Case File Do Now Ticket MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
CASE FILE: DAILY DO NOW
STRATEGY: CUBS & MOLE
DETECTIVE NAME:
DATE:
C.U.B.S. Markup
C - Circle Numbers & UnitsU - Underline Key Math WordsB - Bracket the QuestionS - Write a final Sentence
M.O.L.E. Solving
M - Mark up the text (using CUBS)O - Organize your space (label boxes)L - Line up your work neatlyE - Evaluate & check if it makes sense
CASE NO. 101: THE CRUMB CRUSADER
Detective La'Mya is investigating a missing cupcake mystery. She found 3 cardboard boxes of crumbs. Each box had exactly 14 crumbs inside. Then, she discovered another 8 loose crumbs scattered under a table. How many total crumbs did La'Mya find?
CUBS CHECKLIST
Circle Numbers (3 boxes, 14 crumbs, 8 crumbs) Underline Key Terms (each, then, another, total) Bracket Question ([How many... find?])
MOLE CHECKLIST
Mark up the question above using CUBS Organize your workspace (identify operations) Line up numbers and calculate
O Organize: Plan Your Steps
L Line Up: Solve & Calculate
E Evaluate & S (Sentence)
Does your answer make sense? Explain why:
S - ANSWER SENTENCE:
UNIT: SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING DETECTIVE LICENSE LEVEL: GRADE 4/5 PAGE 1 OF 1
Clue Cracker Slides MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
MISSION NO. 1
Cracking the Word
Problem Code
Mastering the dual power of C.U.B.S. and M.O.L.E. to solve any 4th & 5th grade math challenge.
Welcome Detective! Grab your pencil and case files.
SLIDE 01/07
THE CASE DIFFICULTY
COMMON TRAPS
Why Do Word Problems Seem Hard?
It's usually not the math! The traps are hidden in the clues. Detectives often fall into three common mistakes:
1
The Speed Trap
Rushing to add or multiply before understanding the story.
2
The Messy Space
Losing numbers on scrap paper or mixing up place values.
3
The Unanswered Question
Finding a number but forgetting to answer what the question actually asked.
But don't worry—we have tools to bypass all three traps!
SLIDE 02/07
TOOL #1: C.U.B.S.
MARKING UP THE CASE
Uncovering the Hidden Clues
Use CUBS to dissect and mark up your problem text.
C
Circle
Numbers & Units
Find every math amount like "12 miles" or "3 bags".
U
Underline
Key Math Terms
Words that hint at operations: "each", "left", "total".
B
Bracket
The Question
Put brackets [around the final question] so you know your goal.
S
Sentence
Write Sentence
Pre-write your answer sentence with a blank: "La'Mya has ___ crumbs."
CUBS helps us slow down and gather all of our data accurately.
SLIDE 03/07
TOOL #2: M.O.L.E.
EXECUTING THE MATH
Solving with System and Order
Use MOLE to execute calculations cleanly and avoid simple mistakes.
M
Mark Up
Use CUBS First
Prepare your problem by labeling numbers and brackets before solving.
O
Organize
Plan Your Steps
Draw bar models, label your parts, and identify multi-step operations.
L
Line Up
Neat Operations
Line up your standard algorithm columns by place value. Keep work tidy.
E
Evaluate
Double-Check
Reread the question. Is your number reasonable? Finish the sentence.
MOLE acts as our roadmap so we never get lost in multi-step equations.
SLIDE 04/07
WALKTHROUGH: THE ACTIVE MARKUP
STAGE 1: CUBS
THE PROBLEM PASSAGE
Detective La'Mya is investigating a missing cupcake mystery. She found 3 cardboard boxes of crumbs. Each box had exactly 14 crumbs inside.
Then, she discovered another 8 loose crumbs scattered under a table. [How many total crumbs did La'Mya find?]
Applying CUBS:
C Circled: 3 boxes , 14 crumbs , 8 crumbs
U Underlined key operations: Each (×), another (+), total
B Bracketed: [How many... find?]
S Answer Sentence ready: "La'Mya found ___ crumbs."
