4 Intriguing True Crime Stories for Middle School Research Papers
Research papers have a bad rap in middle school. Our kids think of research as boring, intimidating, and just miserable in general.
And if they’re researching something boring, intimidating, or miserable, of course they will hate writing research papers.
A fun (or even suspicious) research topic can make all the difference. This is where true crime comes in.
Now, we probably don’t want to send our middle-school students out into the worldwide web to research kidnappings or grisly murders (unless you want angry calls from parents when their kid wakes up with nightmares), but there are plenty of true-crime stories that just aren’t that scary at all:
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery
One of the biggest art heists in United States history, the Gardner museum robbery has never been solved. In fact, the museum is still offering a $10 million reward for information, over 30 years later! Let your students do a little investigating of their own as they research clues and possible suspects (and try to earn that $10 million dollars for themselves!). This resource will walk your students step-by-step through their investigation.
Fyre Festival
This nonexistent music festival stranded an infuriated pack of rich kids on an island with rain-soaked mattresses and cheese sandwiches. It’s not exactly the most mysterious crime, but it’s a crazy story that will grab kids’ interest and make them want to know (a.k.a. research) more.
Juan Catalan’s False Arrest
In 2003, a 24-year-old father was arrested for the murder of a teenage girl. He insisted that he was at a Dodger’s game at the time of the murder, but nobody believed him—that is, until outtakes of comedy show Curb Your Enthusiasm clearly showed him in the crowd at the game! Finally, after six months of imprisonment, Catalan was free. While this crime technically does involve a murder, students’ research could focus instead on the unfairness Catalan faced or the role that the media plays in our justice system.
Knoedler & Company
Knoedler and Co. was a well-established and trusted art gallery for over a hundred years, but when it closed less than 20 years ago, it was discovered that the gallery had sold about 40 fraudulent pieces of art for millions of dollars each. This crime is the perfect research subject for students who are squeamish about violence (and it makes me want to re-watch White Collar next weekend too—watch it if you haven’t!).
Looking for ready-to-go resources for your middle-school research papers? These true-crime research packets will take your students through the process from start to finish.