Thanksgiving Multiplication and Division CSI Mystery Worksheets

Inside the case file

Thanksgiving multiplication and division for 5th grade, all in one CSI Mystery Detective math case: multi-digit multiplication with the standard algorithm, and long division with 2-digit divisors and remainders. It has a Thanksgiving food drive theme. You can run it as a whole-class challenge, give it to small groups or send it home as homework. There's no prep, and the answer key shows every answer.

The night before Thanksgiving, half the cans from the town's food drive disappear, and one of fifteen volunteers took them. Students follow a loop of "I have, who has" place cards around a dinner table, fill in multiplication tally sheets that got covered in gravy, finish a pantry chart a squirrel chewed, match division answers to a van's loading list and light up a broken scoreboard. Every clue clears some volunteers. A wrong product or quotient points at the wrong people, which lets students catch their own mistakes before the end.

What Is a CSI Mystery Detective?

It's a single detective case spread over five clue pages instead of a page of drill. The story page sets up the crime. On each clue page, students do the math and find out one fact about the thief, such as their team or whether they wear glasses. Then they cross the volunteers who don't match off the suspect chart. One volunteer is left after clue five.

What's Inside

• One Thanksgiving case, The Canned Food Caper, with a story page, a suspect chart of 15 volunteers and five clue pages
• Multiplying 3-digit and 4-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers, such as 4,753 × 76
• Standard algorithm practice with the partial products written out. Some digits are hidden and students work them out.
• Long division with 4-digit dividends and 2-digit divisors
• Division word problems where students decide what the remainder means: boxes needed, full boxes or cans left over
• A multiplication chart read backwards, where students divide to find the missing numbers
• Color and black and white copies of every page
• A complete answer key. Its suspect chart shows which clue removes each volunteer.
• Teacher instructions, 30 pages in all

The Clues

1. Clue One - pass the pie: a loop of place cards with multi-digit multiplication that spells which team to cross off
2. Clue Two - the gravy spill: missing digits in three standard algorithm problems give the vest color
3. Clue Three - the pantry chart: divide to find the chewed numbers, then multiply to find the favorite pie
4. Clue Four - load the vans: long division word problems with remainders show whether the thief wears glasses
5. Clue Five - the broken scoreboard: the divisions with no remainder light up the last digit of the badge number

When to Use This Resource

Use it in the week of Thanksgiving, or any time in November when your class is working on long division. Partners can split the clue pages and meet back at the suspect chart. It's also a good fit for sub plans, for a review day before a multiplication and division test, and for 6th graders who need long division practice. Homeschool families can use it as a holiday math project, since the story doesn't happen at a school.

Grade Levels

Written for 5th grade, where multi-digit multiplication (5.NBT.B.5) and division with 2-digit divisors (5.NBT.B.6) are taught. 6th grade classes can use it to review the division algorithm (6.NS.B.2).

Why Teachers Love Mystery Detectives

The five clues are five different puzzles. One is a loop of cards, one is a chart with holes in it, and one is a scoreboard. That keeps a long run of multiplication and division from feeling like one long worksheet. When a group gives you a name, the answer key lets you check it straight away.

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