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August 1, 2001
Mysteries and Adventures
By Susan Brooks-Young
Mystery ('mis-t(&-)rE) noun 1. something which baffles or perplexes
Adventure (&d-'ven-ch&r) noun 1. an exciting or remarkable experience
This web tour brings not only baffling and perplexing challenges to your students but remarkable experiences as well. Activities range from sleuthing to deep-sea diving; from quick two-minute brainteasers to adventures that unfold in real time over a period of months. There are sites that take advantage of the Internet's capability to offer interactivity and others that serve as large databases of activities, ideas, and stories. Most are geared for upper elementary through high school students, but several offer opportunities for primary students as well.
The tour is presented in two sections, Mysteries and Adventures. The first section highlights sites where students will solve problems and make sense out of the perplexing. The second section features sites where students are encouraged to stretch their wings and learn more about the world around them through a variety of tasks. No matter where your students' interests lie, they will be certain to find something here that will engage, amuse, confound, and delight them.
Mysteries
The Dakota Meadows Eighth Grade Mini-Mysteries
Since 1996 Beth Christensen's eighth grade students have been writing two-minute mysteries that are posted, year-by-year, on their award winning web site. Cases written during the 2000-2001 school year include Murder at the Reeves' Manor, The Bopping of Bill the Billionaire, and Anne of Green Gables Antiquity. Students will enjoy solving these quick mysteries and can use the stories as models when trying their own hand at writing short mysteries.
Kudzu Kids
Four kids playing at a construction site find an old bone they believe is part of the remains of a Confederate soldier. A little investigation leads them to a treasure map and the hunt is on in earnest. The Kudzu Kids invite your students to help solve the Mystery of the Confederate Bones in an interactive mystery that leads students on a hunt for a treasure located in tunnels deep below a university campus. A quick overview of the case is available along with various Investigation Files that can be used to find the answer to the mystery. These files include: audio clues and video clips (text versions of both also available); research files with maps, reports, and other clues; bios for each character, and newspaper articles with information related to the case. Upper elementary and middle school students will find this an intriguing site.
Forensic Files
This site is designed by the Association for the Promotion and Advancement of Science Education (APASE) of British Columbia, Canada. Newton Beagle, a canine super sleuth has been asked to solve an international theft involving an endangered species. Students explore the Internet gathering clues and evidence, making observations, and consulting with Newton along the way. Their task is to uncover the motive for the crime, identify the participants, and explain why the theft took place.
MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries
MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries is a literacy outreach co-sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America and MysteryNet.com. Its goals are to promote literacy and to celebrate the genre more students self-select for recreational reading than any other. Upper elementary and middle school students will enjoy the weekly short mysteries to solve and high school students can also access quick solve mysteries through a link to TheCase.com. There are also scary stories to read, magic tricks to learn, and award winning stories written by students as entries in the twenty-one MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries writing contests the site has sponsored to date. Teachers are able to access an area called Lesson Plans that includes many helpful suggestions for using mystery-based lessons in the classroom. There are also links to the Nancy Drew site and to a history of the development of the mystery as a genre.
Stalking the Mysterious Microbe
Available in both Spanish and English, this site uses a mystery theme to present challenges to middle and high school students exploring microbiology. Begin with six cases that present an overview of the world of microbiology and ask students to consider probing questions about microbes and their importance to our environment. Move on to information about microbes in the news and experiments students can conduct at school or at home to increase their understanding of microbes. Finish by learning about careers in microbiology.
Kinetic City Mission to Vearth
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have teamed up to create a virtual planet under siege by Dr. Sonos who is using the Deep Delete computer virus as his weapon to destroy the virtual planet called Vearth. Students are challenged to learn all they can about the virus through online activities, experiments, and games then go to Vearth to battle Deep Delete with its multiple strains and sub-strains head on. Each time an activity or challenge is correctly completed, points are earned that students use when battling the actual computer virus. In addition to their individual work students can communicate with other student site users and scientists who are available to share ideas and information.
Adventures
The Adventure List
Have you ever planted a garden or learned to play a musical instrument? Have you tried snorkeling, panning for gold, or going on a cyber safari? Not all adventures require daredevil action. Sometimes simply trying something you've never done before can be a real adventure. This site includes more than 60 suggested activities for students to try that can broaden their horizons and encourage them to think outside the box. Some of the adventures happen online while others require offline activity as well. Students can take a quick quiz to develop a personal list of recommended adventures or simply browse the entire list. There are also links to student teams that have special interests in exploring the world around them.
The Yuckiest Site on the Internet
One of the most popular sites for kids, the Yuckiest Site on Earth is not for the faint of heart. Adventures include exploring the world of worms, learning about roaches, creepy crafts, revolting recipes, unusual activities, and icky experiments. Why do ping-pong balls levitate? How can you make your own yoghurt? What's a good recipe for Swamp Chomp? Harmless and educational, this site encourages students to have fun learning about phenomena that is of great interest to them, but may gross out the adults.
Bonus.com: The Super Site for Kids
Climbing the volcano Stromboli, or storm chasing may be too dangerous to experience in real life, but students can try their hand at these and other adventures in a virtual environment on Bonus.com. The adventures are accessed from the Home page by clicking first on Sports, then on Adventures. Selecting Extreme Sports from the Sports section allows students to try out virtual snowboarding, skiing, wakeboarding, and rock climbing. Icons are used to indicate appropriate ages levels (beach ball 3-6, stars 7-11, owl 12-15).
Global Online Adventure Learning Site
GOALS was established to inspire students grades K-12 to identify and work toward their own goals based upon what they learn through the explorations and adventures of guests featured on the web site. Students may join Bill and Helen Thayer on their educational expeditions to exotic spots around the world including the Amazon and the Antarctic, sail around the world with Karen Thorndike, the first woman to complete this sail solo, or join Joseph Ross as he seeks out the most beautiful deep-sea diving spots in the world. Each adventure also features a teaching guide for classroom use and is emphasizes science, technology, or nature.
National Geographic.com: Online Adventures
National Geographic offers more than 100 online adventures for students ranging from grades K-12. Meet the research crew that filmed a fuming volcano in Iceland and join them on their journey, trek through Nepal with Lauri Havenstein, or accompany Stephen Chavez as he explores and photographs Chiquibul, the longest cave in Central America. The adventures are based on national geography standards and two teacher areas offer materials, lesson plans, and links for classroom use to enhance lessons.
5 Tigers Adventures
A tiger escapes from customs at an airport. Can you help police safely track it down? Tiger poaching is a growing problem in India. Go undercover to find and stop poachers. Assume the role of a Bengal tiger in the wild. How would you survive? These are three of the five adventures featured on this site hosted by the Minnesota Zoo for the Save the Tiger Fund, a joint partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the ExxonMobil Corporation. While there are activities designed for grades 1-8, the adventures are geared toward grades 5 and up.
Email: Susan Brooks-Young
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