Drawing Conclusions

Inside the case file

Six engines went into the box on Monday and there were five on Tuesday — that is the first thing that does not add up, and it is not the last. Students read a two-page fiction passage set at a space camp, answer comprehension questions from the text, and cross a suspect off the line-up with every correct answer until one name is left. Printable, self-checking and no prep, it fits inference units, STEM-themed reading, literacy centers, early finishers, sub days and homework in Grades 3–5.

Quick Details

Skill: Drawing conclusions, inference and text evidence · Grades: 3–5 · Format: One case — two-page passage, 15 multiple-choice questions, written response and full answer keys (printable PDF, color and black-and-white) · Theme: Space Camp — The Rocket That Flew Without Us

The Case

Theo and Dev are cadets in Team Orion at Comet Ridge Space Camp, where you spend one whole week building one model rocket for one launch on Friday afternoon. Theirs is called Pocket Comet — red and white, about as tall as an arm, the name written in pencil inside the body tube where nobody can see it. Nobody was supposed to fly Pocket Comet before Friday. Nobody was supposed to carry it out of the workshop at all. Camp gives every team six engines in a box with six slots, and on Tuesday morning there were five. This is the story of how the boys found out that somebody had flown their rocket — three times.

How the Reading Mystery Works

Students take on the role of Reading Detectives. They read the passage, answer each multiple-choice question from the text, and cross off the suspect shown beneath the correct answer. The answers are there for a reader who notices what is counted, what is missing and what does not match — every right answer removes a name, and the last person standing flew the rocket.

What's Included

• A "You are a detective" case-file page that sets the scene and the mission
• A two-page fiction passage told in first person by one of the cadets
• Three pages of multiple-choice comprehension questions, every answer found in the text
• A sixteen-suspect line-up page for eliminating names one clue at a time
• Written-response pages with sample answers
• A themed word search and extension activities for early finishers
• Self-checking answer keys for every page
• Full color and ink-saving black-and-white versions
• Teacher instructions and print-and-go PDF format

Skills Covered

• Drawing conclusions from evidence the text does not spell out
• Making inferences about motive and character
• Finding and citing text evidence
• Sequencing events and noticing what does not add up
• Vocabulary in context
• Logical reasoning and deductive elimination as suspects are ruled out

Best Used For

• Inference and drawing conclusions units
• Space, rockets and STEM-themed reading
• Literacy centers and reading rotations
• Morning work, homework and early finishers
• Substitute and relief days
• Comprehension review and test prep for Grades 3–5

More From This Line

Browse every Reading Mystery, or pair it with The Book That Came Back and The Boat That Went Ashore.