The Mystery of the Golden Spyglass
The Pelican Point Lighthouse has been robbed! A sneaky pirate snuck in at high tide and swiped the famous Golden Spyglass. Without it, the ships cannot find their way back to Scurvy Sandbar. You must examine the clues, match the pirate traits, and find out who stole the spyglass before the tide rolls in!
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Pirate Skill | Signature Gear | Sailing Hand | Beard Color | Secret Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calico Jack | map reading | parrot pet | right handed | red beard | soap bubbles |
| Anchor Andy | cannon blasting | gold earring | right handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Captain Kidd | map reading | parrot pet | left handed | black beard | lemon juice |
| Salty Sarah | sword dueling | feathered hat | right handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Blackbeard | sword dueling | wooden leg | left handed | red beard | soap bubbles |
| Plank Walker | rope swinging | hook hand | left handed | red beard | soap bubbles |
| Doubloon Danny | map reading | feathered hat | left handed | black beard | soap bubbles |
| Captain Hook | map reading | wooden leg | right handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Shivering Sherry | sail patching | hook hand | right handed | red beard | tickle feathers |
| Marina Maze | cannon blasting | parrot pet | right handed | gray beard | soap bubbles |
| Jolly Roger | rope swinging | hook hand | left handed | black beard | tickle feathers |
| Henry Morgan | sword dueling | wooden leg | right handed | gray beard | lemon juice |
| Mary Read | cannon blasting | parrot pet | left handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Scurvy Sam | sail patching | parrot pet | right handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Long John | map reading | feathered hat | left handed | gray beard | lemon juice |
| Anne Bonny | sail patching | gold earring | right handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Pegleg Pete | rope swinging | feathered hat | right handed | gray beard | soap bubbles |
| Cutlass Carla | sword dueling | feathered hat | left handed | black beard | tickle feathers |
| Cannonball Cole | sail patching | hook hand | left handed | gray beard | tickle feathers |
| Redbeard Ralph | map reading | parrot pet | left handed | red beard | lemon juice |
| Stormy Stella | map reading | gold earring | left handed | black beard | lemon juice |
Rounding
The lighthouse radar was damaged during the escape. It only displays ship distances rounded to the nearest ten. We rounded the numbers to find the pirate's escape route!
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Addition
We found the harbor master's logbook with torn pages. By adding up all the barrels of gunpowder left on the dock, we calculated how much weight the thief stole.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Subtraction
The pirate dropped a chest of silver coins. We counted the total capacity of the chest and subtracted the remaining coins to see how many they took.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
To search the island quickly, we split our search team into several rows of boats. Multiplying the boats by the crew members per boat gave us our total search power.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
We captured a message written on a piece of hardtack biscuit. We divided the secret code numbers equally among our crew members to solve the final clue.
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!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Mystery of the Golden Spyglass
- Clue 1 (Rounding): "THE THIEF DOES NOT WEAR A FEATHERED HAT"Round 725 to the nearest hundred = 700 (T) · Round 51 to the nearest ten = 50 (W) · Round 90 to the nearest ten = 90 (E) · Round 73 to the nearest ten = 70 (D) · Round 1,648 to the nearest thousand = 2000 (O) · Round 1,748 to the nearest hundred = 1700 (N) · Round 427 to the nearest ten = 430 (F) · Round 3,686 to the nearest hundred = 3700 (H) · Round 1,121 to the nearest hundred = 1100 (I) · Round 342 to the nearest hundred = 300 (A) · Round 126 to the nearest ten = 130 (S) · Round 107 to the nearest ten = 110 (R)
- Clue 2 (Addition): "THE SUSPECT WRITES LOGS WITH THE RIGHT HAND"4138 + 2033 = 6171 (T) · 2781 + 2932 = 5713 (P) · 2510 + 2709 = 5219 (S) · 2869 + 4449 = 7318 (C) · 4972 + 4246 = 9218 (D) · 2806 + 6338 = 9144 (G) · 1003 + 1239 = 2242 (U) · 4956 + 4756 = 9712 (E) · 1507 + 2389 = 3896 (H) · 4572 + 4563 = 9135 (L) · 1683 + 2756 = 4439 (R) · 2054 + 2455 = 4509 (N) · 2139 + 4865 = 7004 (I) · 1300 + 961 = 2261 (A) · 1446 + 2946 = 4392 (W) · 3046 + 4523 = 7569 (O)
- Clue 3 (Subtraction): "TICKLE FEATHERS MAKE THIS BAD GUY GIGGLE"5619 - 3605 = 2014 (T) · 7400 - 484 = 6916 (I) · 6940 - 2505 = 4435 (B) · 8644 - 2699 = 5945 (D) · 5992 - 1823 = 4169 (S) · 6517 - 756 = 5761 (A) · 4539 - 3310 = 1229 (C) · 6118 - 4955 = 1163 (Y) · 5331 - 2747 = 2584 (R) · 9403 - 1451 = 7952 (L) · 9791 - 1074 = 8717 (E) · 7505 - 903 = 6602 (G) · 10415 - 3357 = 7058 (K) · 7331 - 949 = 6382 (U) · 7213 - 524 = 6689 (F) · 4259 - 2137 = 2122 (H) · 8054 - 4859 = 3195 (M)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "STRAY GRAY BEARD HAIRS WERE ON THE TELESCOPE"8 × 8 = 64 (S) · 10 × 11 = 110 (H) · 9 × 5 = 45 (B) · 10 × 1 = 10 (C) · 10 × 8 = 80 (L) · 9 × 2 = 18 (D) · 7 × 4 = 28 (T) · 12 × 8 = 96 (Y) · 5 × 5 = 25 (O) · 11 × 2 = 22 (R) · 6 × 11 = 66 (A) · 1 × 9 = 9 (I) · 3 × 4 = 12 (W) · 9 × 9 = 81 (E) · 4 × 8 = 32 (N) · 7 × 12 = 84 (G) · 1 × 11 = 11 (P)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 7) → Scurvy Sam96 ÷ 8 = 12 · 24 ÷ 3 = 8 · 20 ÷ 10 = 2 · 16 ÷ 4 = 4 · 70 ÷ 7 = 10 · 20 ÷ 4 = 5 · 72 ÷ 12 = 6 · 11 ÷ 11 = 1 · 3 ÷ 1 = 3 · 110 ÷ 10 = 11 · 81 ÷ 9 = 9
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 4 math
- Math topics
- Rounding, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division
- Reading level
- grades 3-4
- Theme
- The Mystery of the Golden Spyglass — set in Scurvy Sandbar
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects