Mysterious & Unexplained

The Topic:

Mysterious & Unexplained

Easier - Something is mysterious when it is hard to explain, know, or understand. Many people have seen or experienced strange things. For example, people have claimed to have seen creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. Others believe in places like Atlantis and the Bermuda Triangle. What do you think?

Harder - Throughout history, people have enjoyed speculating about the unknown. Skeptics may question if what they saw or believe actually happened. In some cases, events are eventually explained by science. However, many events have remained unexplained after hundreds or thousands of years. These abnormalities sometimes become the basis for myths, legends, tales, and folklore.

Museum of Unnatural Mystery

http://www.unmuseum.org/unmain.htm

Are there really flying saucers? What killed the dinosaurs? Is there something ancient and alive in Loch Ness? The Museum takes a scientific look at these, and other, questions.

Mystic Places from Discovery Channel Canada

http://exn.ca/mysticplaces/

Explore some of the world's most enigmatic places: Stonehenge, Nazca Lines, and Easter Island.

Search for Monsters of Mystery

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/world/9903/monsters/

People everywhere, it seems, love a good monster mystery. Check out this site to read about some legendary monsters.

World Mysteries

http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar.htm

Explore the world of strange artifacts. Many don't fit the pattern of prehistory.

After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of these Mysterious & Unexplained activities.

Complete a Space Science Adventure . Are humans alone in the universe? Search for the answer to this age-old question. Go to Who's Out There? and explore what you need to know to design a SETI research project. Test your skills at searching for alien signals!

Complete a WebQuest on the Mysterious & Unexplained. Follow or adapt the procedures found at one of these webQuest activities:

1) Bermuda Triangle: Where All the Information Disappears (Grade 7-8) http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/EDTEC596/UNITS/Bermuda/BTriangle.html

2) Jeremy's Island (Grade 6-8) http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/drussert/WebQuests/FosterSmithRoundtree/BERMUDA.HTML

Research the Mysterious & Unexplained. Pick one of the mysteries or phenomenons. Use the website and other resources (Including the library) to find out all that you can about your selection. Decide what you believe about your mysterious and unexplained choice. Are you a skeptic or are you inclined to believe? Prepare a report that supports your viewpoint. Present your findings. Convince others that your decision has is logical and has validity. As a final activity, reflect on your choices/decisions and decide what it would take to change your mind. Consider the possibilities.

Write a Mysterious & Unexplained Story. Have some fun writing a story that includes a mysterious and unexplained event. If not one of these here, find some other mystery. You could even invent a new mystery. Is there a local legend or story that you want to center upon?

Draw a Picture of the Mysterious or Unexplained. Imagine what one of these would look like: a typical scene in Atlantis or Easter Island, Bigfoot, an extraterrestrial being, or one of the other mysterious and unexplained topics. Make a drawing that reveals your mystery.

Same Creature, Different Place. There are legends that are similar around the world. Compare two different legends in two different places, or two different creatures or events.

The Strangest of the Strange. Which of these 'mysterious and unexplained' do you think would make the best mystery book? A good mystery has suspense, secrets, hidden qualities, or a puzzle to solve. Use some of these elements to write your own mystery.

Websites by Kids for Kids

Are We Alone in the Universe? The Truth is Within our Reach (ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/11272/text/net.htm#INTRO

Discover some of the most intruging UFO mysteries of this century, and possibly walk the path to becoming an astronaut to discover the vast corners of our universe.

Bermuda Triangle (ThinkQuest Junior Project)

http://tqjunior.advanced.org/3717/

This website explains what the Triangle is and possible natural forces accounting for the disappearances that have occurred there.

Mysteries of the Universe (ThinkQuest Junior Project)

http://tqjunior.advanced.org/5202/index.htm

This website tells you about weird, cool, and freaky mysteries including the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, aliens, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Chupacabra.

Rapa Nui: Colors Through Clouds of Mystery (1997 ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/13819/

Sail away to Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, one of the most isolated and mysterious places on Earth.

