An Iquiry Lesson
For
the past two years my Jr. High science department has implemented an inquiry
based lab activity that involves the use of forensic science techniques. We noticed an interest in our students with
the growing popularity of crime scene investigative television shows. Always on the lookout for new exciting ways
to conduct labs and present objectives we, as a department, decided to adopt
theses teaching methods to incite interest in the inquiry process. How better to understand the importance of
following procedure steps then to use them to solve a crime.
Prior
to the crime being committed the students spend time reviewing a variety
of power points over things like
evidence collection, finger printing, hair analysis to name just a few. During these presentations discussions are
held in regard to how our investigation will benefit from having prior knowledge
of procedure steps to follow when investigating a crime. The students prepare by looking at sample
crime cases which contain the investigators notes. The students are given paperwork that will
help them document their steps in solving the crime. These pre-crime preparations create interest
and partnership among the students as they plan responsibilities for the group
members.
On
the day the crime is committed students set their action plan into motion. Each student is responsible for a required
task at the crime scene. They gather
evidence, measure the area, sketch the scene, and take pictures. Over the course of the week students
interview predetermined suspects, share findings and document information
gathered. They also complete a series of
labs that represent evidence testing in a crime lab. Each day a case finding/fact is released to
the student investigators to help them as they coordinate the information they
have gathered. The released information
helps the students stay on track during the investigation.
The students keep a daily journal
entry of their groups’ findings. They systematically record all evidence as
they follow procedure and create a timeline for the crime. They utilize witness information as well as
collected evidence from the crime scene.
By allowing students to choose the jobs they have the most interest in
we can differentiate the learning experience for each student. Giving students the opportunity to choose how
they learn the objectives allows them to be vested in the information they are
learning. Flexible management of
classroom resources enables students to work in ways with tasks that maximize
their learning (Marzano, 2010). There
has been much emphasis put on authentic assessments and differentiated
instruction in the classroom.
Teachers are able to determine student ability through performance tasks; the
crime scene investigation allows the students to exhibit their knowledge in a
manner that best suits their individual learning style. My students were
able to performance the tasks and activities which in turn displayed their
understanding of the objectives.
These types of activities are designed to ensure student mastery,
internalization, and understanding of the objective (Marzano, 2010).
I spend much of my free time
looking at ways to differentiate my lessons and include authentic assessment
into my curriculum. I know this is a
benefit to my students and have watched as they take ownership of their
education when allowed to choose how they learn. I
spend much of my time familiarizing myself with strategies that work for my
diverse learners. In doing this I must also keep in mind that as a science
teacher it is my responsibility to teach the actual science content and
incorporate culture and other interests, but first and foremost keep the
content intact (Buxton & Provenzo, 2011).
References
Buxton, C. A., &
Provenzo, E. F., Jr. (2011). Teaching science in elementary & middle
school: A cognitive and cultural approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Marzano, R. J. (Ed.). (2010). On excellence
in teaching. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Hello Peggy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your crime scene lesson and the way you proceed to feed the students a lead periodically to keep them on their toes. I also present a similar lesson at the beginning of the school year. This will go along with the science skills part of the curriculum and standards. For this activity, I get other teachers involved as to get the students to work outside the classroom. The evidence I provide them during the task provides leads in which students will be able to zero in on a ‘suspect’. Throughout the following weeks they are engaged interviewing and obtaining fingerprints from their suspects. After all their data collecting process, they will present in a report all their findings and whom they believe was the ‘guilty’ party.
The documentation of the entire procedure and investigation on a Science Journal is an excellent tool for assessment. At the same time the report can be formatted to include some ELA standards for writing. During assessment I look for hypothesis, how they went about the entire scene and collected data. I am looking for descriptions, measurements, and mapping. I do give them some form of format to go along, but give a lot of space for self –reliance and intuition (critical thinking). Like you mentioned, students seem to stay engaged and make reference to many of those television programs that involve crime scene investigations.
This year I started the crime scene investigation as usual, but I am going to do several things differently. The most important addition is that close to the end of the school year I will design another crime scene and give them all the leads at once. The purpose of this is to compare their initial task with the other and be able to assess the progress and their acquired scientific knowledge throughout the year. The first activity would be like base line knowledge and the final one a comprehensive assessment.
Thanks for the information.