🎯 Goal
Stop passive reading.
Hunt for the mathematical clues hidden throughout the guide to complete each task.
All answers are hidden at the very end of the guide so you can check your work later.
Flipping Flashcards First:
Flip through first before reading and again after.
🔍 HUNTING ZONE A — Translating Clues Into Operations
Before using PEMDAS, you must first translate the story into math.
Look for these common keyword clues.
Operation | Common Clues |
➕ Addition | deposit, gain, combined total, increase |
➖ Subtraction | withdrawal, fee, dropped, decrease, below zero |
✖️ Multiplication | each, per, times, double, of |
➗ Division | split, shared equally, cut into pieces, unit cost |
🧗 Reese Scavenger Task 1 — Clue Finder
Read the sentence.
A bank account baseline drops by \$5 each week for 3 weeks.
Question 1A
Which operation does the word drops represent?
👉 Answer: [ A ]
Question 1B
Which operation does the word each represent?
👉 Answer: [ B ]
🔍 HUNTING ZONE B — Parentheses & the Grouping Blueprint
🚫 Critical Law
Sometimes a story requires numbers to be grouped before multiplying or dividing.
Whenever numbers belong together as a package,
protect them with parentheses.
Example 1 — Flat Rate (No Parentheses)
A company charges
- $15 equipment fee
- $10 per hour
- 3 hours
Expression
Multiplication happens first.
Example 2 — Group Package (Parentheses Needed)
Three friends each buy
- one $15 ticket
- one $10 shirt
Expression
The parentheses protect the package so it is added before multiplying.
🧗 Reese Scavenger Task 2 — The Group Guard
Study the examples above.
Question 2A
Why must the ticket and shirt be added before multiplying by 3?
👉 Answer
Because they belong together as a package for [ C ] person.
Action 2B
Add parentheses to show:
Four friends each receive a \$2 discount on a \$10 ticket.
Complete the setup.
🔍 HUNTING ZONE C — Navigating the Bank Account Trap
Negative numbers represent
- debt
- losses
- positions below zero
When you start below zero and subtract again,
you move farther into debt.
Example
A bank account begins at
- $12
A subscription charges
Expression
- 12-5
Result
- 17
🧗 Reese Scavenger Task 3 — The Debt Check
Study the example.
Question 3A
True or False:
Because there are two negative/subtraction signs in
- 12-5
they combine into a plus sign.
👉 Answer: [ E ]
Action 3B
A baseline starts at
- 20
It drops another
points.
👉 New Baseline: [ F ]
🚀 STEP 2 — WATCH (5 Minutes)
Watch:
- Math with Mr. J — Writing Expressions from Word Problems
🎯 STEP 3 — INDEPENDENT CLEARANCE CHECK
Write the complete mathematical expression first.
Then solve it one step at a time.
Do not check the Answer Vault until you've finished.
1. The Temperature Drop
The temperature at midnight in Arlington was
−4°F
Over the next 6 hours, the temperature dropped
3°F each hour.
Consolidated Expression
Line 2 Rewrite
Final Value
________________________ °F
2. The Shared Discount
Four friends go to a movie in Reston.
Each ticket costs \$12.
A group coupon takes \$3 off each ticket.
Consolidated Expression
Line 2 Rewrite
Final Value
\$ ________________________
3. The Construction Split
A construction worker has a board that is
50 inches long.
He cuts off 14 inches.
He divides the remaining board into 4 equal pieces.
Consolidated Expression
Line 2 Rewrite
Final Value
________________________ inches
🕵️♂️ THE ANSWER VAULT
(Student Self-Check Only — Don't Peek Early!)
🔑 Scavenger Hunt Clue Key
Clue | Answer |
A | Subtraction |
B | Multiplication |
C | Each (or Per) |
D | Minus sign (−) |
E | False (They only combine when a subtraction sign is immediately followed by a negative sign.) |
F | −28 |
✅ Step 3 Clearance Check Key
1. Temperature Drop
Expression
- 4-6(3)
Line 2
- 4-18
Final Answer
2. Shared Discount
Expression
Line 2
Final Answer
3. Construction Split
Expression
Line 2
Final Answer