ENG_Monstrous problems at Hotel De Tenebris 1

CLEOPATRA’S CROWN MONSTROUS MONSTROUS PROBLEMS PROBLEMS

1 Open the book in half: detach the sheet with the stickers and the one with the map of the hotel and the grid of suspects.

2 Read the first part of the story, do the exercises and collect the clues. Then check on pages 2 and 3 which suspects own an object like the one found and paste the sticker on the grid of suspects. The only suspect who owns all the clue-objects will be the culprit!

3 Keep reading the story to find out where the culprit is hiding: move through the rooms of the hotel following the directions on the pages and checking the map: the culprit is hiding in the last room with the valuable loot!

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL FULL MOON NIGHT, YET THERE IS A GREAT TURMOIL AT THE HOTEL DE TENEBRIS…

MISS CLEOPATRA, JUST CALM DOWN AND TELL US...

WHAT HAPPENED?

CALM DOWN!?!

GO TELL SOMEONE ELSE!!!

SOME SCOUNDREL HAS STOLEN MY MOST PRECIOUS CROWN! IT WAS A GIFT FROM MY FATHER, THE PHARAOH PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS! DO SOMETHING!!!

OH MY GOODNESS!

WHO COULD HAVE DONE IT?

LET’S LOOK AT THE SECURITY FOOTAGE OF THE VIDEO SURVEILLANCE WHO WAS IN THE HOTEL THIS NIGHT...

ARE YOU COMING WITH ME AND WOLF?

THE SUSPECTS

ARACNE, THE FLOOR MAID

I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR THE DE TENEBRIS FAMILY FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A LOYAL AND EFFICIENT ASSISTANT, WHICH IS WHY I AM DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED TO BE CONSIDERED PART OF THE SUSPECTS.

LUNA, THE RECEPTIONIST

I WOULD NEVER RISK BEING FIRED BECAUSE OF A STUPID CROWN! WITH THE TIPS I GET FROM THE GUESTS I CAN AFFORD TO BUY ALL THE JEWELLERY I WANT!

RUPIN, THE YOGA INSTRUCTOR

I DON’T UNDERSTAND ALL THIS FUSS... I HAVE BEEN EMBRACING THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE FAR EAST FOR A LONG TIME AND REALISED THAT WE HAVE TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE NATURE, WITHOUT GIVING IMPORTANCE TO OBJECTS. THE TRUE WEALTH LIVES INSIDE US!

OFELIA, THE GHOST OF THE FORMER OWNER

I FIND IT TRULY DISRESPECTFUL THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE SUSPICIOUS OF A GENTLEWOMAN OF NOBLE ORIGINS LIKE ME. APPARENTLY NO ONE KNOWS GOOD MANNERS IN HERE!

FRANK, THE HOST

DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WOULD STEAL CLEOPATRA’S CROWN?!? AND WHAT WOULD I DO WITH IT? WOULD I WEAR IT AT CARNIVAL??

ERASMO, THE TOWN MAYOR

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I HAVE NEVER LEFT MY ROOM! IN ORDER TO AVOID MEETING ONE OF THOSE MONSTERS, I EVEN GOT BREAKFAST DELIVERED TO MY ROOM. AND NOW, LET ME GO, BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE!

HERE WE GO... LET’S GO TO MISS CLEOPATRA’S ROOM, THE CULPRIT WILL CERTAINLY HAVE LEFT SOME TRACES! ...THE WINDOW IS OPEN. OUR THIEF MAY HAVE ESCAPED FROM THERE! LOOK AT THIS WONDERFUL SKY!

FIVE BIG STARS AND THE MOON SHINE IN THE SKY. HOW MANY CELESTIAL BODIES CAN WE SEE THERE IN TOTAL?

THERE ARE ALSO SOME PURPLE CLOUDS! I SAW 4 AND WOLF SAW 5. HOW MANY CLOUDS ARE THERE IN TOTAL?

