This is a free division facts game for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade: a five-minute detective case you put on the board and solve as a class. It practices 3.OA.C.7 (fluently divide within 100) and 3.OA.B.6 (division as an unknown factor). There are no logins, no student accounts and nothing to print unless you want the full case afterwards.
Why it works for division facts
Division clues make the class test every badge: does 72 divide evenly by 8? Is 54 ÷ 6 more than 7? Students who know their facts spot the answer in a second. Students who are still building them get a reason to work through the whole lineup, which is exactly the practice they need.
How to run it
- Put it on the board. Tap Put it on the board above the case and it fills the screen. Six suspects, each wearing a badge number. One of them did it.
- Read clue 1 out loud. The class works out which badges the clue rules out. Tap each suspect it clears; a correct tap stamps them CLEARED, a wrong one just wobbles.
- Clues 2 and 3 unlock as you go. Keep clearing until one suspect is left, then tap them to close the case. The reveal explains every clue.
- Play it again. New lineup keeps the clues and shuffles the suspects. New clues gives you a fresh case. Round 2 and Round 3 are waiting in the tabs.
Three tips from the classroom
- Say the matching multiplication fact out loud for each clue. 8 × what is 72? keeps division tied to the facts they already know.
- Let the class vote before anyone taps. The disagreements are where the teaching happens.
- Use the three rounds across a week. The clock on each case is a quiet motivator for the second and third run.
Making it easier or harder
For a class new to division, show the related times table on the board. For a confident class, add a rule: no talking until a hand goes up with the fact that clears a suspect.
Questions teachers ask
What range of division facts?
Badges are multiples from the 2 to 12 times tables, so every division clue has a whole-number answer inside the facts to 144.
Can students play it on their own device?
It works on any laptop or tablet, but it is built as a whole-class board game. The printable packs below are the version for independent work.
Is there an answer somewhere?
When the last suspect is caught, the case explains every clue. Tap New lineup for the same clues with new suspects, or New clues for a fresh set.
