Teacher Guide

The Unexplainable Disappearance

of Mars Patel
Season 1

1. Overview
• Mars Patel is a scripted podcast for middle grade kids, performed by middle grade
kids. It is a fun, high-quality, serial mystery that can be described as Goonies meets
Spy Kids meets Stranger Things for 10-13 year olds.
• Season 1
• 10 episodes per season; average 15-20 minutes each
• Target grade range: 5th-8th grade

2. Learning Objectives
• Students will be able to:
• Use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words
• Use text evidence to identify character traits

3. The Flow
• Before listening:
• A couple of things that are helpful for your students to know before starting the
podcast:
• The podcast is actually sponsored (paid for) by a fictitious man named Oliver
Pruitt whose voice you hear at the beginning and end of each episode. He drops
you in to the start of each episode to see what ‘Mars and his friends are up to’.
Throughout the episodes, you hear short ‘commercial breaks’ for his school,
Pruitt Prep.
• The main character, Mars, has a device that he records messages on for his friend
Aurora. There are moments when it may sound like he’s speaking to Aurora, but
he’s actually recording a message for her.
• There is a reference sheet that includes characters, settings, vocabulary words, and
overarching themes introduced in each episode at the end of this guide.
• While listening:
• Depending on the needs of students and classroom environment, pause the action
at key points in the story to do a quick comprehension check and see if there are
any burning questions. Keep a parking lot of the questions on the board to return to
later.
• After listening:
• Listen to the episode again, but this time with an activity for students to do in small
groups. See the implementation ideas on the following page. 1
4. Implementation Ideas:
• Have students record their own ‘Dear Aurora’ messages where they tell her what’s
going on and what they’re thinking about.
• Keep a master list of characters and their traits students are gathering in a visible place
in the room. Periodically, return to one of the traits and ask them to recall evidence
from the ‘text’ they found that supports it.
• Have students assume the role of a character of their choosing and do freewriting from
their point of view about what’s happening in the story.

5. What to listen to next

• Continue on the mysteroius adventure with Season 2 and 3 of The Unexplainable
Disappearance of Mars Patel.

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6. Standards Alignment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences
from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3
Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of
a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape
meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually
and quantitatively, as well as in words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how
characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem
reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as
how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the
characters or plot).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an
objective summary of the text. 3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action,
reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall
structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on
meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure
of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7
Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or
viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see”
and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.2
Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and for-
mats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively,
orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.2
Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue
under study.

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Instructional Sequence for Teachers
Preparation:
1. Cue up episode
2. Print copies of the Vocabulary and Character activity sheets for all students.
3. Look at the list of characters included in the episode and think about how you want to
divide the class for the Character activity.

Pre-Episode
Vocabulary
Distribute the Vocabulary activity sheet. Here is the list of vocabulary words for this
episode, as well as the word used in a sentence. What do you think the word means?
Write your own definition.
Have students share out and then share the actual definitions of the words.

Quotes
A key quote from each episode is listed in the Teacher Reference Sheet. Share the quote
for the episode you’re about to play (or select your own) and ask students to share what
they mean to them or ask any questions that they have. Ask them to keep these ideas in
the back of their minds while they listen.
--------
Episode
-------
Post-Episode
Characters
Break the class into small groups and tell them they are going to listen to the episode
again, but this time they are all going to be responsible for listening for specific types of
information. Each pair/group is assigned a character to track throughout the episode and
given a Character Identity sheet. (You can find a list of characters that appear in each
episode in the reference sheet and the Character Identity sheet below.) This time, you are
listening for any pieces of information that come up that are specific to your character.
This includes things that happen to them, things they do, what others say about them. This
is not the things you THINK, not your OPINION, but things you HEAR. The ‘evidence’ you
have to work with.
After the episode is over, the members of the group compare notes and make sure they
all have the same info. The next step is, based on the evidence gathered, make some
educated guesses about traits that the characters may possess. They should also include
questions that come up about the character.

Setting
We were brought into many different settings in that episode. Who can think of a few?
Remember, setting is more than just a location, it’s the mood of a place, the feeling, the
things your five senses might pick up on there. Pick one of the settings and let’s flesh it out
a bit. What are the colors in the school cafeteria? What does it smell like? What is the
temperature like in there? Do we have the same ideas as each other or totally different
pictures in our head of what the story looks like?

