warp-drive | Solar-flare | Left-handed | Pink | Water-balloons |
| Halley | Warp-drive | Spark-shield | Left-handed | Purple | Magnets |
| Astra | Warp-drive | Nebula-mist | Right-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
| Bolt | Laser-tail | Solar-flare | Right-handed | Purple | Magnets |
| Cosmo | Warp-drive | Bubble-blast | Left-handed | Blue | Yarn-balls |
| Luna | Warp-drive | Bubble-blast | Left-handed | Purple | Magnets |
| Barnacle | Horn-beam | Bubble-blast | Left-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
| Pixel | Rocket-boost | Solar-flare | Right-handed | Pink | Water-balloons |
| Felix | Warp-drive | Plasma-claw | Right-handed | Pink | Yarn-balls |
Clue 1
Rounding
Our long-range radar scans the asteroid belt, but the energy readouts round to the nearest thousand. Let us estimate the thief's path.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
T
20
5000
2300
T
20
5000
9000
2300
3000
4300
1700
2300
1100
110
1700
T
20
370
1100
2300
110
2300
3700
370
70
900
170
9000
1100
T
20
Round 18 to the nearest tenT
Round 9,495 to the nearest thousandI
Round 174 to the nearest tenM
Round 1,716 to the nearest hundredO
Round 3,728 to the nearest hundredB
Round 894 to the nearest hundredA
Round 1,147 to the nearest hundredS
Round 368 to the nearest tenU
Round 5,218 to the nearest thousandH
Round 110 to the nearest tenN
Round 4,287 to the nearest hundredD
Round 2,559 to the nearest thousandF
Round 2,302 to the nearest hundredE
Round 66 to the nearest tenL
0/14 letters found
Clue 2
Place value
We found a scrambled security code on the star-ship control panel. We must decode the value of the digit in the ten-thousands place.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
T
100
400
6000
7000
10
70
400
T
100
400
30
200
800
6000
800
70
7000
10
2000
20
900
7000
30
T
100
900
400
6000
800
T
100
400
6000
1000
30
90
90
20
What is the value of the 1 in 333,195?T
What is the value of the 3 in 92,230?A
What is the value of the 8 in 234,831?D
What is the value of the 1 in 70,517?I
What is the value of the 7 in 149,475?G
What is the value of the 7 in 57,424?R
What is the value of the 2 in 881,426?S
What is the value of the 9 in 48,793?L
What is the value of the 6 in 16,789?E
What is the value of the 9 in 556,978?C
What is the value of the 1 in 71,308?W
What is the value of the 2 in 13,277?N
What is the value of the 2 in 32,477?P
What is the value of the 4 in 789,495?H
0/14 letters found
Clue 3
Skip counting
The space-port runway has flashing neon beacons. They blink in a steady, skip-counting pattern that we must follow to avoid the lasers.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
T
25
33
22
65
14
100
22
36
80
33
22
12
80
22
T
25
33
18
22
80
80
30
30
100
65
20
18
12
27
20
100
100
40
Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, ___, 30, 35T
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, ___, 50, 60S
Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, ___, 16, 18F
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, ___, 30, 33B
Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, ___, 70, 75Y
Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, ___, 24, 26E
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, ___, 90, 100W
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, ___, 39, 42D
Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ___, 35, 40O
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, ___, 110, 120L
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, ___, 15, 18N
Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, ___, 20, 22R
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, ___, 36, 39H
Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, ___, 25, 30A
0/14 letters found
Clue 4
Fractions of a number
The star-cat temple vault is locked by a puzzle. We need to calculate a precise fraction of the total fuel crystals to open the door.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
W
2
3
13
26
29
12
32
10
19
12
18
15
30
12
3
11
16
27
30
12
32
11
30
16
16
8
3
11
38
3
12
3
1/10 of 20 =W
1/8 of 104 =F
2/8 of 152 =C
2/6 of 81 =R
2/6 of 57 =I
2/5 of 20 =H
1/10 of 180 =K
3/10 of 40 =N
1/6 of 180 =A
2/8 of 60 =M
2/6 of 78 =O
2/8 of 12 =E
2/8 of 116 =U
4/8 of 64 =D
1/10 of 110 =S
2/5 of 25 =P
4/10 of 40 =T
0/17 letters found
Clue 5
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
To power up our pursuit thrusters, we must share the remaining energy cells equally among our fleet of patrol star-ships.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Step 1 — solve these
36 ÷ 4 = ?
48 ÷ 12 = ?
35 ÷ 7 = ?
6 ÷ 2 = ?
120 ÷ 10 = ?
22 ÷ 11 = ?
132 ÷ 12 = ?
24 ÷ 3 = ?
21 ÷ 3 = ?
2 ÷ 2 = ?
100 ÷ 10 = ?
Step 2 — cross out the sentence with each answer
1.The villain charged up their horn-beam, then raised a bright spark-shield.
2.The villain charged up their horn-beam, then unleashed a bubble-blast.
