CSI Field Study with the Richland County Sheriff's Department

We had a fantastic trip today!  Thank you to the sheriff's department and our wonderful chaperons! 

Waiting for the bus!

Students listened to a presentation by Investigator Bouknight and then rotated through three crime solving stations...

Footprints- Detective Carrie assisted each student in making a footwear print. Students made observations and learned about footprints as forensic evidence.  They learned several techniques for finding and lifting prints including using a gel lifter, electricity paired with mylar film, and dental stone for casting.  They also learned about using oblique lighting to find tracks and photographing prints as the most important form of documentation.

Tread comparisons.

Using static electricity to lift a shoe print.

Fingerprints- Students heard investigators talk about the three types of fingerprints and how even seemingly similar prints can reveal unique differences.  Students got to be fingerprinted themselves and examined their own print pattern.

Getting fingerprinted.

Mock Crime Scene- Students documented the scene by sketching the site and evidence.  They also learned to use magnetic powder to dust for prints.

Documenting the crime scene and dusting for prints.

It Beats Me: Heart Rate Data Project

     For our Morphic Thinking morning warm-up, students created similes about themselves when they do or do not use the Habit of Mind- Managing Impulsivity.  This was meant as a follow up to last week's lesson. They came up with some cute comparisons!

• When I do not manage my impulsivity, I am like a crazy monkey with no manner because I have so much energy.
• When I do manage my impulsivity, I am like a Zeus when he is happy because I contain my anger and let my happy shine.
• When I do not manage my impulsivity, I am calm as a spring day with birds singing.

     We were back to our data investigations this week.  Students are completing a real world project to show what they know about creating line plots and describing a data set in terms of median, mode, and range.  Students are working in partners to use the results to answer our question, "How fast does the heart of a third grader beat after exercise?"  Today we collected data by measuring our heart rates after two minutes of jumping jacks.  

Blurry Jumping Jacks

     Our Habit of Mind focus for today was Gathering Data through all Senses.  Students connected this to crime scene investigation by making observations of evidence.  They learned the terms quaLitative (describe with Language) and quaNtitative (measure with Numbers). They also watched this video and learned the definition of inference and how inferences help explain the observations that we make. 

Inference- an explanation of an observation based on prior knowledge.

An explanation of an

Observation based on

Prior

Knowledge

    Our second Habit of Mind focus was on Metacognition.  We used the metaphor of the students having the power to "drive their brains"- put on the brakes to rethink and reflect, put on the gas to be proactive and take initiative in their learning, and in this reflection, make choices that put them on the road to success!  We also read the book The Three Questions and spent some time reflecting on our own learning for the day. For more on metacognition for children, check out this article.

Metagognition Article

      We also did some brain stretching plexers.  Try these for yourself!