Maths Mystery Pictures

With this set of differentiated mystery pictures, students will plot ordered pairs, connecting them in order. When all lines are complete, a message is revealed. Students can complete multiple messages since there are 3 options. The teacher can differentiate easily so that students have different messages than their neighbours or differentiate based on difficulty. The hand lens next to the title indicates the difficulty level.

• Level 1: All coordinates are within the first quadrant. There are 41 points to plot. 
• Level 2: All coordinates are within the first quadrant. There are 88 points to plot.
• Level 3: Coordinates are in all four quadrants. There are 99 points to plot.

Teachers can choose which coordinate grid to give to their students. Each grid has an option that includes numbers along the x and y-axis as well as a blank version.

The goal of this resource is to practise graphing ordered pairs in an engaging way that also requires close attention to detail and direction following.

An answer key is included with your download to make grading fast and easy! 

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

In addition to independent student work time, use this worksheet as an activity for:

• Maths groups
• Lesson wrap-up
• Fast finishers 
• Homework assignment
• Whole-class review (via digital whiteboard )

For students needing a challenge, give them the level 3 message. This one is more detailed and has more complex numbers. An extension would be to have students create their own mystery messages and trade with partners.

For students who need additional support, include a list of common decimal amounts to help with those ordered pairs (such as 0.25=1/4 and show a model example). Consider reading the ordered pairs aloud to the student and guiding them through connecting the dots in the right order. Additionally, Provide notes with reminders about graphing ordered pairs showing that the first coordinate indicates horizontal movement and the second coordinate indicates vertical movement. 

🖨️ Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource. 

Because this resource includes an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy of the entire file. Then, make photocopies of the blank worksheet for students to complete. 

Turn this teaching resource into a sustainable activity by printing on cardboard and slipping it into a dry-erase sleeve. Students can plot the points with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse them. 

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This resource was created by Lorin Davies, a Teach Starter Collaborator.