Mission 3: Who stole the woodspring nug (again!)?

A group of four children is seated in a cozy room, discussing strategies around a wooden table. A large bulletin board displays a map and a collection of notes and cards, while colorful storage bins and a bookshelf can be seen in the background. The atmosphere is casual and focused, suggesting they are engaged in a game or problem-solving activity.

By the end of ‘Mission 3’, students will be able to:

  • use comprehension and inquiry skills to analyse and organise clues from different sources using a clue board
  • draw logical conclusions
  • collaboratively create and present a justified explanation using clear reasoning and evidence.

Mission Brief

The Joeys are going on a school excursion to the grand re-opening of the Planetarium. During the trip, something goes wrong - the Woodspring Nug has gone missing again. Your job is to work through the clues and figure out who took it.

In this activity, you will solve a “mini whodunnit”. That means you will investigate a mystery and try to work out who committed the crime. Just like in Caper Crew, you will need to look closely at the information, think carefully and work together.

To help you, you will create a clue board. A clue board is something detectives use to organise their ideas. You collect all your clues, evidence and suspects in one place and move them around as you learn more. It helps you see connections and solve the mystery step by step.

Like the Joeys, you will use your clue board to uncover what really happened to the missing Nug.

Activity 1

You will work in a small group or as a whole class to solve the mystery using a shared clue board.

You will need:

  • Bluetack
  • Markers or pencils
  • Paper or a notebook for making notes.

Use the Mission 3 Case Dossier and the Mission 3 Brief to guide your thinking. These will give you the information, clues and instructions you need to investigate the case and work out what happened.

Click the square in the top right-hand corner of the Dossier and Brief to open the folder in full screen. Then use the arrow key to flip through the pages. You can also download each as a PDF.

Five people are running down a pathway beside a set of stairs leading to a building. They appear to be in a playful or hurried chase, with colorful outfits including a purple dress, an orange coat, and a nurse's uniform. Lush greenery and flowering bushes surround them, creating a vibrant outdoor scene.

For teachers only

Please download the Top Secret Teacher Guide for helpful prompts, the solution to the whodunnit and a ‘Mission debrief’ class reflection.

Click the square in the top right-hand corner of the Teacher Guide to open the folder in full screen. Then use the arrow key to flip through the pages. You can also download the document as a PDF.


Australian Curriculum

Year 3-4

Year 5-6

How this is demonstrated

AC9E3LY05

use comprehension strategies when listening and viewing to build literal and inferred meaning, and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features

 

AC9E4LY06

plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, using visual features, relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, appropriate tense, synonyms and antonyms, correct spelling of multisyllabic words and simple punctuation

 

AC9E3LY07/AC9E4LY07

plan, create, rehearse and deliver short oral and/or multimodal presentations to inform, express opinions or tell stories, using a clear structure, details to elaborate ideas, topic-specific and precise vocabulary, visual features, and appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume

 

AC9E5LY05

use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning to evaluate information and ideas

 

AC9E5LY06

plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features

AC9E6LY07

plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations that include information, arguments and details that develop a theme or idea, organising ideas using precise topic-specific and technical vocabulary, pitch, tone, pace, volume, and visual and digital features

 

• Literacy/ comprehension & reasoning

•  creating and explaining ideas

• English – analysing, interpreting, evaluating

• creating logical explanations/ arguments

 

 

Year 3-4

Year 5-6

How this is demonstrated

AC9HS3S02

locate, collect and record information and data from a range of sources, including annotated timelines and maps

 

AC9HS4S03

interpret information and data displayed in different formats

 

 

AC9HS5S04

evaluate primary and secondary sources to determine origin, purpose and perspectives

 

AC9HS6S03

evaluate information and data in a range of formats to identify and describe patterns and trends, or to infer relationships

 

Inquiry, evaluating sources, drawing conclusions

 

 

 

 

Considering fairness and bias

empathy, teamwork and discussion