Operation Squad Task Cards
Operation Squad • Task Cards
Mission Part 1: Equal Groups & Sharing (Cases 01–04)
Cut along dashed lines
CASE 01 Equal Groups
Evidence Bag Packing
Detective Leo prepares for a field operation. He packs 6 evidence bags. He places exactly 8 footprint casts into each bag.
How many total footprint casts did Detective Leo pack across all the bags?
Record on sheet Card 1 of 12
CASE 02 Equal Sharing
Academy Badge Award
Chief Maya has 35 silver squad badges to hand out. She distributes them equally among 5 rookie squads.
How many silver badges does each rookie squad receive?
Record on sheet Card 2 of 12
CASE 03 Equal Groups
Secret Decoder Kits
Headquarters delivered 54 decoder rings. Each field kit requires exactly 6 decoder rings to be complete.
How many complete field kits can the agency assemble with all 54 rings?
Record on sheet Card 3 of 12
CASE 04 Repeated Groups
Perimeter Patrol
Agent Chen patrols the station perimeter fence. He walks 4 miles each morning. He repeats this routine for 9 days in a row.
How many total miles did Agent Chen patrol over the 9 days?
Record on sheet Card 4 of 12
Operation Squad Mathematics • Grade 3–4 Page 1 of 3
Operation Squad • Task Cards
Mission Part 2: Arrays & Missing Factors (Cases 05–08)
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CASE 05 Array Total
Fingerprint Board
The lab technician arranges fingerprint evidence cards into a rectangular array. She makes 7 rows with 6 cards in each row.
How many total fingerprint cards are pinned to the evidence board?
Record on sheet Card 5 of 12
CASE 06 Missing Factor
Motion Sensor Grid
A security grid contains 40 motion sensors arranged in an array. Technicians count exactly 8 sensors in each row.
How many rows of motion sensors are installed in the grid?
Record on sheet Card 6 of 12
CASE 07 Missing Factor
Radio Charging Dock
Officer Tariq organizes 48 two-way radios onto a charging wall. The dock has 6 equal rows.
How many two-way radios are charging in each row?
Record on sheet Card 7 of 12
CASE 08 Array Unknown
Security Monitor Wall
The main control screen displays 63 camera feeds in a huge grid. The screen is divided into 9 equal columns.
How many rows of camera feeds are displayed on the control screen?
Record on sheet Card 8 of 12
Operation Squad Mathematics • Grade 3–4 Page 2 of 3
Operation Squad • Task Cards
Mission Part 3: Mixed Operations & Mystery Solvers (Cases 09–12)
Cut along dashed lines
CASE 09 Comparison
Decoded Ciphers
Junior Agent Sam cracked 4 secret ciphers this week. Senior Detective Marcus cracked 7 times as many ciphers as Sam.
How many secret ciphers did Senior Detective Marcus crack?
Record on sheet Card 9 of 12
CASE 10 Distribution
Hidden Memory Drives
Officers recovered 72 encrypted thumb drives equally hidden across 8 locker rooms.
How many encrypted thumb drives were found in each locker room?
Record on sheet Card 10 of 12
CASE 11 Equal Sets
Night Vision Batteries
A squad of 9 field agents receives new surveillance goggles. Each pair of goggles requires 3 special batteries.
How many total batteries does the squad need to power all 9 pairs of goggles?
Record on sheet Card 11 of 12
CASE 12 Fair Share
Emergency Lanterns
The quartermaster has 56 heavy-duty lanterns. She divides them equally among 7 search teams.
How many emergency lanterns does each search team receive?
Record on sheet Card 12 of 12
Operation Squad Mathematics • Grade 3–4 Page 3 of 3
Operation Squad Answer Key
Operation Squad • Master Answer Key
Teacher Reference & Facilitation Guide • Grades 3–4
CCSS: 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.2, 3.OA.A.3 Complete Solutions
CASE 01 • Equal Groups Multiplication (×)
Equation: 6 × 8 = ?
Model: 6 groups of 8 casts
Answer 48 casts
CASE 02 • Equal Sharing Division (÷)
Equation: 35 ÷ 5 = ? (or 5 × ? = 35)
Model: 35 shared into 5 squads
Answer 7 badges
CASE 03 • Measurement Division Division (÷)
Equation: 54 ÷ 6 = ? (or ? × 6 = 54)
Model: groups of 6 out of 54
Answer 9 field kits
CASE 04 • Repeated Groups Multiplication (×)
Equation: 9 × 4 = ? (or 4 × 9 = ?)
Model: 9 days with 4 miles each
Answer 36 miles
CASE 05 • Array Total Multiplication (×)
Equation: 7 × 6 = ?
Model: 7 rows of 6 items
Answer 42 cards
CASE 06 • Array Missing Factor Division (÷)
Equation: 40 ÷ 8 = ? (or ? × 8 = 40)
Model: array of 40 with 8 per row
Answer 5 rows
CASE 07 • Missing Factor (Items) Division (÷)
Equation: 48 ÷ 6 = ? (or 6 × ? = 48)
Model: 48 items in 6 equal rows
Answer 8 radios
CASE 08 • Grid Dimension Division (÷)
Equation: 63 ÷ 9 = ? (or ? × 9 = 63)
Model: 63 total across 9 columns
Answer 7 rows
CASE 09 • Multiplicative Compare Multiplication (×)
Equation: 7 × 4 = ? (or 4 × 7 = ?)
Model: bar model (7 bars of 4)
Answer 28 ciphers
CASE 10 • Equal Partition Division (÷)
Equation: 72 ÷ 8 = ? (or 8 × ? = 72)
Model: 72 partitioned into 8 groups
Answer 9 thumb drives
CASE 11 • Equal Sets Multiplication (×)
Equation: 9 × 3 = ? (or 3 × 9 = ?)
Model: 9 sets of 3 batteries
Answer 27 batteries
CASE 12 • Fair Sharing Division (÷)
Equation: 56 ÷ 7 = ? (or 7 × ? = 56)
Model: 56 split into 7 teams
Answer 8 lanterns
Scoot Activity Setup
Place cards 1–12 on desks in numerical sequence. Give students 60–90 seconds per station with their clipboard and recording sheet. Call “Case Closed! Scoot!” to rotate agents simultaneously.
Common Misconceptions
Students often default to multiplication whenever they see two numbers. Prompt them: “Do we already know the total, or are we finding the total?” If total is known, division or missing factor is required.