5
Wrap Up
1. Think back to the quotes we talked about at the beginning. How do you think they play
out in the story?
2. Ask students for some predictions about what they think will happen on the next
episode.

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Episode Reference Sheet for Teachers: Season 1

Episode Characters Settings Key Key Quotes

(new characters Vocabulary
in bold)

Code Red Mr. Oliver -School energy, “No one cares when it’s
Pruitt hallway detention, ‘kids like us’.”
Mars Patel -Janitor’s insubordination,
Caddie Pratch- closet situation, “Everything is a game.”
ett -Detention outcast,
Jonas Hopkins room narration
J.P. McGowan -School
Randall ‘Tooth- bathroom
pick’ Reed -Mars’ house
Mr. Q -School
Mrs. Patel cafeteria
(Mars’ mom) -Arcade
Epoca -Outside
Mrs. Hopkins Jonas’ house
(Jonas’ mom) -Inside Jonas’
Bodie house
Consequences Police officer -Back of a delinquent, “It’s hard to have peo-
Principal Fagan police car consequence, ple leave. I can’t lose
Oliver Pruitt -Principal’s anagram, anyone else.”
Mars office influence (n.),
J.P. -School cliffhanger
Toothpick hallway
Caddie -Mars’ room
Pratchett
Mrs. Patel
Gale Island Oliver Pruitt -Under the disaster, “I just want to be nor-
Mars choir bleach- slogan, mal.”
Caddie ers rogue, “You’ll never be nor-
Epoca -School hall- mutiny, mal.”
Mr. Q way clearing
Toothpick -Janitor’s clos-
J.P. et
-Riding bikes
to the ferry
-The ferry
landing
-On the boat
-Woods on
Gale Island
Extraordinary Oliver Pruitt -Woods on explanation, “The more we know,
Mars Gale Island orienteering, the less we know.”
Caddie -The beach insulate,
JP flammable,
Toothpick immune
Mr. Q
7
Episode Reference Sheet for Teachers: Season 1
(continued)

Episode Characters Settings Key Key Quotes

(new characters Vocabulary
in bold)

Wings of Mr. Q -On the boat vibe, “Friends are not always
Science Mars with Mr. Q intrigued, friends.”
Caddie -School hologram,
JP auditorium conspiracy,
Toothpick -School idol,
Oliver Pruitt hallway (a) failure
Principal Fagan

Mars -School play- drone, “I’ll see you in the stars.”

The Gift Caddie ground panic,
JP -School hall- hack,
Toothpick way epic (adj),
Mrs. Patel -Riding bike on flyer,
the street
-Luckstone
Warehouse
-Mars’ house
Dance Break Mars -Treehouse in expelled, “She wants so
Caddie front of pattern, desperately for me to
JP Caddie’s chaperone, be normal.”
Toothpick house popular,
Toothpick’s -Caddie’s room complicated
parents -Toothpick’s
Oliver Pruitt room
Mr. Q -Outside the
Epoca school
-Dance in
school gym
-School
parking lot

Lost and Mars -Caddie’s room logo, “How is it NOT here, and
Found Caddie -Fire escape hunch, now it is?”
JP outside Mars’ threat (n.),
Toothpick/ house determination,
Randall -On school bus security,
Epoca -Ferry to Gale penetrate,
Oliver Pruitt Island humongous
Mr. Q -Swimming in
Police officer the water
-Gale Island
woods

8
Episode Reference Sheet for Teachers: Season 1
(continued)

Episode Characters Settings Key Key Quotes

(new characters Vocabulary
in bold)

Oliver Pruitt -Woods on creative, “What makes you who you

Caddie Gale Island slingshot, are?
JP -Next to program (v.), The way you react when
Flight Toothpick Pruitt Prep launch, you’re tested.”
Jonas -Inside Pruitt terrain, crater
Mars Prep hallway
-Crater room
at Pruitt Prep
-Closet at
Pruitt Prep
-Classroom at
Pruitt Prep

To the Stars Mr. Pruitt -Classroom at mascot, “A promise is a promise.”

Mars Pruitt Prep valuable,
Caddie -Elevator at timing
Toothpick Pruitt Prep
JP -Roof of Pruitt
Jonas Prep
Mr. Q -Landing below
Oliver Pruitt roof
Aurora -Hallway at
Pruitt Prep
-Control
Center at
Pruitt Prep