Get a Clue! A Month of Mysteries for the Classroom
Brighten up November with a month of mystery sites -- with activities that will challenge your students to see, to organize, to analyze, and finally, to understand.
The evidence is indisputable. Kids love mysteries. Luckily, the world -- and the World Wide Web -- is full of them. Is there life on Mars? How did the Egyptians build the Pyramids? Who poached the endangered species? Who can help Nancy Drew? ...
This week, Education World presents a month of mystery sites sure to intrigue every student. Investigate one each day!
If you're looking for a little more detail about what you'll find on any of the sites on the calendar below, see More About These Mysterious Sites.
MYSTERY MONTH
Note: Most of the sites listed here are educational sites and include lesson plans or other classroom resources. However, some may contain links to mystery sites with adult content. Be sure all sites are appropriate for your students before allowing them to visit.
MORE ABOUT THESE MYSTERIOUS SITES
Week 1
Monday, November 1
Mystery Net
http://www.MysteryNet.com/learn/lessonplans
Investigate the case of the mystery story and learn to write your own at this Mystery Net site. Lesson plans and extension lessons in reading, writing, and understanding mysteries are included.
Grade Level: 2-6
Tuesday, November 2
The Case for Kids
http://www.thecase.com/kids
Don't leave the scene until you've cracked a case, solved a puzzle, or learned a magic trick. New mysteries appear each week in this section of the Mystery Net site.
Grade Level: 2-6
Wednesday, November 3
Mysteries of ÇATALHÖYÜK
http://www.smm.org/catal
Help a team of archaeologists explore the ancient Turkish city of ÇATALHÖYÜK and unearth the mysteries of the past. The site includes pictures and explanations of artifacts, games and activities, and a virtual tour of the dig.
Grade Level: 3-8
Thursday, November 4
The CIA's Secret Zone for Kids
http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/safe.html
Infiltrate the CIA as you investigate the agency and its history. The site includes a geography quiz, a world facts book, and more. Disguises included!
Grade Level: 5-12
Friday, November 5
Play I Spy
http://www.scholastic.com/ispy/play/pla_6.htm
Look at the pictures. What do you spy? A whistle, a wishbone, an ear with an eye! Scholastic provides sample riddles from 12 of their I Spy books. Students find a variety of silly objects in each deceptively simple picture.
Grade Level: K-2
Saturday, November 6
Many Ways of Seeing: Fakes and Forgeries
http://www.artsednet.getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/Resources/Sampler/c-1.html
You're the art detective. Can you spot the fake? This lesson plan from ArtsEdNet helps students understand the value of original art and explains how to distinguish a forgery from genuine art.
Grade Level: 6-12
Week 2
Sunday, November 7
Environmental Mystery Competitions
http://www.kynsec.vic.edu.au/emc
Investigate an environmental mystery at this site sponsored by the Department of Education in Victoria, Australia.
Grade Level: PreK-3
Monday, November 8
Science Casebook
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/sc
Help scientists at the Natural History Museum of London unravel the mystery of the cosmic football or the Beast of Bodmin Moor. The site shows work being done by museum scientists and allows students to participate interactively.
Grade Level: 5-12
Tuesday, November 9
Wic-Kid
http://www.wic-kid.com
Only fun and games solve the case of the flying puzzle book. The site provides fast facts and other information about flying to help students solve the case of the mysterious airborne puzzle book.
Grade Level: PreK-6
Wednesday, November 10
Forensic Files
http://forensicfiles.bc.sympatico.ca
Follow your own path to investigate the endangered species heist. Maintained by the Association for the Promotion and Advancement of Science Education, the site provides a "crime" story, along with hands-on experiments and activities designed to make forensic science understandable and relevant.
Grade Level: 3-6
Thursday, November 11
Kudzu Kids
http://www.kudzukids.com/quickstart.html
Unearth the solution to the mystery of the Confederate Bones at the kids' section of the Crime Scene Evidence File. The site encourages students to solve mysteries by exploring a variety of evidence.
Grade Level: 6-12
Friday, November 12
Planet Blortland
http://blortland.netserv.com
Crack the case of the Bling's missing egg at this colorful site, which also contains read-aloud and learn-to-read stories and games.
Grade Level: PreK-3
Saturday, November 13
Internet Research Adventures
http://www.headbone.com/derby
Tour Mars and solve an inter-galactic Internet mystery with Iz and Auggie at the Head Bone Zone. The site provides puzzles and mysteries kids can solve by researching the Internet. A teachers' guide is included.
Grade Level: 4-8
Week 3
Sunday, November 14
The Search for Monsters of Mystery
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/world/9903/monsters/index.html
Investigate six legendary monsters and their fabled locations at this National Geographic site.
