Amanda Floyd

SEW 2013

Crime Scene Investigation

Crime Solvers: (K/1)

Ever wondered how police catch criminals? Ever wanted to solve a puzzle no one else could? Then you should join Crime Scene Investigators (CSI)! These important problem-solvers combine scientific thinking with creativity to solve mysteries. You can learn to think like these scientists! We will dust for fingerprints, check for tire tracks, compare bite marks and more. Problems happen all the time with no explanation. You will become a detective in the crime lab and when something happens that can’t be explained: you will solve the crime!

Operation Investigation: Capturing Criminals: (4/5)

Freeze! You are under arrest! Ever wanted the chance to catch a criminal and stop him dead in his tracks? Ever wondered what it would be like to solve crimes? Join the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team! Learn to solve crimes by collecting fingerprints, comparing footprints, tire tracks, bite marks and types of hair. We will collect and analyze evidence just like detectives. Like Crime Scene Investigators we will collect evidence, look at clues left behind, put the puzzle pieces together and identify the criminal. Using critical thinking and creativity we will use the evidence collected to solve the case when something goes awry. Be on the look out because you never know when you will stumble upon a crime scene and be thrown into action.

Concept

  • Patterns

Generalizations

  • Patterns have segments that are repeated.
  • Patterns allow for prediction.
  • Patterns have an internal order.
  • Patterns are enablers.

Underlying Questions

  • How do patterns have segments that are repeated?
  • How do patterns allow for prediction?
  • In what ways do patterns have an internal order?
  • In what ways are patterns enablers?
  • How can patterns help us solve problems?
  • Why are patterns essential?

Unit Terms

Essential Understandings

Detectives/CSI are observant and knowledgeable.

Detectives/CSI are creative thinkers and logical thinkers.

Detectives/CSI can work independently and dependently.

Essential Questions

Why should detectives/CSI be creative thinkers and logical thinkers?

What are the character traits of detectives/CSI?

What skills are needed to be an effective detective/CSI?

Why are drawing conclusions and making inferences important?

How are math, science, technology and art all used in crime scene investigation?

Objectives

The student will:

  • Develop research skills such as data collection, data analysis, and data harvesting.
  • Apply the scientific method as it relates to criminal investigation.
  • Integrate science, math, technology and art as a tool for problem solving.
  • Collect and analyze evidence.
  • Apply critical thinking skills while formulating logical conclusions based on data from evidence collection.
  • Develop questioning and communication skills
  • Use the computer to search and process information using the Internet.
  • Use the word processor and other presentation tools to create a product.
  • Prepare a crime scene report and make a mock trial presentation.
  • Develop communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Recognize the role science, math, and technology plays in a criminal investigation.
  • Become aware of careers associated with forensic science, law enforcement, and criminal justice.

Type I, II & III Activities

Some of the Type I and Type II activities listed can be incorporated or combined into a single lesson. For example, some of the Type I activities can be combined into an interest center so that students participate in multiple activities during one class period.

Some of the descriptions are simply a more detailed explanation of another activity or an extension of another idea.

(B)- Both groups

(K/1)- Younger age group

(4/5)- Older age group

Type I Activities-MAP students’ ideas

1. Interest center: Uncover the cookie sheet with 12 objects on it for ten seconds (amount of time it can take for a crime to take place) and mentally observe all the objects. Re-cover the tray and write down the names of objects seen to test observational skills and close attention to detail. (Skills Needed- Observation) (B)

→ 4.1- Can You Remember All That You See? Page 36-37. Book: Who Can Solve the Crime. Science Projects Using Detective Skills. 2010.

2. Before Guest Speaker: Use the Communication #5 Talent to generate a network of many, varied questions that could be asked when the guest speaker from the Tuscaloosa Police Office comes to speak about fingerprinting. Each student can then decide what questions they would like to ask. (Skills Needed- Fingerprinting) (B)

3. Guest speaker: Listen to a speaker from the Tuscaloosa Police Office to learn how to professionally take a fingerprint. (Skills Needed- Fingerprinting/ People Involved) (B)

4. Interest Center: Explore the “detective kit” in the interest center. Choose one crime-solving tool to take the perspective of and write about its importance to crime solving. (Tools) (B)

5. Interest Center: Read a printed off Whodunit mystery to practice taking notes in your detective journal in order to solve the crime. (Skills Needed- Taking Notes) (B)

6. Interest Center: Take the handwriting graphology quiz from Handwriting Analysis Putting It to Work for You to closely observe crime clues displayed through criminal handwriting. (Skills Needed- Analyzing Handwriting) (B)

7. Interest Center: Look closely at actual crime scene photos and write ten specific details about each photo in your detective journal to observe key components to a good crime scene photo. (Skills Needed- Photography, Observation) (B)

8. Interest Center: Look at a magazine cut out that contains two photos that closely resemble each other, but have a number of things slightly changed. Take notes in your detective journal about the slight differences between the two pictures to see the importance of close observation and taking detailed notes about specific details.

