Students in grades 3 – 5 took part in a chemistry unit titled, Mystery Powders. They had to observe and learn about the chemical and physical characteristics of white powders (cornstarch, baking soda and plaster of paris) in order to solve (infer) a “Who-did -it” mystery. Students were told that there had been a robbery at the temple, and at the scene of the crime a white powder was found. There are only three companies in the area that manufacture white powders (Eek, Bug and Ace), so the children had to test these three powders with three different liquids, Zip, Tap and Bop,  (vinegar, water and iodine) and make observations. When finally given the mystery powder students had to figure who the culprit was and support their guess. At the end of the unit, they discovered it was a combination of the powders Eek and Bug. This caused a lot of discussion and analysis and revisiting of observations.