THE BIG STORY/BIG SHORT STORY ASSIGNMENT

THE BIG STORY 8 th Grade Assignment

The Big Story – 8 th Grade The Big Story is an investigative news story that you research and present. The subject is an actual mystery. Must "solve" the mystery By “solve” I mean come as close as possible Research all theories (at least 3) Pick the theory out there you agree with and explain in detail why it's the best Presentation must answer the 5 Ws.

The Big Story – 8 th Grade Must create a stand-alone visual of the findings, including a brief statement of the mystery, a summary of two or three theories, your findings, and a map of the scene, town, or region associated with the mystery. You can add photographs if you have room. This visual can be on poster board, but you may need something larger, like the paper available in the Media Center Must create a 6 minute minimum presentation (PowerPoint, video, movie, etc.) Make it interesting, like an on-the-scene newscast! The point here is that you want to present the details

Sample Layout of Poster/Visual Presentation Title (include name and period) Your findings Photographs Other evidence (diaries, charts, etc.) Brief summary of the mystery Summary of the top theories Map of the area (i.e., Jack the Ripper’s London)

The Big Story – 8 th Grade Must turn in list of sources (at least 5 different ones: map, photographs, diaries, sketches, and so on are all sources. Not just books and websites.) You must format this as a works cited page. You’ll get a sample of this later. Due date: on or before October 31. Presentations start the following week.

The Big Story – 8 th Grade You may work alone or with a partner How to partner No more than two people per project Partner 1 prepares the chart/visual Partner 2 prepares the PowerPoint or movie Both contribute to the content Working solo? Due date November 7

The Selections 1. The Mary Celeste 2. Jack the Ripper 3. DB Cooper 4. The Lost Colony of Roanoke 5. Amelia Earhart 7. Malaysia Flight The Taman Shud Case 9. Kaspar Hauser 10. The Hinterkaifeck Murders 11. The Bermuda Triangle

THE BIG SHORT STORY 7 th Grade Assignment

The Big Short Story – 7 th Grade Short story must use the mystery as the historical backdrop For example, you could write a short story about two London teenagers and their attempts to solve the Jack the Ripper murder case. Or you could invent a "victim" who was spared and tell the story from her point of view. Short story must use dialog, and the dialog must develop the characters You can have one character describe another who's not in the scene This way, you develop the other character

The Big Short Story – 7 th Grade Requirements Typed Double spaced Times New Roman 12-point Title 650 word minimum

The Selections 1. The Mary Celeste 2. Jack the Ripper 3. DB Cooper 4. The Lost Colony of Roanoke 5. Amelia Earhart 7. Malaysia Flight The Taman Shud Case 9. Kaspar Hauser 10. The Hinterkaifeck Murders 11. The Bermuda Triangle