Engaging Students with History Mysteries

Anyone who has spent time around children knows they love to wonder, “Why?” By using history mysteries in our lessons, we can turn the questions of “Why?” and “How?” back onto students.

Students developed their own theories about what they think happened to the lost settlers. Photo by Alison Travis

A history mystery is any narrative that is peculiar, mythical, unsolved, or controversial. In my first grade class, one of the most memorable history mysteries is the Lost Colony at Roanoke in our Early American Settlers social studies unit. I describe how in 1587, John White set up the second Virginia colony and then returned to England. When he returned three years later, the settlers had vanished and all that was left was a cryptic message carved into a tree.

I proceed to ask students, “What do you think happened to them?” Theories (of varying plausibility) begin to fly. Eventually, a student asks, “So what happened to them?” I relish my answer: “Nobody knows.”

Students are astonished and insist that we must have uncovered new information in the past several centuries. When I share that we still do not know and will probably never know, I can see the flash of realization across their faces. The gears begin to turn.

An Unlikely Story

This is the magic of history mysteries. We’ve all come across an unanswered question that has eaten away at us or a bizarre anecdote that we will never forget. History mysteries tap into students’ natural inclination to figure things out and solve puzzles. These ambiguous situations can easily be woven into almost any unit or subject. On my recent Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship expedition to the Galapagos Islands, I stumbled upon a mystery on the island of Isabela.

After finding the history mystery, I set it up for students. Primary sources such as art, photography, and original documents can enrich the narrative. You could also choose to present a visual with little or no added context. This increases ambiguity and works especially well for older students. As I hiked through the forest of Urbina Bay, I snapped a photo of an unusual rock to show my students.

A rock in the forest on Urbina Bay with a shell embedded in it. Photo by Alison Travis

Complex and Critical Thinking

Next, I posed an open-ended question that invited students to offer their opinions. When I returned to school after my expedition, I showed students the photo of the rock and asked them to look closely at it and see if they noticed anything. The work of thinking through history mysteries is complex. Students must pull from background knowledge and connect it to the unit at hand. Then, they must provide reasoning for their thinking either verbally or in writing. This can serve as a jumping off point for class debates or persuasive writing assignments.

Finally, I revealed the true story. In 1954, over the course of about five hours, the sea floor rose 16 feet out of the water. Exposed sea creatures and aquatic plants eventually decomposed and made Urbina Bay more rich and fertile than the surrounding volcanic area. The rock with the shell embedded in it is proof of this mysterious phenomena. This brain-teaser kicked off our geology unit and discussion of the rock cycle.

A Deeper Understanding of History

Through these mysteries, students gain a better understanding of how history has been recorded and interpreted over time. History can seem black and white to children; factual content poured out by teachers and absorbed by students. By using history mysteries, students learn that there have been gaps in knowledge, disagreements about facts, and outright lies. This reinforces why written language was such a powerful development, how archaeology provides crucial discoveries, and the benefits of visual media like photography.

Oftentimes, like with the Galapagos suddenly uplifted sea floor, there is a surprising story that students would never guess. Other times, as with the Lost Colony of Roanoke, what really happened is still unknown. In these cases, history mysteries model for children that teachers, scientists, and historians do not always have the answers. In fact, much of the work of those professions is about actively uncovering answers. By turning historical events into riddles, students take ownership of their learning and often extend it beyond the classroom. I’ve found that history mysteries spark interest with parents and students often do more research at home. History mysteries reveal an important lesson for students at all levels: adults are not the Keepers of All Knowledge. We empower students to join the conversation and seek out answers for themselves.