Barnaby Blunderbuss has done it again — and this time, the fate of the first-years is at stake.
In this immersive magical mystery game for Years 5–6, students use grammar, spelling, and editing skills to eliminate potions one by one until they identify the exact vial that tainted the pumpkin juice at the Wandermere Academy Welcoming Feast. As students solve sentence structure, conjunction, irregular verb, dialogue punctuation, and spelling challenges, they narrow down the possibilities and identify the Problematic Potion before it's too late.
One wrong move and the first-years will never be the same!
The 5 Grammar Clues
Clue 1: Students identify simple, compound, and complex sentences to determine which house did NOT brew the potion.
Clue 2: Students choose the correct coordinating and subordinating conjunction in each sentence to eliminate a colour from the possibilities.
Clue 3: Students complete sentences with the correct irregular past-tense verb form to identify which ingredient was NOT used.
Clue 4: Students identify the correctly punctuated piece of dialogue to eliminate a smell from the possibilities.
Clue 5: Students identify the correctly spelled sentence to eliminate a symptom — narrowing the field to a single potion.
Final Task: Students write a short paragraph identifying the problematic potion and explaining how it ended up in the pumpkin juice. Was it really an accident — or did Barnaby spike the juice to get out of giving his Welcoming Feast speech? They must use at least one complex sentence, making this a genuine writing extension task.
Skills Covered
- Simple, compound, and complex sentences
- Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
- Irregular past-tense verb forms
- Dialogue punctuation
- Spelling and editing
- Inference and logical deduction
- Extended writing
What's Included
- Potion board with six suspects and five trait categories
- Five grammar clue challenges
- Written paragraph extension task
- Full answer key with elimination logic explained
Perfect For
- Years 5–6 English
- Back to School week activities
- End of year / last week of school activities
- Harry Potter fans and magical theme classrooms
- Literacy rotations and stations
- Small group or partner work
- Early finishers
- Relief teacher activities — the briefing explains everything
Why Teachers Love It
- No preparation required — just print and go
- Five completely different grammar skills in one connected mystery
- Process of elimination gameplay is entirely self-checking
- The potion board makes every elimination feel satisfying and visible
- Written paragraph extension turns the mystery into a writing task
- Feels like a mystery, works like a grammar lesson
- Perfect standalone activity or part of the growing Wandermere Academy series
Supports the Australian Curriculum English strand (Language and Literacy)
Part of the Wandermere Academy Series This mystery is part of a growing collection of magical grammar adventures at Wandermere Academy. Explore the full series in the Ready Steady Games store, including the 5-Game Grammar Puzzle Pack.
Want to try before you buy? Download the free Wandermere Academy Sentence Fixer and see if your class has what it takes to earn their place at the academy.
