⚽ Cats, Mermaids, Unicorns, RoGrade 4Reading: grades 3-4Skip countingBar modelsPlace valueRoundingDivision
The Mystery of the Missing Sparkle Cup
The annual Aqua-Paw Soccer Championship was about to begin when the shiny Sparkle Cup vanished from the trophy stand! Someone zoomed onto the pixelated pitch and swiped it right before kickoff. Detective Purrnelope needs your math skills to figure out which magical soccer star took the trophy!
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 | Special Move | Gear Item | Kicking Foot | Fur Color | Distraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornby | Tail Kick | Glow Gloves | Right Footed | Coral Pink Fur | Squeaky Toys |
| Felis | Super Header | Sparkle Boots | Left Footed | Sea Green Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Glitter | Rainbow Dash | Flying Cape | Right Footed | Coral Pink Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Marina | Bubble Shield | Sparkle Boots | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Splashy | Super Header | Turbo Fins | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Mewsi | Laser Paws | Sparkle Boots | Left Footed | Coral Pink Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Nooby | Tail Kick | Sparkle Boots | Right Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Glitter Kelp |
| Clawdia | Laser Paws | Neon Whistle | Right Footed | Coral Pink Fur | Squeaky Toys |
| Tailor | Rainbow Dash | Sparkle Boots | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Catty | Super Header | Turbo Fins | Right Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Whiskers | Laser Paws | Sparkle Boots | Right Footed | Coral Pink Fur | Glitter Kelp |
| Pixel | Rainbow Dash | Neon Whistle | Right Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Dapple | Laser Paws | Flying Cape | Right Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Squeaky Toys |
| Bloxley | Super Header | Neon Whistle | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Oceanus | Laser Paws | Glow Gloves | Right Footed | Sea Green Fur | Squeaky Toys |
| Finley | Bubble Shield | Sparkle Boots | Right Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Squeaky Toys |
| Pawlo | Rainbow Dash | Sparkle Boots | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Squeaky Toys |
| Starlet | Laser Paws | Glow Gloves | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Builder | Tail Kick | Flying Cape | Right Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Coral | Tail Kick | Flying Cape | Right Footed | Sea Green Fur | Shiny Yarn |
| Purrlo | Bubble Shield | Sparkle Boots | Left Footed | Pastel Purple Fur | Glitter Kelp |
Clue 1
Skip counting
We checked the pitch markers along the field by skip counting by five to find where the thief dropped secret cards.
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
36
20
6
T
36
20
50
6
80
100
39
6
70
27
39
T
36
14
6
110
120
110
27
6
39
27
14
20
50
70
T
36
33
6
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, ___, 39, 42T
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, ___, 60, 70I
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, ___, 110, 120D
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, ___, 80, 90S
Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, ___, 22, 24H
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, ___, 36, 39L
Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, ___, 8, 10E
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, ___, 130, 140R
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, ___, 120, 130A
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, ___, 30, 33N
Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, ___, 16, 18W
Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, ___, 90, 100F
Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, ___, 42, 45O
0/13 letters found
Clue 2
Bar model word problems
To see who had time to swipe the trophy, we compared player practice minutes using bar models.
Draw a bar model to solve each word problem. Its answer reveals a letter — write the letters in the boxes to fill in the missing word.
Awitnesssawthevillainwas.
L
21
124
14
38
14
11
11
38
124
75
The red team has 51 bubble helmets and the blue team has 30 bubble helmets. How many more bubble helmets does the red team have?
draw a bar model
Answer:→L
Coach Whiskers shares 132 bubble helmets equally among 12 teams. How many bubble helmets does each team get?
draw a bar model
Answer:→O
One group collected 56 glow soccer balls and another group collected 19 glow soccer balls. How many glow soccer balls in all?
draw a bar model
Answer:→D
The red team has 66 sparkle jerseys and the blue team has 28 sparkle jerseys. How many more sparkle jerseys does the red team have?
draw a bar model
Answer:→T
The red team has 17 rainbow cleats and the blue team has 3 rainbow cleats. How many more rainbow cleats does the red team have?
draw a bar model
Answer:→F
The red team has 125 bubble helmets and the blue team has 1 bubble helmets. How many more bubble helmets does the red team have?
draw a bar model
Answer:→E
0/6 letters found
Clue 3
Place value
The digital scoreboard flashed locker numbers, and we solved the place value clue to read the message.
