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Crimes and Mysteries
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Submitted By
Lee Green and Kathryn Williams
Marshpoint Elementary
Savannah, Georgia |
Subject
Objective
Description/What to do in the classroom
Things to consider/science behind it
Number of TryScience.org features used
Titles of TryScience.org features
Materials Used
Results of student feedback and teacher assessment of activity
Attachments
Subject
Science
Objective
Unit for Gifted and
Talented Resource Class
Learn how detectives use science to solve crimes.
Science Standards: (List as applicable)
CONTENT STANDARD A:
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
Understandings about scientific inquiry
Life Science
CONTENT STANDARD C:
As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understanding of
Structure and function in living systems
Reproduction and heredity
Regulation and behavior
Populations and ecosystems
Diversity and adaptations of organisms
CONTENT STANDARD E:
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop
Abilities of technological design
Understandings about science and technology
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
CONTENT STANDARD F:
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understanding of
Populations, resources, and environments
Science and technology in society
CONTENT STANDARD G:
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understanding of
Science as a human endeavor
Nature of science
History of science
Description/What to do in the classroom
Unit began with the Red Herring Science Mysteries, to get students to use critical thinking skills and think in an analytical way.
Next the class read Forgeries, Fingerprints, and Forensics. The book goes over the procedures the police use in solving crimes and the processes involved.
The students next participated in fingerprint and lip print activities. First they fingerprinted themselves and traded prints to identify the fingerprint pattern (whirl, loop or arch). Next the students put on lipstick and "kissed" a sheet of paper to create a lip print. Students looked at the print to identify the lip print pattern as well.
Next, the class read The Bone Detectives. This book tells how forensic anthropologists solve crimes and uncover mysteries of the dead. The class watched a streaming video from peachstar.org called "Forensics" which discusses using DNA evidence.
Afterwards the students did the activities on TryScience.com: DNA Detective! Online activities: DNA Basics; Crime Scene; Lab. The website was projected onto a big screen using a computer, scan converter, and a lcd projector. Students responded as a group to the activities on the website. The students throughly enjoyed the trying to identify the suspect based on the evidence. The TryScience web activities generated a lot of classroom discussion.
The class also used a website called http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/crimedetection/, which taught about police artists.
The culminating activities involved playing a problem solving game called Spy Alley and Crimes and mysteries Jeopardy! A teacher programmed Jeopardy game based on things learned during the crimes and mysteries unit.
Things to consider/science behind it
Through this unit 5th grade students will learn to recognize the relationship between explanation and evidence as outlined in the National Science Standards. "In a full inquiry students begin with a question, design an investigation, gather evidence, formulate an answer to the original question, and communicate the investigative process and results. In partial inquiries, they develop abilities and understanding of selected aspects of the inquiry process."
Also, when discussing forensics, students developed an understanding of the way species live in their environment and the ways they interact with each other and with their environment.
Curriculum topics
Physical Science (trajectory and other factors used to recreate crime scenes), Life Science (DNA, uniqueness of individuals, blood types, fingerprints, physiology, etc.),
Integration of TryScience.org features
After learning about forensics, the students did the activities on TryScience.com: DNA Detective! Online activities: DNA Basics; Crime Scene; Lab. The website was projected onto a big screen using a computer, scan converter, and a lcd projector. Students responded as a group to the activities on the website. The students throughly enjoyed the trying to identify the suspect based on the evidence. The TryScience web activities generated a lot of classroom discussion.
Number of TryScience.org features used
0-5
Titles of TryScience.org features
DNA Detective! Online activities: DNA Basics; Crime Scene; Lab
Materials Used
Red Herring Science Mysteries
Forgeries, Fingerprints, and Forensics
Fingerprint and lip print activities
The Bone Detectives
TryScience.com
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/crimedetection/
Spy Alley
Crimes and Mysteries Jeopardy!
Results of student feedback and teacher assessment of activity
Students gained an understanding of the basics of how and why forensics are used in crime investigations. The TryScience activities, along with the fingerprint and lip print activities gave them an opportunity to "apply" what they had learned.
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