The Case of the Vanishing Science Project
On Friday, the 7th-grade science fair was set up in the gym. When the judges arrived Saturday morning, the prize-winning project—an amazing working volcano—was missing. The table was empty except for a spilled cup of water and a scrap of paper with the word “pressure” scribbled on it.
Three suspects were nearby:
- Alicia, another competitor. Her solar panel display sat next to the volcano. She was upset the day before because the bubbling “lava” splattered onto her project.
- Ben, the student photographer. He said he wanted close-ups of the volcano’s “gears” even though his job was to take wide shots of every project.
- Marcus, a janitor’s helper. He was seen moving equipment late Friday. Some students noticed dried clay on his sleeves afterward.
Extra clues turned up:
- Muddy footprints led from the gym to the science lab.
- An empty vinegar container was found in the lab.
- Alicia’s notes focused on her solar panel, not the volcano.
- Ben’s camera had pictures of every project—except the volcano.
- Marcus’s cart carried chairs, but there was also a bag of plaster under a tarp.
Your Detective Task
You are the detective. Write a Detective Report that explains:
- Who you think took the volcano project.
- At least 3 clues that support your answer.
- Why the other suspects don’t fit the evidence, even though they seemed suspicious.
Wrap-Up
This detective writing warm-up mystery for students is your chance to think like a real investigator. Read carefully, look at the clues, and write your best solution to the case.
When you’re finished, check out the rest of our blog for more tips, ideas, and activities to help you learn and grow. Be sure to follow our classroom Instagram page for behind-the-scenes moments, project highlights, and fun updates. Let’s work together to make learning fun, exciting, and something you look forward to every day!
5 Responses
I think the students kill someone or they steal a expensive thing from the school like a laptop but I think the students kill someone because who ganna ask a Detective to find the person who steal the laptop so I think the students kill someone.
I think the Janitor took the volcano project because he had clay and the vinegar so that is why I think the person who stole the volcano is the Janitor.
I think the person that took the other volcano was Alicia because she is a competitor and she probably thought it was better then hers so she took it somewhere. Also because it says Alicia, solar panel display sat next to the volcano and so she could’ve took it. Another thing is that she was upset the day before because the bubbling “lava” splattered onto her project, she was there before the day and also it says there was a cup spilled of water, and it says she was upset because lava splattered on to her project so she probably left that there and since lave spilled on her project she took the other project.
I think it was Alicia because she was upset that her volcano got ruined so she subatobage someone else.
I think that Marcus, the janitor took the other volcano. My first reason is that he was seen moving the equipment. First of all why were you even touching them and you can’t even say that you were cleaning around them, infact that would make sound even more weird. Another reason was that the students found clay on his sleeves. My last reason on why he took the project was that yeah his crate was full of chairs but why was there a big paslter under the crate, add all these up. He stole it. A reason I think Alicia didn’t steal it is because her notes were about her project not the volcano. Ben also didn’t steal it because he didn’t have a single picture of the volcano but he had many pictures of other projects.