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
3000
2000
40
300
9000
500
500
200
9000
900
50
200
700
T
3000
70
200
4000
4000
40
30
90
10
700
2000
9000
900
10
10
200
70
900
What is the value of the 3 in 43,272?T
What is the value of the 9 in 985?N
What is the value of the 7 in 730?S
What is the value of the 9 in 496?B
What is the value of the 4 in 24,263?P
What is the value of the 3 in 340?V
What is the value of the 2 in 2,830?H
What is the value of the 5 in 458?W
What is the value of the 3 in 6,231?D
What is the value of the 9 in 9,425?I
What is the value of the 7 in 978?R
What is the value of the 5 in 6,581?L
What is the value of the 1 in 815?Y
What is the value of the 4 in 543?E
What is the value of the 2 in 218?A
0/15 letters found
Clue 4
Rounding
The stadium radar clocked kick speeds, but the readout only showed numbers rounded to the nearest ten.
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
9000
1300
370
3700
2900
430
370
30
T
9000
T
9000
1300
370
70
3700
370
500
370
2000
70
20
30
70
T
9000
370
2900
20
430
110
20
2900
370
290
430
110
Round 9,179 to the nearest thousandT
Round 434 to the nearest tenU
Round 1,291 to the nearest hundredH
Round 2,063 to the nearest thousandI
Round 372 to the nearest tenE
Round 2,885 to the nearest hundredL
Round 3,698 to the nearest hundredC
Round 73 to the nearest tenS
Round 18 to the nearest tenP
Round 26 to the nearest tenA
Round 114 to the nearest tenR
Round 287 to the nearest tenF
Round 539 to the nearest hundredN
0/13 letters found
Clue 5
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
Coach Whiskers split the leftover practice soccer balls equally into gear bags to reveal our final mystery 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!
Step 1 — solve these
120 ÷ 10 = ?
16 ÷ 4 = ?
80 ÷ 8 = ?
40 ÷ 8 = ?
6 ÷ 3 = ?
36 ÷ 12 = ?
6 ÷ 1 = ?
121 ÷ 11 = ?
36 ÷ 4 = ?
56 ÷ 7 = ?
8 ÷ 8 = ?
Step 2 — cross out the sentence with each answer
1.The villain pounced quickly with laser paws, then blew hard on a neon whistle.
2.The villain zoomed across the pitch with rainbow dash, then flew away in a flying cape.
3.The villain scored with a super header, then caught the ball with glow gloves.
4.The villain zoomed across the pitch with rainbow dash, then laced up sparkle boots.
5.The villain pounced quickly with laser paws, then swam off with turbo fins.
6.The villain zoomed across the pitch with rainbow dash, then blew hard on a neon whistle.
7.The villain pounced quickly with laser paws, then caught the ball with glow gloves.
8.The villain blasted the ball with tail kick, then blew hard on a neon whistle.
9.The villain blocked shots using bubble shield, then swam off with turbo fins.
10.The villain blocked shots using bubble shield, then laced up sparkle boots.
11.The villain scored with a super header, then flew away in a flying cape.
12.The villain scored with a super header, then swam off with turbo fins.