Roanoke: A Mystery in History (1998 ThinkQuest Junior Project)

http://tqjunior.advanced.org/3826/

Explore the history and mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke, North Carolina.

Supernatural World (1999 ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/27922/

Turn on your lights and explore the unexplained world of ghosts, werewolves, and vampires (This page is difficult to load, mysterious!?).

Strange and Mysterious, Part II (1999 ThinkQuest Junior Project)

http://tqjunior.advanced.org/5897/

This site examines mysterious animals, people, objects, occurrences and more.

More Sites on the Mysterious & Unexplained

Atlantis: the Myth by A.G. Hefner

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/atlantis.html

This article summarizes the myth of a lost Atlantis.

Other Atlantis Websites:

2) Atlantis: The Lost Continent Finally Found http://www.atlan.org/

3) Atlantis Herald http://www.mcs.net/~bstudio/

4) Theories About the Location of Atlantis http://members.aol.com/jimb3d/myth/atlantis.html

Bermuda Triangle

http://octopus.gma.org/Tidings/myths/bermuda.html

One of the legends of the sea that has persisted even to today is the story of the Bermuda Triangle.

Other Bermuda Triangle Websites:

2) Savage Seas from PBS Television http://www.thirteen.org/savageseas/captain-main.html

3) The Bermuda Triangle from Dept. of the Navy, Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm

4) The Bermuda Triangle or Devil's Triangle from Paranormal A to Z http://www.paranormalatoz.com/bermudatriangle.html

5) The Un-mystery of the Bermuda Triangle http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/triangle.htm

Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

http://www.bfro.net/

These researchers (amateur and professional) are interested in facilitating communications between eyewitnesses, the general public, and other Bigfoot investigators.

Other Bigfoot Websites:

2) The Hairy Hominid Archives http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/HomePage.bf.html

3) Bigfoot from Skeptic's Dictionary http://skepdic.com/bigfoot.html

4) Bigfoot: fact or fantasy ? http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/%7erfthomas/bigfoot.html

5) Bigfoot Internet Library (Links-site) http://www.ratsnest.net/bigfoot/library/

Cressie: The Monster of Crescent Lake

http://www.nfcap.nf.ca/central/RobertsArm/attract/cressie.html

Read about this monster that some people have claimed to see in a lake near Robert's Arm, Newfoundland.

Hastings UFO Society

http://hufos.sonic.net/hufos/

Learn more about UFOlogy, alienology and paranormal sciences, plus the first psychic CB radio station in cyberspace.

Similar Websites:

2) Life Beyond Earth from PBS Television http://www.pbs.org/lifebeyondearth/index.html

3) National UFO Reporting Center http://www.nwlink.com/~ufocntr/

4) UFOs: A Skeptical View http://members.aol.com/Tprinty/UFO.html

5) Kidnapped By UFOs: Exploring the Alien Abduction Phenomenon from NOVA Online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/aliens/ See also the SETI Institute Online websites (Below).

Legends & Myths in Cornwall

http://www.connexions.co.uk/culture/index.htm

Read some of Cornwall's mysterious legends about mermaids, faeries, standing stones, and ghosts!

Marfa Lights

http://homes.sulross.edu/~bbaker/alpine/marfa_lights.html

The Marfa Lights is a phenomenon of unidentified light sources.The area 10 miles east of town near the base of the Chianti Mountains is the area where you can see the "Marfa Lights."

More 'Marfa Lights' Websites:

2) Marfa Lights http://www.texasoutside.com/westtexasparks/marfalightsframes.htm

3) The Marfa Lights from Skeptic's Dictionary http://www.skepdic.com/marfa.html

4) Marfa Lights: An Enduring Texas Mystery http://www.lifeadventures.com/marfa.htm

Mysteries of Deep Space from PBS Television

http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/

From black holes to supernovas, PBS examines the unexplained facets of the universe.

Related Website:

2) Origins (NASA) http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/origins/index.html

Mystery Pit of Oak Island

http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/oakisl.htm

Here is a description of how this strange hole in the ground was found and the different attempts to excavate it.

Related Website:

2) Oak Island Info http://www.oakislandtreasure.com/info.htm

Nessie of Loch Ness from Museum of Unnatural History

http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/lochness.htm

This site has information and possible explanations for the Loch Ness Monster.

Other Loch Ness Monster Websites:

2) The Legend of Nessie http://www.nessie.co.uk/index.html

3) Nessie on the Net! http://www.lochness.co.uk/index.html

North Carolina Legends and Ghost Stories

http://www.secstate.state.nc.us/kidspg/legends.htm

Read stories from North Carolina Legends by Richard Walser; legends include 'The Ship of Fire', 'Maco Light', and 'Specter at the Gold Mine.'

Roswell: A Fable for Modern Times by T. Printy

http://members.aol.com/TPrinty/rwell.html

This site claims to be an independent examination of the Roswell evidence.

Other Websites on the Roswell Incident:

2) The Roswell Incident from International UFO Museum & Research Center http://www.iufomrc.org/incident.shtml

3) Roswell Daily Record http://www.sierra-vista.com/roswell/

4) Roswell Incident: 50th Anniversary from Albuquerque Journal

http://www.abqjournal.com/roswell/

SETI Institute Online

http://www.seti.org/

Have you ever wonder if we're alone in the universe?

Similar Websites:

2) Project Phoenix http://space.com/searchforlife/seti_backus_021024.html

3) Chat with Dr. Seth Shostak of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spacechat/livechat/seth_shostak.shtml

4) What Would We Say If ET Called?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southampton/features/ufo/ufo_et.shtml

4) Alien Invasion http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/aliens/photos/game.html

Stonehenge, England at Sacred Places

http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/stonehenge.html

This brief site contains pictures and historical information about this famous landmark.

Other Stonehenge Websites:

2) Stonehenge http://home.clara.net/stormbringer/salisbury/stonehenge.html

3) Stonehenge from The Magical Mystery Tour http://www.britannia.com/history/h7.html

Tunguska: The Cosmic Mystery of the Century by R.A. Gallant from Southworth Planetarium

http://www.usm.maine.edu/~planet/tung.html

Here you find one explanation of the explosions and what caused them.

Similar Websites:

2) Tunguska Explosion http://www.galenalink.com/~pirates/explode.html

3) The Tunguska Event http://www.s-d-g.freeserve.co.uk/tunguska.html

4) The Great Siberian Explosion http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/siberia.htm

5) 1908 Siberia Explosion http://www.psi.edu/projects/siberia/siberia.html

Websites for Teachers

Enigmas (Grade 4-5)

http://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang58.txt

This lesson plan idea may be used or modified to introduce a study of 'Mysteries'.

Teacher's Guide at Kidnapped by UFOs? from Nova Online

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/2306_aliens.html

Note: This program contains sensitive material. Are human beings being abducted and examined by aliens? In recent years, an increasing number of people believe this to be true, and thousands have come forward claiming to have personally experienced an alien abduction.

Unlock the Mysteries of Deep Space in Your Classroom from PBS

http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/classroom/index.html

These lesson plans were developed for high school science classrooms (with some extensions for middle schools) and are designed to help students investigate such concepts as time travel, velocity, wavelength and frequency.

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ghost mystery werewolf vampire Stonehenge Hairy Hominid

extraterrestrial intelligence enigma Yeti abominable snowman Atlantis paranormal

skeptic Sasquatch Roswell, NM UFO Tungusta deep space

SETI 'Nessie" 'ghost light' Nazca Lines Easter Island Marfa Lights

Oak Island Bermuda Triangle Devils Triangle disappearence Chupacabra Rapa Nui

Roanoke, NC theory skeptic proof supernatural research

Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 1/99. Updated by Nancy Smith 10/02.