(Skills Needed- Observation, Note Taking) (B)

9. Make teeth impressions using the circus peanut candy. Compare your teeth marks to a partners’ impression to see the unique qualities of bite marks. (Tools- Teeth molds, Skills Needed- Observation) (B)

10. Interest Center: Try on the different articles of clothing (hat, wig, sunglasses, coat, etc.) and see if you can disguise yourself. Ask another classmate if he/she can identify who you are to see how successful you were in disguising your identity. Reflect in your detective journal about what articles of clothing helped to disguise you. (People Involved) (B)

11. Play the board game Clue with a small group to figure out who is responsible for the crime, what room they were in and what weapon they used. (Clues) (People Involved) (B)

12. Create a detective badge to wear and identify yourself as a detective at a crime scene. Be sure to include your name, a picture of yourself, and your job title. (People Involved- Detectives) (B)

13. Interest Center: Research on the Internet the way Crime Scene Investigators preserve the crime scene and begin collecting evidence. Take notes about your findings in your detective journal to share with the class the importance of correctly preserving evidence. (Skills Needed- Collect and Preserve Evidence) (B)

14. Watch your teachers act out the steps to solving a crime to identify the six steps tosolving a crime. Take notes in your detective journal about what aspects/steps the teacher do correctly and what aspects/steps he/she do incorrectly. (Steps to Solving a Crime) (B)

Type I Activities-SEW Intern’s ideas

14. Watch a TV episode of CSI and observe the correct and incorrect methods the actors use when representing forensic scientists. Discuss with group the observations you made. Explain how the actors were incorrect and determine ways to improve the show. (Observation skills) (B)

15. Think of many, varied and unusual objects can be created around your fingerprint. Add to your ideas. Then create your best, favorite or unusual object around a print of your fingerprint. (Productive Thinking) (B)

16. Think of many, varied and single-words (adjectives) to describe a detective. (Communication #1) (B)

17. Activity 16 could be extended into a Communication talent #3 activity by turning the single word lists into similes. Create a stem-- The ______is as ______as: (4/5)

18. View the video “Wishbone: The Hound of the Baskervilles” (30 minutes). During the video, use a Detective Notes worksheet to record clues discovered during the video that helped students solve the crimes in the both the Sherlock Homes case and the Wishbone case. This activity is used to allow the student to practice and develop observation skills. (B)

19. Discuss the importance of being observant. Why might it be important for a detective to be observant? This activity is used to help the student understand the importance of observation. Have unknown individual (SEW staff member) enter room in a disguise and “rob” the class. Students record observations and details. (B)

20. Invite a guest speaker: police officer, high school forensics teacher, FBI agent, detective or investigator to talk with the group about the skills he/she uses on the job. (B)

21. Identify many, varied and unusual examples of words that could be used in mystery stories about crime scene investigation. Add to the list. This Productive Thinking activity is used to help introduce the student to vocabulary associated with mysteries. (K/1)

22. Complete a Productive Thinking lesson to list the many, varied and unusual careers associated with forenscis. Students should add to the list. (B)

23. Record ideas about the topic “Why is being observant important for a detective?” in the student journal. This activity is used to used to help the student understand the importance of observation. This is an academic lesson. (B)

24. Explore the Interest Center to further develop experiences with puzzle and mystery solving. This activity is used to help students develop critical thinking skills. This is an academic lesson. (B)

25. Play the game Clue to practice logical thinking. This is an academic lesson. (4/5)

26. Play the game Guess Who to practice logical thinking. This is an academic lesson. (K/1)

27. Complete a puzzle from the Logic Puzzle Center to further practice logical thinking. This is an academic lesson. (4/5)

28. Complete a sudoku puzzle from the Sudoku Puzzle Center to further develop logical thinking skills. This is an academic lesson. (4/5)

29. List many, varied and unusual techniques that might be used in the future to identify criminals. Students should also add to the list generated. This Productive Thinking activity is used help introduce the students to the techniques used in crime scene investigation. (B)

30. List many, varied and unusual tools a detective may use to solve a crime. Have students add to the list. This Productive Thinking activity is used to introduce the student to tools used by investigators. (B)

31. What type of evidence do you think a detective will look for at most crime scenes? Work with a partner to create a list of clues you think EVERY detective should look for first when entering a crime scene. This is an Academic activity designed to introduce the student to tools used by investigators. (K/1)

32. Complete a KWL chart on forensic dentistry. This activity is used to help the students gain knowledge about crime scene investigation and help the teacher understand and assess what the student knows and wants to know about crime scene investigation. This is an academic lesson. (K/1)

33. Read this article about Forensic Dentistry: Forensic Fact File: Add new information learned about this forensics technique to the CSI journal (this activity will be completed in the Computer Learning Center). This activity is used to introduce the student to forensic dentistry and it’s use in crime scene investigation. This is an academic lesson. (4/5)

34. View an episode of CSI (television show) and identify different forensic methods or tools used to solve the crime. This activity is used to introduce students to crime scene investigation and the tools used by investigators. This is an academic lesson. (4/5)

35. Demonstrate the use of dental impression materials. Discuss how these impressions are used in solving crimes. This activity is used to help introduce the students to the different methods used to solve crimes. This is an academic lesson. (B)

36. Play the Crime Scene Investigation Game (based on the popular television series), which will introduce the students to crime scene investigation and the many different professionals who work in this field (in the Computer Learning Center). (K/1)

37. Allow students to practice their powers of observation and identify the suspect in this on-line game: (in the Computer Learning Center). Have students write down how they were able to improve their observation skills as the game progressed on the OBSERVSTION flip chart (K/1).

38. Solve the crime, an on-line game: individually. Convene whole group to discuss the clues, their reasoning, and their conclusions. This activity is used to help the student practice reasoning skills. This is an academic lesson. (K/1)

39. Introduce fingerprint patterns by displaying fingerprints of all students. Allow students to try to identify each other using only fingerprints. This activity is used to introduce students to fingerprint patterns and the use of fingerprints to solve crimes. This is an academic lesson. (B)

Type II Activities-MAP students’ ideas

1. At the beginning of class a mysterious person suddenly walks in and grabs the teacher’s purse. Once he/she is gone and it’s safe, get your detective journal and write all of the information you observed as a witness to this crime. As a group we will share our observations and see what similarities and differences we found and how good our observation/witness skills are.(Skills Needed- Observation. Taking Notes) (B)

2. The clumsy teacher accidentally drops the pile of fingerprints on the floor. She needs help identifying whose print is whose using the shape of the print (loop, whorl, and arch).(Skills Needed- Fingerprinting) (B)

3. The students walk into the class one morning with a section of the room taped off with crime scene tape. The students will then have one tool to help them solve the crime and defend its use.(Skills Needed- Critical) (Tools) (B)

4. Divide into two groups and assign half of the class detective roles and the other half scripted sheets with their part in a crime. The students involved in the crime (with the sheets) will read their roles and then will be interviewed by a peer detective. The peer detectives will then collaborate using their interview findings to figure out who committed the crime. The two groups will then switch so each student has the opportunity to conduct an interview.(Skills Needed- Interviewing) (B)

5. After reading a Whodunit mystery, the students will create a crime scene tri-o-rama to visually replicate the crime scene described.(Skills Needed- Analyze Crime Scene. Observation) (B)

6. Using our Productive Thinking Talent, list many, varied, unusual places a crime could take place. Add to the ideas. This is a Productive Thinking lesson. (Crime Locations) (B)

7. Using our Forecasting skill 1 Talent, predict many, varied causes for why crime is committed.(Patterns- Motives) (B)

8. Have another SEW teacher steal the class’ snack one day and leave a ransom note for the students to analyze and compare to all of the SEW teacher’s handwriting. Let the students discuss their observations, predictions, and notes to discover the snack criminal’s identity.(Skills Needed- Analyzing Handwriting) (B)

9. Using the disposable or classroom camera provided for you, take photographs of the taped off classroom crime scene. Make sure you only photograph the important scene details and record notes about the photographs in your detective journal.(Skills Needed- Photograph) (B)

10. After reading a Whodunit mystery and identifying all of the possible suspects, use all five of your Decision Making skills to decide who the actual criminal is.This is a decision making lesson.(People Involved- Suspects) (B)

11. Using your Productive Thinking skills, think of many, varied, unusual crimes that could be committed involving handwriting as a major clue for solving the crime.Add to the list. This is a Productive Thinking lesson.(Types of Crime) (B)

12. Using Communication skill 3, think of many, varied comparisons for the mysterious classroom crime scene in the form of a simile. Use this stem, “This crime scene is as mysterious as ______.”This is a communication #3 lesson.(Skills Needed- Analyzing Crime Scene) (B)

13. Using Forecasting skill 1, think of the many, varied causes for having unique teeth impressions in which we will further discuss how this impacts crime solving. Extension: compare teeth impressions from different “suspects” or classmates and write about what you see in your detective journal.This is a forecasting #1 and a communication #5 lesson. (Clues- Bite Marks) (B)

14. Use Productive Thinking to think of many, varied, and unusual places fingerprints could be found at the scene of a crime. Add to the list. This is a productive thinking lesson. **Extension: Have students use their knowledge of fingerprinting to create a mural of one of the locations by only using their fingerprints.This is a communication #6 lesson.(Clues- Fingerprints) (Crime Locations) (B)