Mathological Liar Game (Gr. 3)

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!

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.

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 numbers Understanding Ordinal numbers Composing and decomposing whole numbers Odds and Evens Adding Whole Numbers Subtracting Whole Numbers Composing & decomposing Whole Numbers Odds & Evens Adding Whole Numbers Subtracting Whole Numbers Fluency with basic number combinations: addition & subtraction Understanding situations that involve multiplication & division , such as equal groupings Analyzing Patterns Sorting, Classifying and Ordering by Size, Number, and Other properties Measuring with standing units: liquid volume (e.g, pints, cups, ounces) Measuring with standing units: length Measuring with standing units: weight Measuring with standing units: time Selecting an appropriate tool for measuring Recognizing 2D and 3D shapes Recognizing geometric shapes in the environment Discussing events as likely or unlikely Recognizing slides, flips and turns (geometric shapes) Describing quantitative change Understanding commonly used fraction, more or less Using addition and subtraction to describe quantitative change Selecting an appropriate nonstandard tool for measuring Recognizing the attributes of time Developing a sense of whole numbers: relating Adding & 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).

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.

Age appropriate Math level questions and makes it fun.

I LOVE This!!! My kids enjoy it so much. I placed it as a station and they were working together to figure it out. It really helps them problem solve!! I loved that at the end they were like “ _____ is going to jail for 5 years because she was a liar 5 times” *miss my kids*

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!