Look how clear the math becomes when the visual layout changes!
SLIDE 05/07
WALKTHROUGH: COMPUTATION
STAGE 2: MOLE
STEP 1: ORGANIZE (O)
The Blueprint
Break the problem into clean steps using a labeled visual block model:
Box 1: 14
Box 2: 14
Box 3: 14
Loose crumbs: 8
STEP 2: LINE UP (L)
The Calculation
Line up columns exactly by place value. Solve cleanly:
1 4
4 2 (crumbs in boxes)
4 2
5 0 (total crumbs)
STEP 3: EVALUATE (E)
The Final Sentence
Does 50 make sense? Yes, because 3 × 14 is about 3 × 15 = 45, plus 8 is 53. 50 is extremely reasonable!
CUBS COMPLETED SENTENCE
"La'Mya found 50 total crumbs."
By following MOLE, we solved a complex multi-step question without getting confused.
SLIDE 06/07
YOUR ACTIVE ASSIGNMENT
LET'S START
Now, Open Your Case Files!
Your student practice sheets have 6 mysteries to solve. Use your CUBS markup pencil and follow MOLE organization boxes on every problem.
CUBS for Markup
MOLE for Math
Detectives, begin your investigations. Work together on Problem 1 & 2!
SLIDE 07/07
Case File Practice Worksheet MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
STRATEGY PRACTICE: 6 CASE MYSTERIES
PRACTICE PATHWAY
DETECTIVE NAME:
DATE:
CASE NO. 1: JEREMIAH'S MARKERS
Detective Jeremiah bought 4 bags of evidence markers. Each bag has 15 markers. He lost 6 markers while running to a crime scene. How many evidence markers does Jeremiah have left?
CUBS MARKUP Circle Numbers & Units Underline Operations Bracket the Question
O Organize & Plan
L Line Up & Solve
E E & S Sentence:
CASE NO. 2: VINCENT'S COOKIES
Chef Vincent baked 5 batches of detective cookies. Each batch has 12 cookies. He packed them into special gift boxes of 6 cookies each. How many boxes of cookies did Vincent fill?
CUBS MARKUP Circle Numbers & Units Underline Operations Bracket the Question
O Organize & Plan
L Line Up & Solve
E E & S Sentence:
UNIT: SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING MOLE & CUBS STRATEGIES PAGE 1 OF 3
MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
STRATEGY PRACTICE: 6 CASE MYSTERIES
PRACTICE PATHWAY
DETECTIVE NAME:
DATE:
CASE NO. 3: SHERVONE'S BINDERS
Officer Shervone bought 7 boxes of notebook binders. Each box contained 8 binders. They distributed 15 binders to junior officers and 22 binders to senior detectives. How many binders remain?
CUBS MARKUP Circle Numbers & Units Underline Operations Bracket the Question
O Organize & Plan
L Line Up & Solve
E E & S Sentence:
CASE NO. 4: RAH'NI'S FOOT PATROL
Agent Rah'ni walked 3 miles on Monday, twice as many miles on Tuesday, and 5 miles on Wednesday while surveying suspects. How many miles did Agent Rah'ni walk in total?
CUBS MARKUP Circle Numbers & Units Underline Operations Bracket the Question
O Organize & Plan
L Line Up & Solve
E E & S Sentence:
UNIT: SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING MOLE & CUBS STRATEGIES PAGE 2 OF 3
MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
STRATEGY PRACTICE: 6 CASE MYSTERIES
PRACTICE PATHWAY
DETECTIVE NAME:
DATE:
CASE NO. 5: YAVIER'S COINS
Detective Yavier is investigating a museum report of 4 missing gold coins. Each coin has a value of $45. If the thief returned 2 of the coins, what is the total dollar value of the coins that are still missing?
CUBS MARKUP Circle Numbers & Units Underline Operations Bracket the Question
O Organize & Plan
Case File Strategy Quiz MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
STRATEGY EXAM: MOLE & CUBS
SCORE: / 60
DETECTIVE NAME:
DATE:
1 PART 1: Strategy Decode (15 Points)
Write the letter in the blank next to its correct meaning.
