Please feel free to use any of the information on this site in your educational material. We greatly appreciate links back to our site. If you do link please try and use the topic as the anchor text and link to the specific article or material referenced.
We envision that Canadian school children use this site as a guide to learn more about the history of Canada. One of the best ways to learn is to do.The stories on this site can act as model for students. Each story goes through four interlocking phases.
Phase 1 is identification.
Phase 2 is investigation.
Phase 3 is documentation.
Phase 4 is submission.
Phase 1: Identification
To identify a Mystery of Canada you need to look for a source of knowledge. Libraries are good, archives are good and certain types of bookstores are OK. But the best source of story material is the from the people around you. In many cultures, stories are passed from generation to generation verbally rather than on paper. So ask questions of your parents and grandparents… and while you’re at it, ask that old guy who live down the block.
Phase 2: Investigation
Once you have identified a story, the fun begins. The first thing is to establish the basic facts of the story. When did it happen? Where did it happen? Who was involved? What makes it a Mystery? Document everything, even though you may not use all the information. If you can find or take pictures, that’s great. Try and find the location of your Mystery on a map or make a drawing of the area. Half the fun of reading a Mystery is knowing where it took (or is taking) place.
Phase 3: Documentation
The key to the investigation is to be complete. All stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. The same is true of your Mystery. I am sure that you know the rules of writing, but here are some important ones:
- Sentences should not be long (short is what we in the publishing world call punchy… punchy is good!).
- Paragraphs should be limited to a single thought.
- The story should be told in the third person (they, he, she), unless you were directly involved.
Phase 4: Submitting your Mystery
When you submit your Mystery to our site you should include the following information:
- your name
- your city
- your e-mail address
- if part of a school project, the name of the school.
Your Mystery should be between 200 and 500 words (not rigidly applied of course) and submitted as a text file. Pictures or diagrams should be submitted in .gif or .jpg format.
Submit your Mystery by e-mail to info@mysteriesofcanada.com.
If you are under 16 years old, please ask your parent permission before sending anything to us.
We will evaluate your Mystery (maybe even do some of our own checking into it) and put it to our editorial board. If your Mystery meets our goals, up it goes with your name on it… and you are now an author on the world wide web.
Have fun.