Solve it
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Mystery of the Missing Sparkle Cup
Culprit: Starlet (Laser Paws · Glow Gloves · Left Footed · Pastel Purple Fur · Shiny Yarn)
- Clue 1 (Skip counting): "THE THIEF DOES NOT WEAR A NEON WHISTLE"Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, ___, 39, 42 = 36 (T) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, ___, 60, 70 = 50 (I) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, ___, 110, 120 = 100 (D) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, ___, 80, 90 = 70 (S) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, ___, 22, 24 = 20 (H) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, ___, 36, 39 = 33 (L) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, ___, 8, 10 = 6 (E) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, ___, 130, 140 = 120 (R) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, ___, 120, 130 = 110 (A) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, ___, 30, 33 = 27 (N) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, ___, 16, 18 = 14 (W) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, ___, 90, 100 = 80 (F) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, ___, 42, 45 = 39 (O)
- Clue 2 (Bar model word problems): "LEFT FOOTED"The red team has 51 bubble helmets and the blue team has 30 bubble helmets. How many more bubble helmets does the red team have? = 21 (L) · Coach Whiskers shares 132 bubble helmets equally among 12 teams. How many bubble helmets does each team get? = 11 (O) · One group collected 56 glow soccer balls and another group collected 19 glow soccer balls. How many glow soccer balls in all? = 75 (D) · The red team has 66 sparkle jerseys and the blue team has 28 sparkle jerseys. How many more sparkle jerseys does the red team have? = 38 (T) · The red team has 17 rainbow cleats and the blue team has 3 rainbow cleats. How many more rainbow cleats does the red team have? = 14 (F) · The red team has 125 bubble helmets and the blue team has 1 bubble helmets. How many more bubble helmets does the red team have? = 124 (E)
- Clue 3 (Place value): "THE VILLAIN WAS TRAPPED BY SHINY YARN"What is the value of the 3 in 43,272? = 3000 (T) · What is the value of the 9 in 985? = 900 (N) · What is the value of the 7 in 730? = 700 (S) · What is the value of the 9 in 496? = 90 (B) · What is the value of the 4 in 24,263? = 4000 (P) · What is the value of the 3 in 340? = 300 (V) · What is the value of the 2 in 2,830? = 2000 (H) · What is the value of the 5 in 458? = 50 (W) · What is the value of the 3 in 6,231? = 30 (D) · What is the value of the 9 in 9,425? = 9000 (I) · What is the value of the 7 in 978? = 70 (R) · What is the value of the 5 in 6,581? = 500 (L) · What is the value of the 1 in 815? = 10 (Y) · What is the value of the 4 in 543? = 40 (E) · What is the value of the 2 in 218? = 200 (A)
- Clue 4 (Rounding): "THE CLUE AT THE SCENE IS PASTEL PURPLE FUR"Round 9,179 to the nearest thousand = 9000 (T) · Round 434 to the nearest ten = 430 (U) · Round 1,291 to the nearest hundred = 1300 (H) · Round 2,063 to the nearest thousand = 2000 (I) · Round 372 to the nearest ten = 370 (E) · Round 2,885 to the nearest hundred = 2900 (L) · Round 3,698 to the nearest hundred = 3700 (C) · Round 73 to the nearest ten = 70 (S) · Round 18 to the nearest ten = 20 (P) · Round 26 to the nearest ten = 30 (A) · Round 114 to the nearest ten = 110 (R) · Round 287 to the nearest ten = 290 (F) · Round 539 to the nearest hundred = 500 (N)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 7) → Starlet120 ÷ 10 = 12 · 16 ÷ 4 = 4 · 80 ÷ 8 = 10 · 40 ÷ 8 = 5 · 6 ÷ 3 = 2 · 36 ÷ 12 = 3 · 6 ÷ 1 = 6 · 121 ÷ 11 = 11 · 36 ÷ 4 = 9 · 56 ÷ 7 = 8 · 8 ÷ 8 = 1
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 4 math
- Math topics
- Skip counting, Bar models, Place value, Rounding, Division
- Reading level
- grades 3-4
- Theme
- The Mystery of the Missing Sparkle Cup — set in Pixel Reef Soccer Stadium
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects