Adventures in After School Learning Blog

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Now that all the evidence has been analyzed, your junior CSI’s will determine which suspect they believe is guilty of smashing Mrs. Johnson’s cookie jar and stealing her cookies.  In this final module, students analyze all the evidence and prepare their case for a mock trial.

            Mrs. Johnson consulted her lesson plan and counted to herself on her fingers, trying to estimate how long it would take to help her students finally bring the case of the Cookie Jar Mystery to a close. It had been a few weeks since she and her students had discovered her broken cookie jar lying on the floor of her classroom.

            She looked out across her class and smiled silently and proudly. Every student’s head was down and every pencil was moving, dutifully completing her “Quick Forensic Review Quiz.” The students had done some amazing work over the past several class periods, and the quiz was designed to help them remember how they had come to think about evidence, crime, investigations, and their classroom experiments.

            After a few moments, the students began to complete their quizzes, and quietly came up to her desk to leave their sheets to be graded. Each student then returned to his or her desk, and waited for their classmates to finish.

            After 15 minutes had passed, everyone had completed the test.

            “Very good, class,” began Mrs. Johnson. “I’ll grade your quizzes tonight.”

            Mark raised his hand and Mrs. Johnson called on him. “Mrs. J, now that we’ve identified the guilty party, how is the criminal going to be punished?”

            Mrs. Johnson knew that moving her students to the next level of understanding was not going to be easy. “Well, Mark, what do you think we should do with the perpetrator?”

            “How about bake cookies once a week for the rest of the year!” suggested Mark.

            “AND buy you a new cookie jar!” Ashley chimed in.

            “So you think we’ve proven that our suspect is guilty, is that it?” asked Mrs. Johnson.

            “Well, wasn’t that the point?” asked Marta, a thoughtful girl from the Chess Club. “We gathered the evidence that—at least from my point of view—makes it almost completely unlikely that anyone else could have committed the crime.”

            “I’m with Marta,” said George. “We found so much evidence, especially with the hair and fiber experiments.”

            “Yeah,” added Jennifer. “We even found the suspect’s blood type at the scene of the crime.”

            “You’re all correct,” continued Mrs. Johnson. “That is the evidence. But in our roles as crime scene technicians, our jobs are to collect, identify, catalog, and process evidence. That is what we have done. . .”

            Mrs. Johnson paused. “In fact, let’s imagine that that’s exactly what we have done. Imagine that we were working for a police department. After we’ve dealt with all of the evidence, we write up our results (just as we would do with any science experiment). In order to make sure that we’ve followed proper procedure, we need to test our conclusion. It sure looks like we have figured out who broke the cookie jar, but we are just technicians. What would happen in a real crime?”

            Ashley’s hand was in the air. “The police would come and arrest the suspect.”

            “Correct.”

            “And the police would put the suspect in jail!” exclaimed Jack. “For a long, long time!”

“Hold on, Jack. You’re right about the suspect going to jail. But the police cannot keep the person in jail forever.”                  

            “But we proved our suspect is guilty!”

            Mrs. Johnson chose her next words carefully. “I think it’s very tempting to think we have solved the crime and proven the suspect guilty. But to be fair, that’s not really our jobs as forensic scientists. Like I said, we had to collect and process the evidence, and we did. But now it’s up to someone else to punish the criminal. And the only people with the power to do that are a judge and jury.”

            “I know where you’re going with this, Mrs. Johnson. The suspect has rights, too,” said Marta suddenly. “The suspect can’t be sent to jail just because we say so. We’re not a judge and jury. The suspect has a right to a trial.”

            “And a lawyer,” added George.

            “But we’re not lawyers!” whined Ashley.

            “Well, a few weeks ago we weren’t forensic scientists, either,” said Jack. “But look at us now.”

            “I believe you can be anything you want to be,” said Mrs. Johnson.

            “I could be a judge!” volunteered Marta.

            “A lawyer for me!” exclaimed Mark.

            “Me, too!” said Jennifer. “Or maybe I could just be on the witness stand, you know, like an expert!”

            “What do you say, Mrs. Johnson?” asked George. “Do you think we could have a trial?”

            Mrs. Johnson turned on her heel and reached down to floor behind her desk. Suddenly she stood up with a thick pile of envelopes in her hand. She handed one to each student.

            “A trial,” she began mischievously, “...is exactly what I had in mind.”

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Now the investigation turns to the most unique evidence on the case...DNA.

