HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Solve the Crime of the Time

Students gather, analyze, and interpret evidence, engaging in tasks such as examining physical objects (e.g., a model of a guillotine, bullets, a blood-spattered uniform), poring over photographs, analyzing documents, and reading maps and charts. A PowerPoint^® presentation includes an introduction to the task, a coroner’s report, and several types of sources from the "crime scene." Students then fill out a "forensic report" graphic organizer, hypothesize how the event took place, and conclude by reading a "Mystery Solved" handout that provides historical background on the "crime." Optional extension activities include having students create a "breaking news" TV report, write a front-page newspaper article, or compose a "news alert" text message.

Titles in this series:

• JOAN OF ARC
• THE BLACK DEATH
• SAMURAI SEPPUKU
• MAYAN BALL GAME
• GALILEO’S HOUSE ARREST
• MARTIN LUTHER