MY FAVOURITES ARE BATS, THOUGH. ON ONE BRANCH I SEE 3, BUT WOLF TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE 10 IN TOTAL. HOW MANY BATS ARE ON THE OTHER BRANCH?

LOOK ON THAT LOG, THERE’S A FAMILY OF DORMICE! MOTHER DORMOUSE AND HER 7 CUBS. HOW MANY DORMICE ARE THERE IN TOTAL?

LET’S ALSO LOOK INSIDE MISS CLEOPATRA’S WARDROBE - SHE HAS LOTS OF BANDAGE DRESSES!

COUNT THE CLOTHES PEGS ON EACH HANGER AND FIND OUT HOW MANY BANDAGES EACH DRESS CONSISTS OF.

CLUE 1

LET’S CHECK AGAIN, I THINK I SAW SOMETHING ODD... HERE’S THE FIRST CLUE! HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT IT IS? LOOK FOR IT IN THE STICKERS, CHECK THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEOS TO SEE WHICH ONE OF THE SUSPECTS OWNS ONE (PP. 2-3) AND PASTE IT INTO THE CLUE COLLECTION SHEET!

5 + 4 =

9 + 1 =

6 + 2 =

4 + 3 =

2 + 2 =

3 + 5 =

NO LUCK YET, WHAT A PITY! BEFORE LEAVING THE SPA I WANT TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES IN THE STEAM ROOM. ARE YOU COMING WITH ME, OMBRETTA? REMEMBER TO SET THE HOURGLASSES ON THE WALLS TO KEEP TRACK OF THE ELAPSED MINUTES. WE CAN ONLY SPEND A MAXIMUM OF 20 MINUTES IN THE STEAM ROOM, OTHERWISE WE’LL END UP LIKE BOILED FISH!

SAUNA TIME: 20 MINUTES

ELAPSED MINUTES: 5 MINUTES

MINUTES LEFT?

SAUNA TIME: 20 MINUTES

ELAPSED MINUTES: 10 MINUTES

MINUTES LEFT?

SAUNA TIM: 20 MINUTES

ELAPSED MINUTES: 7 MINUTES

MINUTES LEFT?

SAUNA TIME: 20 MINUTES

ELAPSED MINUTES: 9 MINUTES

MINUTES LEFT?

SAUNA TIME: 20 MINUTES

ELAPSED MINUTES: 12 MINUTES

MINUTES LEFT?

SAUNA TIME: 20 MINUTES

ELAPSED MINUTES: 15 MINUTES

MINUTES LEFT?

CLUE 4

LET’S GET OUT NOW, OTHERWISE WE’LL END UP BOILED! OH, LOOK WHAT’S ON THE FLOOR...! HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT THE FOURTH CLUE IS? LOOK FOR IT IN THE STICKERS, CHECK THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEOS TO SEE WHO AMONG THE SUSPECTS

AND PASTE IT INTO THE

FOLLOWING A CAREFUL INSPECTION OF THE SUSPECT PAGES, OMBRETTA AND WOLF REALISE THAT ALL CLUES LEAD TO

BUT THEIR MISSION IS NOT OVER YET…

WELL DONE! NOW WE JUST HAVE TO FIND WHERE OUR THIEF IS HIDING AND THUS RETRIEVE THE PRECIOUS CROWN! LET’S GET THE MAP OF THE HOTEL AND CHECK WHICH ROOMS WE HAVEN’T EXAMINED YET.

...LOOK OMBRETTA, WE STILL HAVEN’T SEARCHED THE LIBRARY, THE GAMES ROOM AND THE WINTER GARDEN. BUT WHERE CAN WE START?

HMM... I DON’T KNOW! BUT, HOLD ON A SECOND! WHY IS THAT RARE SPECIES OF CARNIVOROUS PLANT LYING THERE?!?

EXCELLENT CALL! AND YOU, HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHERE WE SHOULD START OUR INVESTIGATION? HAVE YOU? THEN CHECK ON THE MAP TO WHICH PAGE WE NEED TO GO!