Mrs. Johnson was late to class; all of her science students were already seated at their desks as she dumped her books and took off her long raincoat.

           “Sorry, everyone,” she began. “Take out your notes and let’s get right back into our crime scene investigation!”

            For several days, Mrs. Johnson’s students had been conducting experiments trying to determine who had broken their teacher’s cookie jar. Papers were shuffled and chairs scraped noisily along the floor as the students readied themselves. Mrs. Johnson took a quick glance around the room as she opened her attendance book.

            “Hey, Mrs. Johnson. What happened to your arm?”

            Mrs. Johnson was touched, but she kindly brushed off Jack’s concern. “Oh this?” she began, indicating the bandage in the crook of her right arm. “I was late because I was giving blood down at the firehouse.”

            “Ooooh, does it hurt to give blood?” asked Ashley anxiously.

            “There’s a little pinch when they put the needle in your arm, but giving blood is very important. It doesn’t take long. My blood type is AB+, and it’s a relatively rare type, so I am happy to be a blood donor. When you kids get older, I hope you’ll consider being blood donors, too!”

            “You know, Mrs. J, one of our suspects was sort of a ‘blood donor’--he (or she) must have cut himself on the cookie jar when it was broken. We collected a blood sample at the crime scene.”

            “Very good, Jack. That’s right.”

            “Well, if we test the blood and can figure out the type, maybe we can match it to one of our suspects,” said George.

            “That’s true,” replied Mrs. Johnson. “Luckily, I DO know the blood type of each of our suspects. Today, we’re going to ‘type’ our crime scene blood sample.”

            Emily spoke up quickly. She couldn’t keep the puzzled look off her face. “But if our suspects have the same blood type, that won’t help us figure out who the criminal is.”

            “Well, let’s consider the blood typing as a good place to start,” said Mrs. Johnson. “If we aren’t able to match the type to just one suspect, we’ll have to go one step further.”

            “But what else could we do?” asked Emily with exasperation. “I’m not sure we’re ever going to solve this case!”

            Mrs. Johnson lifted an amused eyebrow and looked out at her students. She was proud of the work they had done so far, but she knew they were capable of even more. “Today, we’re going to push our limits as forensic scientists,” she announced. “Has anyone here ever heard of DNA?”

Continue to the conclusion of this mystery in Law and Order here!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The story continues as your junior CSI's delve deeper into the evidence found at the classroom crime scene. 

As usual, the fascinating Mrs. Johnson, a science teacher at Crooked Creek Middle, began her lesson with a story. Because the students had been trying to solve the mystery of who had broken Mrs. Johnson’s cookie jar, they knew her story would be another step toward understanding crime-solving techniques. All of the students leaned forward in their seats and gave Mrs. Johnson their full attention.

            “In 1888, all of Europe was gripped by the grisly murders committed by a mysterious man named Jack the Ripper. Investigators from Scotland Yard (the headquarters of British detectives) did their best to apprehend the criminal, but the terrible killer was never identified.

            At the turn of the century, the interest in solving crimes continued, and the flames of this interest were fanned by the ever increasing popularity of a series of stories about Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective who used his keen powers of observation to solve mysteries.

            But all investigative techniques were quite simple until about 1910, when a Frenchman named Edmond Locard approached the Lyons, France, police department and set up one of the world’s first forensic laboratories. Locard had an important theory.”

            Mrs. Johnson stopped for a moment and called on George, who had raised his hand.

            “We’re going to talk about Locard’s Principle, aren’t we, Mrs. Johnson.” It was more of a statement than a question.

            Mrs. Johnson was impressed. “You seem to have done your homework, George.”

            George flushed with genuine embarrassment, but he continued, “I guess you could say I’ve been investigating!”

            “What can you tell us about Monsieur Locard, George?”

            “Well, let me demonstrate.” George stood up, and as he did so, he nudged Jennifer, who was seated in front of him, and indicated that Jennifer should stand up. She did. “Locard believed that people who are in contact with each other—even casually—“(and here George shook hands with Jennifer quickly) “exchange something, some kind of evidence. It’s usually something we don’t even see, like skin cells, fibers, hair, or even germs. If I just brush past Jennifer, I might pick up some fibers from her sweater.”

            “And I might exchange some hairs from you!” said Jennifer to George. She sat back down in her seat, and so did George.

            “Exactement! Exactly!” laughed Mrs. Johnson. “Excuse my French!”

