Unsolved Mystery Research Project - Bssd.net

Name:____________________________________ Hour:_____ Date_______
Directions
Unsolved Mystery Research Project
You will research an unsolved mystery, form an opinion on the case, and write a paper
presenting your research to support your argument on what really happened. You are to
present any evidence found, police reports, suspects, pictures, eye-witness testimony, relevant
previous cases, and any other facts you discover. You will also create a Photo Story narrating
your research to share with your peers and parents.
Goals
1. Find information in print and digital sources including books, databases and web sites.
2. Practice summarizing.
3. Practice paraphrasing.
4. Create a bibliography page including print and digital media citations.
5. Discuss Internet reliability.
6. Practice organizing information such as outlining, graphic organizers, Photo Story, etc.
7. Use the Big Six as an inquiry process.
Topics
You will focus on ONE particular case or a series of cases. These cases can be and are not
limited to:
Unsolved disappearances (i.e-the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, Amelia Earhart, etc)
Supernatural events (i.e. “Mary Celeste,” “Flying Dutchman,” etc)
Extraterrestrial beings/happenings (i.e. abductions, crop circles, etc)
Historical Mysteries (i.e. lost colony of Roanoke)
Mysterious creatures (i.e. Bigfoot)
(Make sure you have enough sources and information available to you before you
finalize your choice!)
Requirements
o Need to have a minimum of three sources, one of which is not a website
o Required to have an accurate and properly cited bibliography using MLA standards
o Maintain thorough notes which will be turned in with research paper
o Write a research paper using the sources to support an opinion
o Students must use technology to research and create a Photo Story project to be
presented to the class

Due Dates
Notes:
Graphic Organizer:
Rough draft:
Research Paper:
Photo Story:
(You will be given a limited amount of time in class and school time to work on this project.
You will only have five days in the library/computer lab to both research and organize your
notes. If you work at home on this project, please save your material to a flash drive and bring
it to school daily. I will schedule at least three days stay after school student can stay to work
in the computer lab until 4 pm. However, the major responsibility for completing the paper
rest with you. Do NOT wait to complete this project until the last minute!)
Content
Consider that you are not just showing what you learned, but you are contributing to your
classmates’ knowledge and helping them learn the material you researched. Develop your
content with this in mind.
Essential Question
After considering a variety of facts, theories, and opinions, what conclusions can you draw about
this unsolved mystery?
An opinion is someone's personal belief or way of thinking about a topic.
A theory is a possible explanation based on scientific or historical investigation and evidence.
A fact is a statement that has been or could be proven true.
RESEARCH:
1. Use alternative keywords to search for information in print and online resources (for
example, big foot/sasquatch, alien/extraterrestrial)
2. Use print resources including nonfiction and reference books or encyclopedias.
Use indexes and tables of contents to search for your topic.
3. Search the recommended databases for articles or media about your topic.
4. Use the recommended websites. If you need more information, you may search for
additional websites using World Book or Destiny; avoid user-generated Websites
like Wikipedia or YouTube

Evaluate the authority of the publisher/author of any new websites you find; ask your
teacher or library media specialist if you're not sure.
Avoid plagiarism!
Summarize and paraphrase information in your own words.
o If you do copy any information word-for-word from a source, you must quote
the source by putting quotation marks "before and after the copied text."
Be on the look-out for digital images (photos, drawings, diagrams, maps etc.) that could be
used in your Photo Story to illustrate the information you are gathering.
If you see pictures you might want to use in your Photo Story during your research,
ADD TO FAVORITES.
Photos must be appropriate for school.
Remember to look for a great opening photo
For your STORYBOARD, open the FULL SIZE image to download! Don't download a
thumbnail!
COPY the URL (Internet address) for the original source of the image (NOT a Google
Image search page) and PASTE onto the bottom of the slide on your STORYBOARD.

Unsolved Mystery Research
Project Contract
I am aware that my child has been assigned a major research project in Mrs. Shrout’s
communication arts class. I know the due dates for both parts of the project:
Due Dates
Notes:
Graphic Organizer:
Rough draft:
Research Paper: October 17 th
Photo Story: October 21 st
I am also aware that he/she has chosen and will research the following topic which I have
approved.
Research Topic __________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Student’s Name in Print) (Date)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Student’s Signature) (Date)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Parent or Guardian’s Signature) (Date)

Book:
Write the author's name as Last Name, First Name.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human
Societies. New York: Norton, 1999. Print.
Two or More Authors [5.5.4]
King, Samuel P., and Randall W. Roth. Broken Trust: Greed,
Mismanagement, and Political Manipulation at America's
Largest Charitable Trust. Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 2006.
Print.
Web Sites
Author. "Title of the Web Page." Title of the Overall Web Site.
Version or Edition. Publisher or Sponsor, Date. Web. Date of
Access.
Mystery Research Notecard #1
What opinions do some people have about this mystery? This includes beliefs and various personal
experiences people have claim to have had. Why do these people believe as they do?
According to (book, article, or website title), _____________. According to (name of
expert/scientist) in (book, article, or website title), ___________.
Source:_______________________________________________________________________
Mystery Research Notecard #2

What theories about this mystery have experts, investigators or scientists proposed?
According to (book, article, or website title), _____________. According to (name of
expert/scientist) in (book, article, or website title), ___________.
Source:_______________________________________________________________________
Mystery Research Notecard #3
What evidence supports these theories?
According to (book, article, or website title), _____________. According to (name of
expert/scientist) in (book, article, or website title), ___________.
Source: ___________________________________________________________________
Mystery Research Notecard #4

What facts have been proven about this topic? What evidence supports these facts?
According to (book, article, or website title), _____________.According to (name of
expert/scientist) in (book, article, or website title), ___________.
Source: ________________________________________________________________________
Mystery Research Notecard #5
Based on your consideration of various opinions, theories and facts and your evaluation of the
evidence, what conclusions can you draw about this unsolved mystery? What do YOU now
believe?
According to (book, article, or website title), _____________. According to (name of
expert/scientist) in (book, article, or website title), ___________.
Source: __________________________________________________________