4th Grade Emergency Sub Plans | Mystery Detective Worksheets | No Prep Review Activities

Emergency sub plans for 4th grade math, no prep substitute teacher worksheets, and print and go review activities are all included in this Mini Mystery Detective packet. Every page is one self-contained detective case covering a different fourth grade math skill, so a substitute can hand them straight out with nothing to explain, nothing to set up and nothing to mark. Perfect for an emergency sub day, a sub tub or sub folder, spiral review, morning work, math centers, early finishers, homework and end of year test prep.

Completely no prep - just print and go.

What's Inside

• Multi-digit multiplication: 3-digit by 1-digit and 2-digit by 2-digit using the standard algorithm
• Division with remainders: 3-digit dividends shared into equal groups, interpreting what is left over
• Equivalent fractions: reading a bar model and working out the missing numerator
• Place value and rounding: the value of a digit in a five-digit number, and rounding to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand
• Decimals to hundredths: writing a shaded tenths and hundredths grid as a decimal
• Multi-step word problems: multiplicative comparison, and addition and subtraction to four digits
• Symmetry: folding a half-figure out across the line of symmetry and counting the squares
• Factors and multiples: naming the nth multiple of a number and finding a missing factor
• Elapsed time: reading an analog clock face and writing the time twenty-five minutes later
• Area and perimeter: applying the formulas to rectangles with labeled side lengths

The cases: The Packing Slip Job, The Uneven Share, The Recut Pies, The Smudged Register, The Tiled Floor Case, The Field Trip Files, The Cut-Out Caper, The Skipped Numbers, The Late Bell Case and The Playground Plans.

An answer key is included for every case.

What is a Mini Mystery Detective?

A no-prep detective activity where students solve math problems to cross off suspects and unmask the culprit. Skill practice plus critical thinking in one engaging, self-checking worksheet set.

Because every correct answer eliminates exactly one suspect, the page checks itself. A student whose answer does not match anybody knows straight away to go back and look again - which is exactly what you need on a day when the adult in the room cannot help with the math.

Why This Works for a Substitute

• No teaching required - the directions on each page tell students everything they need
• No materials to gather, no rulers, no protractors, nothing to cut or laminate
• Self-checking, so the substitute never has to know the math to know it is going well
• Each page is a separate case, so they can be used in any order and over any number of days
• Answer keys follow the student pages if you would like them marked before you return

When to Use This Resource

• Emergency sub days and planned absences
• Sub tub, sub folder and substitute teacher binder filler
• Spiral review and back to school refreshers
• Morning work and bell ringers
• Math centers and small groups
• Early finishers and "I'm done, now what?" work
• Homework and end of year test prep

Grade Levels

Designed for 4th grade. Also beneficial as start of year review for 5th grade, and as extension work for advanced 3rd graders. The topics cover the whole fourth grade year, so the pack works just as well in September as in June.

Why Teachers Love Mystery Detectives

• Zero prep - print and go
• Self-checking, so mistakes get caught by the student
• Real skill practice, not busy work
• A detective hook that keeps the whole class working
• Black and white printing, so it copies cleanly

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