Caveat Academy course · Grades 7 to 12

Unsolved Historical Mysteries

History taught as detective work: first the habits of weighing sources and evidence, then real cases, from the lost colony of Roanoke and the empty Maya cities to Stonehenge, unread scripts, Amelia Earhart, the Mary Celeste, the Princes in the Tower and the hoaxes that fooled experts. Six modules at your own pace, and every case ends with what the evidence actually supports.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Thinking like a historical detective

    Classify sources as primary or secondary and evaluate them by sourcing, context, close reading and corroboration.

    • Primary and secondary sources
    • Weighing a source
    • Evidence, inference and honest uncertainty
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Vanished colonies and cities

    Compare competing explanations for abandoned colonies and cities using an evidence chart, and explain why combined causes are common.

    • The lost colony of Roanoke
    • The decline of the Classic Maya cities
    • Cahokia, the city by the Mississippi
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Ancient monuments and lost writing

    Explain how dating, chemistry, decipherment and imaging have answered questions about ancient monuments, objects and scripts.

    • Stonehenge
    • Scripts no one can read
    • Solved by evidence: the Antikythera mechanism
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Disappearances at sea and in the air

    Analyze disappearance cases by separating records and testimony from later myth, and rate explanations by the evidence.

    • Amelia Earhart's last flight
    • The Mary Celeste
    • The Franklin expedition: a mystery partly solved
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Lost identities and what science can tell us

    Explain what DNA and other scientific evidence can and cannot establish about historical identities.

    • The Princes in the Tower
    • Richard III under the car park
    • Anastasia and the woman who claimed to be her
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Hoaxes, myths and your own investigation

    Identify the warning signs of hoaxes and myths, apply the burden of proof, and design an investigation with a conclusion matched to its evidence.

    • Hoaxes that fooled experts
    • Myths and the burden of proof
    • Running your own investigation
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · Richard III under the car park

Worked example: why mitochondrial DNA works for this

  1. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from a mother to all her children, but only daughters pass it on.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of historical investigation: you can tell primary from secondary sources and weigh them, build an evidence chart for competing explanations, explain how dating, chemistry, imaging and DNA have settled some famous questions, separate records from the myths that grew around them, spot the warning signs of a hoax, and write a conclusion whose confidence matches its evidence. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 7 to 12 who love a good mystery, enjoy history or true-story podcasts, or want sharper research and source skills for history class and research papers; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Cases involving deaths are described factually, without graphic detail.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Unsolved Historical Mysteries and Historical Mysteries & Investigations titles).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. National Park Service, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site: the Roanoke colonies: nps.gov/fora
  2. English Heritage, the history and research of Stonehenge: english-heritage.org.uk
  3. Parks Canada, Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site: parks.canada.ca
  4. University of Leicester, the discovery of Richard III: le.ac.uk/richard-iii
  5. Library of Congress, Teaching with Primary Sources: loc.gov
  6. NOAA Ocean Service, What is the Bermuda Triangle: oceanservice.noaa.gov

Unsolved Historical Mysteries is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester historical mysteries elective but does not replace a school history course or award credit. Open cases are presented with the leading explanations and the evidence for each; new research may change what is known, and the lessons say where questions remain open. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.