C.U.B.S. Markup (Circle options)
C - Circle ...
U - Underline ...
B - Bracket ...
S - Write a final ...
M.O.L.E. Process (Match letters)
A. Organize Space & Plan B. Evaluate & Check
C. Mark up text (CUBS) D. Line up & Calculate
M:
O:
L:
E:
PROBLEM 1 (15 POINTS)
Agent Vincent is packing gear. He has 6 heavy wooden crates. Each crate holds exactly 18 magnifying glasses. He needs to pack all of them into smaller kits of 9 glasses each. How many kits can he make?
CUBS SCORE (/5) Circle Numbers Underline Operations Bracket Question
O Organize & Plan Work
L Line Up Columns & Solve
E Answer Sentence:
UNIT: PROBLEM SOLVING EXAM 30-MINUTE INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT PAGE 1 OF 2
MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
STRATEGY EXAM: MOLE & CUBS
ASSESSMENT IN PROGRESS
PROBLEM 2 (15 POINTS)
Detective Shervone purchased a metal lockbox for $48. They also bought 4 secret decoding tools. Each decoding tool costs exactly $12. What was the total cost of all the items?
CUBS SCORE (/5) Circle Numbers Underline Operations Bracket Question
O Organize & Plan Work
L Line Up Columns & Solve
E Answer Sentence:
PROBLEM 3 (15 POINTS)
Detective Rah'ni is reviewing fingerprints. She has 3 stacks of card records: Stack A has 35 cards, Stack B has 42 cards, and Stack C has 23 cards. If she places them in folders of 10 cards each, how many full folders does she have?
CUBS SCORE (/5) Circle Numbers Underline Operations Bracket Question
O Organize & Plan Work
L Line Up Columns & Solve
E Answer Sentence:
UNIT: PROBLEM SOLVING EXAM 30-MINUTE INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT PAGE 2 OF 2
Clue Cracker Teacher Guide MATH DETECTIVE AGENCY
FACILITATION GUIDE: CUBS & MOLE
TEACHER ADVISORY
Goal: Equip 4th & 5th graders with dual strategic filters (CUBS for active reading/markup, and MOLE for step-by-step spatial calculation) to systematically decode and solve multi-step word problems.
Lesson Blueprint & Pacing
Pacing Segment Teacher Actions & Core Content Delivery 05-08 min Do Now Kickoff Distribute "Case File Do Now Ticket". Students solve independently. Have students compare how they circled/underlined terms before any math was performed. 10-15 min Direct Instruction Project Slide Deck. Highlight the two separate cognitive actions: CUBS (preparing/dissecting language) vs. MOLE (visual modeling and vertical calculation layout). 15-20 min Guided Practice Work on Problems 1 & 2 together. Force alignment with checklists: students may not begin calculating in column "L" until their "CUBS" checkboxes are ticked. 20-30 min Independent Work Students complete Problems 3-6. Monitor and intercept students who are jumping straight to equations. Check that "Organize" boxes have labeled diagrams (tape diagrams, number lists). 30 min limit Strategy Quiz Administer the strategy exam. Grade separately for markup precision (CUBS score) and computation accuracy (MOLE score) to pinpoint where student struggles lie.
The CUBS Script
"Class, why do we bracket the question? Because sometimes, the problem tells us a story but asks us a specific thing. If we find that La'Mya has 42 crumbs in the boxes, we might write 42 as our answer. But by bracketing [How many total crumbs did La'Mya find?], we are reminded to add the other 8 loose crumbs under the table!"
Intercepting Messy Work
Watch for students writing calculations sideways or randomly across the page. Remind them: "The letter L in MOLE stands for Line Up! Align your ones, tens, and hundreds column. Keep your arithmetic neat so you do not make simple borrowing or carrying mistakes."
Critical Student Misconceptions
Key-Word Fallacy: Students might think "each" always means multiply. Teach them that "each" can mean division when packing/sharing. They must sketch standard tape/group diagrams in the "Organize" box to verify.
