The Mystery Cube activity is a great way to teach students about inquiry, the nature of science, and constructing/communicating evidence-based claims. The students are given a paper cube, and without touching or lifting it, they must use observations about what is visible on the other faces of the cube to reason about what is on the bottom. There are three cube activities (a simple, primer-to-the-task cube; a more complex cube; a create-your-own cube) that can be used separately, used subsequently, or adapted as needed to match the intended grade level.