MR. FRANK’S GRANDCHILDREN WERE PLAYING WITH THESE COLOURFUL BRICKS, BUT THEY DIDN’T FINISH AND I CAN’T STAND HALF-FINISHED THINGS! WE COULD TAKE A BREAK AND COMPLETE THE WORK. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

LET’S DRAW THE MISSING SHAPES AND ANSWER THE RIDDLES!

THE TOY TRAIN CONSISTS OF 12 BRICKS. 4 HAVE BEEN USED. HOW MANY BRICKS ARE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE TOY TRAIN?

HOW MANY FOR EACH SHAPE?

___ SQUARES ___ TRIANGLES ___ RECTANGLES ___ CIRCLES

THE SPACE ROCKET CONSISTS OF 11 BRICKS. ONLY 1 HAS BEEN USED. HOW MANY BRICKS ARE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE ROCKET?

HOW MANY FOR EACH SHAPE?

___ SQUARES ___ TRIANGLES ___ RECTANGLES ___ CIRCLES

WE ARE ALMOST THERE, I CAN FEEL IT! ONE LAST EFFORT! LET’S ALSO COMPLETE THIS GEOMETRIC PUZZLE OF THE VAMPIRE PALMIRO, IT MIGHT BE HIDING A CLUE TO FIND THE CROWN!

HOW MANY SQUARES HAVE WE USED?

HOW MANY CIRCLES?

HOW MANY SHAPES IN TOTAL?

HOW MANY RECTANGLES?

HOW MANY TRIANGLES?

__ ______ __ ______ __ ______ = __________

FIND THE HIDDEN NUMBER ON THE VAMPIRE AND CHECK THE MAP TO FIND OUT WHICH ROOM HAS TO BE INSPECTED!

WHAT A MESS! I THINK IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO FIND ANY USEFUL ELEMENTS FOR OUR INVESTIGATIONS! LET’S LOOK CAREFULLY AND TRY TO COMPLETE THE LIST BELOW.

PUT AN X ON “T” IF THE SENTENCE IS TRUE, ON “F” IF IT IS FALSE.

3 OUT OF 7 BIRDS FLEW OUT OF THE CAGE

THE BIRDS LEFT IN THE CAGE ARE 5

THE RED FLOWERS VASES ARE 2 MORE THAN THOSE OF YELLOW FLOWERS

IN ORDER TO FIND OUT HOW MANY NON-LEMON PLANTS THERE ARE UNDER THE SHELF, YOU HAVE TO CARRY OUT AN ADDITION

4 RUNGS ARE MISSING UNTIL THE CAT CLIMBS THE WHOLE LADDER

IN ORDER TO FIND OUT HOW MANY RUNGS THE CAT HAS LEFT, YOU HAVE TO CARRY OUT A SUBTRACTION

OH NO, WOLF! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOU DROPPED ONE OF THE VASES!

HERE ARE THE ACTIONS THAT WOLF WILL HAVE TO CARRY OUT TO MAKE UP FOR HIS MESS. REORDER THEM FROM 1 TO 5.

CAREFULLY OBSERVE THE SITUATION IN FRONT OF HIM

MAKE SURE HE HAS CLEANED UP WELL

PICK UP THE LARGE PIECES (TABLE AND FRAGMENTS)

REMOVE THE SMALLER WASTE REMAINING ON THE FLOOR

DECIDE WHAT TO DO

OMBRETTA, HAVE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE FLOWERS IN THE VASE: SOME ARE YELLOW AND SOME ARE BLUE.

HOW MANY OPERATIONS CAN WE DETECT?

(THAT IS THE NUMBER OF FLOWERS ________________)

(THAT IS THE NUMBER OF FLOWERS ________________)

(THAT IS THE NUMBER OF FLOWERS________________)

(THAT IS THE NUMBER OF FLOWERS________________)

WHILE WE’RE AT IT, LET’S ALSO CHECK HOW MANY FLOWERS ARE IN THE PLANTERS AND LET’S FILL IN THE BLANK SPACES.

