5 kids with technology on grassy lawn
First Grade

Mystery Doug

Knowledge Constructor

Overview​

Mystery Doug is a FREE weekly video series where students ask questions. The videos are short, approximately five minutes long. Mystery Doug inspires students to ask questions and investigate. Some videos provide activity extensions. Students are also encouraged to submit questions.

Mystery Doug is for grades K-5. 

Students will:

  • Be able to attend to the Mystery Doug video.
  • Be able to have discussions on the topic.
  • Be able to participate in an activity connected to the weekly topic.

Vocabulary Words:

  1. Hypothesis: An hypothesis is an educated guess.

  2. Think-Pair-Share: Think-Pair-Share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned reading. This technique requires students to (1) think individually about a topic or answer to a question; and (2) share ideas with classmates.

To prepare for this lesson:

  • The teacher signs up for the free account at the Mystery Doug website. 

  • The teacher previews the topic of the week video.

  • The teacher gathers any necessary materials if participating in the science activity.

  • The teacher prints any materials that are provided in the weekly video for the science activity.

  • The teacher pre-assigns partnerships for the viewing and discussion.

  • Get ideas for using the videos by reading the article from the Reflective Educator.  

See the Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

  1. The teacher signs up for the free account at https://mysterydoug.com/
  2. Assign students a partner and seat them so they are able to view the video.
  3. Provide students with a pencil and sticky note, which they will use after watching the video.
  4. Listen to the Mystery Doug video. There will be time when you are asked to pause. This is the spot for discussion.
  5. At the discussion pause point, have students do a Think-Pair-Share or a classroom discussion about Mystery Doug’s question.
  6. Finish watching the remainder of the video.

Different options for assessing the students:

  • Observations
  • Check for understanding
  • Provide students with a sticky note to write something that they have learned.
  • Have a classroom discussion to share learnings.

MITECS: Michigan adopted the "ISTE Standards for Students" called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Knowledge Constructor
3a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
3b. Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
3c. Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
3d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.

Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad 

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

App, Extension, or Add-on:

Websites:
Mystery Doug

Reflective Educator

CONTENT AREA RESOURCES

Write an informational piece about the given topic. Draw a diagram and explain with captions.

Create a picture drawing, a diorama or triorama of the weekly topic.

Follow the scientific process. Many NGSS standards are addressed in Mystery Doug videos and hands on investigations are provided.

Report a bad link, inappropriate content or out-of-date content. 

CREDITS
This task card was created by Julie Hoehing, Lake Shore Public Schools, April 2018. Updated October 2023.


Print this page