Famous People Puzzles

What would the items found in the trashcans and pockets of people tell you about their lives and personalities? Famous People Puzzles contains scraps of papers left by famous people, offering students a chance to use reasoning and research to flesh out the details of these people's lives. This information lets them identify the person and write a short bibliography.

These activities are a welcome departure from the average research assignment, incorporating reading, writing, and research of cross-cultural and historical studies.

Your students will use personal archaeology to create profiles on 16 famous people. Each puzzle combines a number of academic and critical thinking skills into one motivating activity. The subjects represent different areas of the world, ethnic origins, sexes, time periods, and occupations. Some are world leaders that students will have encountered many times during their studies, and some are less famous, but still have made a difference.