Mystery Research Project

Link to project description

Mystery Research Project

During the next two weeks, you will be researching a true, unsolved mystery. These mysteries could be unsolved murders, unsolved disappearances, paranormal occurrences, historical mysteries, and mysterious creatures. You will be researching police reports, news reports, eye-witness testimony, and relevant evidence. Your focus should be on a particular mystery instead of a broad topic. For instance, you could research “Area 51” instead of “Aliens.” Each person in the class will be researching a different topic. A list of possible topics can be found here. You will be turning in an eight paragraph, typed essay, a rough draft with editing and revision markings, and 10 fact note cards. Your research project should have at least five reliable sources, one of which cannot be an online source. Check the blog for updates and further instructions. This will be due on Friday, May 29.

Note cards:

The note cards for your research should be a great way to help you organize your information and also assist in avoiding plagiarism. Here are some steps to help you get started!

   

1. At the top of the card, write down the MLA citation. There are many websites that will generate the citation with minimal effort.    

       

2.  Gather facts- As you gather your facts, type them into a new card.

               

• should NOT be written in complete sentences unless they are a direct quote

• should contain facts, quotes, or statistics

• should have an average of 3-4 facts on each card
  

3. Keep the note cards organized; you may divide a sheet of paper into four parts instead of using real note cards.

Research Project:

Eight (at least) written paragraphs, 5-7 sentences each

1. Thesis statement and introduction
2. Historical background of the topic (time period, location, first occurrence) Two paragraphs
3. Modern day research/evidence (eyewitness testimony, scientific data, suspects, police reports, etc.) Two paragraphs
4. Theories/explanations (what else could it be?) Two paragraphs
5.  Closure/proving of the thesis