4th Grade research project ENIGMAS

ENIGMAS You will be researching a naturally occurring enigma, an unsolved mystery. You will explore in depth an enigma and develop a hypothesis that proposes a solution to your chosen mystery.  In your explorations, you will use scientific research processes.

Goals of the Project Identify an enigma and how it manifests itself Investigate theories about the cause of the enigma Hypothesize the cause of the enigma Design an experiment to test the hypothesis Carry out the experiment Keep records and document progress Draw conclusions and refine hypothesis Share results

Steps you will Take to complete the project 1. Research process a. Select a Topic e. Test and Revise the Hypothesis based on research results b. Answer Exploration Questions f. Draw a Conclusion c. Develop a Hypothesis g. Produce a Product d. Design a Research Proposal 2. The Product a. Develop a board game based on the enigma b. Interactive learning center based on the enigma 3. Communication a. Present your game or learning center. The presentation should be long enough for classmates to understand the game or learning center and should end with a question-and-answer session. 4. Submission a. Turn in assigned research proposals, outlines, organizers, references by due dates b. Display and Present your Research Project c. Final Project Due December 15th

Possible Enigmas for your project The Marfa Lights In West Texas, nine miles outside the city of Marfa, tiny ghostly lights dance in the air at night. The theories and hypotheses are many, including the possibilities of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and the Apache Indian belief that the lights are fallen stars.

Possible Enigmas for your project The Pyramids The Great Pyramid is the most precise and advanced feat of engineering ever discovered in the ancient world. The accomplishments of its builders are truly astounding and continue to baffle people in modern times. How did the majestic pyramids appear in the deserts of an isolated people? Could aliens have built them, or were humans of that time actually able to compute so precisely that modern mathematicians, engineers, and architects still marvel at their handiwork?

Possible Enigmas for your project The Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle is a mythical section of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico where dozens of ships and airplanes have disappeared. What has caused planes and ships to disappear off the southeastern coast of the United States? Have the area’s unique environmental features caused pilots and captains to make errors in navigation?

Possible Enigmas for your project The Lost Colony Colonists settled Roanoke Island in 1585. When the leaders of the colony returned to the Old World, they instructed the settlers to leave a sign in an obvious place if they fled. A supply ship was late in arriving. The leaders came back to Roanoke Island to find it deserted. Did the people of Roanoke simply leave the settlement? Where the colonists killed by the Native Americans?

Possible Enigmas for your project Atlantis First described by Plato, Atlantis and its catastrophic downfall is one of popular science's most enduring controversies - the original location of the vanished civilization is still a mystery. A continent is lost! Where would you find it? Did this advanced civilization, first described by the Greek philosopher Plato, really exist, or was it a parable to show how the gods punish mortals?

Possible Enigmas for your project Stonehenge From a distance, the gray stones rise abruptly from the treeless plain. Obviously, they are not a part of the natural English landscape. A closer look reveals a ring of huge, upright stones, many of them more than thirteen feet high appear to be deliberately placed in a large circle. Resting on top of these stones are massive flat slabs of rock. Inside the circle are several additional upright stones topped with heavy slabs Scientists have determined that this stone ring was erected 4,000 years ago, but no one knows for certain why or how it was built Who constructed this structure and why?

Possible Enigmas for your project The Loch Ness Monster Hundreds of people have reported seeing the animal nicknamed “Nessie” lurking under the cold-dark waters in Scotland. Can there be a creature that lives in Loch Ness, a lake in northern Scotland? Is it a relic from the dinosaur age, a plesiosaur?

Explore a variety of Resources for your Project Here are some Examples: The Museum of Unnatural Mystery website http://www.unmuseum.org/unmain.htm The Illustrated Brief History of Time book Texas Performance Standards Project website http://texaspsp.org/intermediate/tasks/Intermediate_Enigmas_4.pdf