SO FAR, NOTHING USEFUL FOR OUR INVESTIGATION YET. BUT LOOK... VERMUS, THE GARDENER, HAS ARRIVED. LET’S HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. CAREFUL! THERE ARE SOME MISTAKES!

MARK THE MISTAKES YOU FIND WITH THE GREEN CRAYON, THEN WRITE THE CORRECT NUMBERS IN THE DIAGRAMS.

I HAVE PREPARED 16 BEAUTIFUL DUSTY POTS ON THE SHELF, BUT THE WIND DROPPED 7 OF THEM. SO NOW THERE ARE 10 POTS ON THE SHELF.

I PLANTED 4 SALAD SEEDLINGS IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN, THEN I PLANTED 11 MORE. NOW THERE ARE 17 SEEDLINGS IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

IN ONE VASE THERE ARE 10 WONDERFUL DRIED FLOWERS, AND 6 IN THE OTHER. SO THERE ARE 15 BEAUTIFUL DRIED FLOWERS IN TOTAL.

MY BITTER LEMON SAPLING HAD 12 SUCCULENT LEMONS, BUT SOME VORACIOUS CATERPILLARS ATE 5OF THEM. NOW THE SAPLING HAS A TOTAL OF 17 LEMONS.

FIND THE HIDDEN NUMBER ON THE GARDENER AND CHECK THE MAP TO FIND OUT WHICH ROOM YOU NEED TO INSPECT!

MONSTROUS PROBLEMS AT THE HOTEL DE TENEBRIS

TRAINING MATHEMATICAL SKILLS WITH... SOME THRILLS

The “Monstrous Problems at Hotel De Tenebris” series takes advantage of the presence of a captivating and immersive mystery context to make children feel brave and resourceful and propose games and exercises that stimulate the learning flow while enhancing the mathematical skills underlying problem solving.

It is precisely through problem solving that children develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and appreciate the relevance and usefulness of mathematics. Problem solving in mathematics supports the development of the ability to:

• think creatively, critically and logically;

• structure and organise;

• process information;

• investigate and understand the world around us.

It is important to avoid placing too much emphasis on skill and procedure at the expense of problem sol-

Sitography

ving and intuition, but most importantly - the choice behind this series - to train all four specific problem solving skills: understanding, planning, solving, monitoring. Moreover, it is essential to support visual-spatial memory, which has recently been acknowledged as a key factor in the ability to solve mathematical problems: this is why the series takes advantage of several tools of the Singapore Method: an approach that includes the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) progression, the number bonds, bar modelling and mental mathematics (Number Friends and Number Doubles).

Together with Ombretta, Wolf and the ‘monstrous’ characters of the Hotel De Tenebris, primary school children can learn maths while having fun, engaging in small challenges with numbers, calculations and geometric shapes in a truly exciting ‘game-book’!

(links consulted on 13.02.2024)

https://www.generationready.com/white-papers/ mathematics-as-a-complex-problem-solving-activity/#:~:text=The%20importance%20of%20problem%2Dsolving,applying%20a%20set%20of%20 procedures.

https://www.sadlier.com/school/sadlier-math-blog/ polyas-problem-solving-steps-finding-unknowns-ele -

Index of activities divided by topics

mentary-and-middle-school

https://www.singaporemath.com/pages/what-is-singapore-math

Pages

5 6 7

Pages 8 9 10 11

Pages 12 13 14 15

ARACNE RUPIN LUNA

FRANK OFELIA ERASMO

SUSPECTS AND CLUE COLLECTION

LIBRARY p. 37

GAMES ROOM p. 42

WELLNESS CENTRE p. 12

WINTER GARDEN p. 48

RESTAURANT p. 20

CLEOPATRA’S ROOM p. 4