This article describes how a sixth-grade teacher's "missing word" task uncovered higher-level thinking and engaged her students in the Standards for Mathematical Practice. The role and selection of the task promotes higher-level thinking and connects to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The task required students to apply their knowledge of the concept of variability and distribution of a data set. This concept and data set are rooted in a familiar context for the sixth-grade students to engage in the Standards for Mathematical Practice. The teacher achieved the goal of having students learn mathematics through a rich learning experience that was rigorous, coherent, and meaningful.