3.The villain activated their star-shield, then vanished into the nebula-mist.
4.The villain engaged the warp-drive, then swiped with a plasma-claw.
5.The villain activated their star-shield, then raised a bright spark-shield.
6.The villain fired a quick laser-tail beam, then raised a bright spark-shield.
7.The villain ignited their rocket-boost, then triggered a blinding solar-flare.
8.The villain ignited their rocket-boost, then raised a bright spark-shield.
9.The villain fired a quick laser-tail beam, then swiped with a plasma-claw.
10.The villain fired a quick laser-tail beam, then unleashed a bubble-blast.
11.The villain ignited their rocket-boost, then swiped with a plasma-claw.
12.The villain activated their star-shield, then swiped with a plasma-claw.
Solve it
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Great Cosmic Pearl Caper
Culprit: Orion (Laser-tail · Spark-shield · Right-handed · Pink · Yarn-balls)
- Clue 1 (Rounding): "THE THIEF DOES NOT USE NEBULA MIST"Round 18 to the nearest ten = 20 (T) · Round 9,495 to the nearest thousand = 9000 (I) · Round 174 to the nearest ten = 170 (M) · Round 1,716 to the nearest hundred = 1700 (O) · Round 3,728 to the nearest hundred = 3700 (B) · Round 894 to the nearest hundred = 900 (A) · Round 1,147 to the nearest hundred = 1100 (S) · Round 368 to the nearest ten = 370 (U) · Round 5,218 to the nearest thousand = 5000 (H) · Round 110 to the nearest ten = 110 (N) · Round 4,287 to the nearest hundred = 4300 (D) · Round 2,559 to the nearest thousand = 3000 (F) · Round 2,302 to the nearest hundred = 2300 (E) · Round 66 to the nearest ten = 70 (L)
- Clue 2 (Place value): "THE RIGHT HANDED GRIP SCRATCHED THE WALLS"What is the value of the 1 in 333,195? = 100 (T) · What is the value of the 3 in 92,230? = 30 (A) · What is the value of the 8 in 234,831? = 800 (D) · What is the value of the 1 in 70,517? = 10 (I) · What is the value of the 7 in 149,475? = 70 (G) · What is the value of the 7 in 57,424? = 7000 (R) · What is the value of the 2 in 881,426? = 20 (S) · What is the value of the 9 in 48,793? = 90 (L) · What is the value of the 6 in 16,789? = 6000 (E) · What is the value of the 9 in 556,978? = 900 (C) · What is the value of the 1 in 71,308? = 1000 (W) · What is the value of the 2 in 13,277? = 200 (N) · What is the value of the 2 in 32,477? = 2000 (P) · What is the value of the 4 in 789,495? = 400 (H)
- Clue 3 (Skip counting): "THEY FLED WHEN WE THREW WOOL YARN BALLS"Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, ___, 30, 35 = 25 (T) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, ___, 50, 60 = 40 (S) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, ___, 16, 18 = 14 (F) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, ___, 30, 33 = 27 (B) · Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, ___, 70, 75 = 65 (Y) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, ___, 24, 26 = 22 (E) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, ___, 90, 100 = 80 (W) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, ___, 39, 42 = 36 (D) · Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ___, 35, 40 = 30 (O) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, ___, 110, 120 = 100 (L) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, ___, 15, 18 = 12 (N) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, ___, 20, 22 = 18 (R) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, ___, 36, 39 = 33 (H) · Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, ___, 25, 30 = 20 (A)
- Clue 4 (Fractions of a number): "WE FOUND PINK MANE STRANDS AT THE SCENE"1/10 of 20 = 2 (W) · 1/8 of 104 = 13 (F) · 2/8 of 152 = 38 (C) · 2/6 of 81 = 27 (R) · 2/6 of 57 = 19 (I) · 2/5 of 20 = 8 (H) · 1/10 of 180 = 18 (K) · 3/10 of 40 = 12 (N) · 1/6 of 180 = 30 (A) · 2/8 of 60 = 15 (M) · 2/6 of 78 = 26 (O) · 2/8 of 12 = 3 (E) · 2/8 of 116 = 29 (U) · 4/8 of 64 = 32 (D) · 1/10 of 110 = 11 (S) · 2/5 of 25 = 10 (P) · 4/10 of 40 = 16 (T)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 6) → Orion36 ÷ 4 = 9 · 48 ÷ 12 = 4 · 35 ÷ 7 = 5 · 6 ÷ 2 = 3 · 120 ÷ 10 = 12 · 22 ÷ 11 = 2 · 132 ÷ 12 = 11 · 24 ÷ 3 = 8 · 21 ÷ 3 = 7 · 2 ÷ 2 = 1 · 100 ÷ 10 = 10
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 5 math
- Math topics
- Rounding, Place value, Skip counting, Fractions of a number, Division
- Reading level
- grades 5-6
- Theme
- The Great Cosmic Pearl Caper — set in Glitter-Wave Nebula
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects