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History Mysteries Rvsd Dear homeschool friend, Thank you for purchasing this copy of History Mysteries: Curses, mummies, ghost ships, spies, disappearances and other awesome cases to study as a family. This product is a purchase from Kara S. Anderson/karasanderson.com and is owned by same. You are welcome to create copies for use in your family, but this product may not be used for classes or in group settings without permission. Please contact Kara at for permission to use this product as part of a class or amongst multiple homeschooling families. Please do not share this copy with friends, and instead, direct them to my blog, karasanderson.com, where they can purchase their own copy. Sharing this document without permission is a violation of copyright. All rights reserved. May 2016. Thank you!! History Mysteries Page 1 A note from Kara … Why was the history we learned so boring? When I was in school, I was a “good student.” I got good grades, and did well on tests. I was a good temporary rememberer – I could memorize dates and names and facts until I didn’t need them anymore. And so, I did OK with history. But I didn’t love it. I didn’t enjoy it, and when I heard that you could major in history or any aspect thereof in college, I thought that was nuts unless you picked archeology. I thought archeology seemed cool because of two reasons: 1. Indiana Jones 2. King Tut History Mysteries Page 2 King Tut is the one historical thing that sticks out in my mind from grade school, and I’ll tell you why – there was a curse! I mean, mummies were interesting in their own right, but my textbook skipped over canopic jars and gilded caskets in a page. I must have grabbed a book from the library (I was known to do that) and learned about “Tut’s curse” – people dying after viewing the tomb of a pharaoh! Oooh. Now that was enough to grab my interest. And so this year, we have taken sort of a creative approach to history in our home. It was an accident. But it has been awesome. And I think I know why – I have been really excited about history in the past couple of years myself. I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction and non-fiction, and listening to podcasts that get me excited about the stuff I never heard about when I was busy memorizing dates and trying to recall which wars were which. I’ve been so excited that it’s been contagious in our home! So I’ve decided to share with you some of our favorite “historical mysteries” from this year, and the resources we have used to explore them. My hope is that it will make history fun for all of you, and that your kids will learn early in life that history is really pretty cool and interesting. Warmly, Kara About the author … Kara S. Anderson is a writer and homeschool mom and writer. She loves nothing more than a good mystery and don’t tell, but she’s kind of turning into a history nerd. History Mysteries Page 3 How this book is organized I have included nine “historical mysteries” for you and your kids to dive into together. Some are truly unsolved mysteries, like a ghost ship found <loating on the waters, empty of passengers and crew, and some involve spies or disappearances. With each mystery, I Include books to read, and other “research materials.” Sometimes, I include data for mom and dad to peruse – maybe something not quite universally age-appropriate, or something that might seem daunting to your littles, like a 400-page book. But YOU can read it and share interesting tidbits during a conversation. (Those longer “Mom and Dad books” are one reason I recommend taking a little longer with these mysteries!) I’ve also included some ideas for activities and things to do together. Now here’s the thing – I am a big believer that homeschooling should not be a stressful endeavor, so I’ve added mostly simple things. The whole idea here is to bring JOY and INTRIGUE and FUN to history, so don’t do something that will make you feel like you want to throw a half-mummi<ied chicken out the window, OK? Next, I’ve included some discussion questions, but my bet is you’ll @ind you have LOTS to talk about – my questions are just to get you started. And @inally, I’ve added ideas for further related study if this topic really grabs you or your kids. How to use this book In our home, we have spent the whole school year studying these mysteries. A whole year! We have sprinkled them in here and there, about one a month, with no rush and no real plan to finish them by a certain time. History Mysteries Page 4 So add them in as you see fit. Get intensive about it, and really dive in, or just add them in when you feel like it. How we studied In our homeschool, we would often listen to a podcast or watch a video first thing in the morning. I would introduce books during our morning time study. I strewed a lot of materials, and we would listen to audiobooks in the car and watch longer documentaries at night or on weekends as a family. My kids definitely saw me reading about these subjects and we would have a lots of informal discussions. But that’s just my approach. Do what feels right for your crew! Is this book for a certain grade or age-range? My kids were 8 and 11 when we started these history mysteries, and I would classify my kids as “somewhat sensitive.” So I would say 8 and up in generally a good starting point, but you know your family best. You might also pick some of the mysteries that feel like a good fit now, and save the rest for later. Some are slightly more gruesome or scary – one involves a corpse! Many are tamer. I would suggest you read through these materials, and start with a mystery that feels right for your kids. Preview the materials, and then go from there! Because history, it turns out, is kind of awesome. OK, are you ready to jump in? Let’s go have some fun! History Mysteries Page 5 Mysteries Index 7-8 King Tut’s Curse 9-10 Mary Celeste, Ghost Ship 11-12 Alcatraz, and the Guys Who Got Away? 13-14 Operation Mincemeat 15-16 The Curse of the Hope Diamond 17-18 The Disappearance at Roanoke 19-20 Who Killed John F. Kennedy 21-22 The Salem Witch Trials 23-24 Amelia Earhart - Where Did She Go? History Mysteries Page 6 Mystery: King Tut’s Curse Background information: King Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the 18th Dynasty. He is known as “King Tut” and “The Boy King,” because he began his rule at age 9 and is thought to have been just 19 years old when he died. In 1922, Howard Carter, an English archeologist and Egyptologist discovered Tut’s tomb, and the discovery quickly became big news around the world because the tomb was so complete. But newspapers also reported that there was a curse associated with the opening of the tomb, and that anyone who was there would die for disturbing the resting place of King Tut. And in fact, some members of Carter’s team and people and animals associated with them did die, including a lord, a prince, a bird, and even a pet dog. But was there really a curse? Research Materials: Books • Who was King Tut by Roberta Edwards • Tut’s Mummy: Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly • The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb by Michael Burgan • You Wouldn’t Want to be Cursed by King Tut! By Jacqueline Morley • The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb and Other Ancient Discoveries by Anita Ganeri and David West • The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld Podcasts • The Cursed Tomb of King Tut From Stuff You Missed in History Class • Was there a Curse on King Tut’s Tomb? from Stuff You Should Know Activities • Watch the interactive Mysteries and King Tut from National Geographic • Explore King Tutankhamun videos, articles and more at the History Channel website History Mysteries Page 7 Extra Data (for moms and dads) • The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson Related Reads • Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris by Emily Sands • The Egyptology Handbook by Emily Sands • Everything Ancient Egypt by Crispin Boyer • Hieroglyphs by Joyce Milton • Mummies and Pyramids by Mary Pope Osborne • Pocket Genius: Ancient Egypt DK • Ancient Egypt (Ken Jennings Junior Genius Guides) • Where are the Great Pyramids? by Dorothy Hoobler Discussion questions 1. Do you think there was really a curse? 2. Why do you think so many people believed there might be a curse? 3. What do you think it would have been like to be a king at just 9 years old? 4. Would you want to discover an ancient tomb? 5. There is a lot of mystery surrounding King Tut’s death. What do you think actually happened to King Tut? History Mysteries Page 8 Mystery: Mary Celeste, Ghost Ship Background information: The Mary Celeste was an American brigantine (or a ship with two masts) that was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 4, 1872. She was discovered by the crew of a Canadian brigantine called the Dei Gratia.
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