Grade Level: K-6
Monday, November 15
Mysteries in the Millions
http://tqjunior.advanced.org/4590
Uncover millions of puzzles, codes, mystery stories, and red herrings at this Think Quest Junior site.
Grade Level: K-12
Tuesday, November 16
Mysteries of the Nile
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt
Discover the mysteries and monumental architecture of ancient Egypt with a team of scientists in this Nova Online adventure. Additional classroom resources are provided.
Grade Level: 5-12
wednesday, November 17
Unlock the Mysteries of Deep Space in Your Classroom
http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/classroom/index.html
Is there life on Mars? Are we alone in the universe? This PBS provides lesson plans designed to help high school students investigate such concepts as time travel, velocity, wavelength and frequency.
Grade Level: 9-12
Thursday, November 18
A Rational Solution to Mankind's Most Ancient Mystery
http://www.primenet.com/~kjohnson/index.html
Take a virtual tour of the Great Pyramid and discover "a rational explanation" for its mysteries.
Grade Level: 6-12
Friday, November 19
You're the Detective
http://tqjunior.advanced.org/5109/you_are_the_detective.html
Finish a mystery story or solve one at this Think Quest Junior site.
Grade Level: 2-6
Saturday, November 20
ysterious and Unexplained
http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/index.html
Can you solve unsolved mysteries? Active Mind provides in-depth analysis, reference links, book reviews, and more about a variety of mysterious phenomena.
Grade Level: 6-12
Week 4
Sunday, November 21
The Number Puzzle
http://www.lhmint.org/puzzleclub/clubhouse/numberpuzzle/numberpuzzle.html
Young students play games, read a story, unscramble a number puzzle, and meet the Puzzle Club characters.
Grade Level: 2-6
Monday, November 22
Earth Mission Possible
http://www.plasticbag.com/KIDS/index.html
Turn over clues in the environmental puzzle or join the intrepid Grime Fighters! The Film and Bag Federation of The Society of the Plastics Industry provides games and activities for students and an environmental quiz and lesson plans for teachers.
Grade Level: 1-4
Tuesday, November 23
The Art of the Fake
http://www.ipl.org/exhibit/kelsey http://www.ipl.org/exhibit/kelsey
Do you know which artifacts are real and which are fake? The Internet Public Library Exhibit Hall and the Kelsey Museum of Archeology present an exhibit at which students learn how to distinguish forgeries from real artifacts.
Grade Level: 6-12
Wednesday, November 24
Mysteries of Egypt
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/egypt/egypt_e.html
Discover ancient Egypt--a land of mysteries. Students take a virtual tour of ancient Egypt at this Canadian Museum of Civilization site.
Grade Level: 9-12
Thursday, November 25
Thanksgiving
A Thousand Friends of Frogs
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs
Solve the mystery of the malformed frogs at the Center for Global Environmental Education. Students can explore habitats in their own area and participate in a survey. A teachers' guide and learning activities are included.
Grade Level: K-12
Friday, November 26
Imagine Science
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/science.html
Investigate the how scientists probe the mysteries of the universe. The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center provides information about the mysteries of the universe.
Grade Level: 6-12
Saturday, November 27
Famous Cases
http://www.fbi.gov/yourfbi/history/famcases/famcases.htm
Reinvestigate some of the FBI's most famous cases. The U.S. Department of Justice's Kids' page includes sections on Internet safety, hate crimes, and crime prevention for kids K-5 and 6-12, and for their teachers and parents. The site includes a link to the FBI's site for kids, with information on fingerprinting, DNA analysis, and other crime prevention topics.
Grade Level: K-12
Week 5
Sunday, November 28
Experiment in Perception: The Ponzo Illusion and the Moon
http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/exmoon.htm
Search the Mad Scientist's Laboratory. This Museum of Unnatural History site's Mad Scientists Laboratory, Virtual Cyclorama, and Dinosaur Safari allow students to explore many of the mysteries of the universe.
Grade Level: 6-12
Monday, November 29
The History of the Mystery
http://www.MysteryNet.com/history
Delve into the history of the mystery from Poe to Hitchcock--and beyond. This section of the Mystery Net site includes a timeline of the history of the mystery and links to some of the most famous authors and characters.
Grade Level: 4-8
Monday, November 30
Nancy Drew
http://www.NancyDrew.com/kids
Super sleuth Nancy Drew shows you how to find the clues and avoid being left in the dark in this section of Mysteries Online Network site. Games, stories, activities, and lesson plans based on the Nancy Drew Mysteries are included.
Grade Level: 2-8
Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 1999 Education World
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11/01/1999
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