            “So that’s Locard’s Principle, Mrs. J.?” asked Mark. “What does that have to do with our mystery? I don’t think two people were involved in breaking your cookie jar!”

            “Maybe not, Mark. But Locard’s Principle isn’t only about people running into each other, it’s also about the contact between people and things.”       

            “So, you mean, whoever broke the cookie jar must have left something behind?” asked Jennifer.

            “Some evidence was collected,” Mrs. Johnson continued. “I put it in an envelope marked ‘crime scene fiber.’ Let’s try an experiment and see what we can learn from applying Locard’s Principle!”

Continue the story in the next module, First Impressions, here!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, February 08, 2012

The new version of the Cookie Jar Mystery targeted for smaller centers and in-school science programs will have a couple new features.  The biggest of which is engaging kids with a story throughout each module. This is designed to peak students' curiosity and build suspense as each activity moves them on step closer to solving the mystery.  

 Below is the part one of the story that kicks off  The Crime Scenario:        

            It was just after 9 a.m. when Mrs. Johnson, a popular science teacher at Crooked Creek Middle School, made her way to her 9:15 science class. She’d spent her first period of the day in the teachers’ lounge, correcting papers and drinking coffee.

            Outside the classroom door, she looked briefly at her watch, and shifted her clumsy armload of student folders and papers.  “The students will be here in ten minutes,” she muttered as she nudged at the partially open door. Strange, she thought to herself, the classroom door is usually closed. She located the light switch and flipped it on.

            “Oh-oh!” began the teacher. “This does not look good!”

            The broken glass scattered in front of her desk surprised Mrs. Johnson. Not only was the glass dangerous, she wondered immediately if anyone had been hurt. She set her pile of books down on a nearby student desk and approached the mess on the floor, careful not to touch anything. 

            Sadly, Mrs. Johnson recognized the broken glass as fragments from her famous cookie jar that was normally kept locked up in the storage cabinet. Scattered among the broken glass, Mrs. Johnson could see remnants of the two dozen chocolate chip cookies she’d brought in the day before. There were only a few cookies left; clearly someone (or something!) had been interrupted in the act of stealing the cookies, and had broken the cookie jar in the process.

            Who could have done such a thing?

            The school bell signaled that her next class was about to start. Within a minute, several students entered the science classroom. Immediately, they began to talk about the disarray. As they moved towards Mrs. Johnson’s desk, she cautioned them sternly: “Let’s not disturb anything here. Please, be careful!”

            “Mrs. Johnson, what happened? Did you knock your cookie jar off the desk?” asked Jack, one her brightest students.

            “No, I didn’t. But I can see why you might think so!” answered the teacher.

            Ashley, another student, let her backpack slip to the floor.  “Are you going to call the police?”           

            “She doesn’t just need the police,” interrupted Mark, a tall 8^th-grader with a keen sense of humor. “Mrs. Johnson needs a detective!”

            An idea suddenly popped into Ms. Johnson’s head. “You’re right, Mark! I do need a detective! Luckily, I’ve got a whole classroom full! I don’t know what happened here, but I bet we can figure that out! Quickly, everyone, get your notebooks and pens—be careful not to disturb our little ‘crime scene’ here—and let’s get to work!”

            “What are we going to do, Mrs. Johnson?” asked Ashley.

            Mrs. Johnson smiled. “We…” she began slowly, with a twinkle in her eye, “are going to solve The Cookie Jar Mystery!”

You can solve The Cookie Jar Mystery too! Join your classmates in the activities in Module 1.  As you begin to understand the processes of forensic science, you’ll find new clues and evidence to point you in the direction of the guilty party. Proceed to Activity 1 to start your investigation!

Continue the story in the next module, Always Leave a Note, here!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, December 21, 2011

We’ve been hard at work developing new versions of the “Cookie Jar Mystery” and the “Missing Money Mystery” targeted for in-school use.

With most of our customers utilizing our kits for out-of-school learning, we wanted to include classroom teachers in on the fun! 

The main difference is that both mysteries will be modular, so if class time isn’t available to complete the entire mystery, teachers can do any module as a standalone.  Each module is packed with fun, hands-on activities and delivers valuable lessons that individually reinforce science concepts taught in class. 

On the practical side, the kits will be more lightweight and easier to use.  

Another exciting feature of these version of the “Cookie Jar Mystery” and the “Missing Money Mystery” is the mock trial is built in! 

Student crime scene investigators take steps all along the way to prepare for an eventual trial.  This really drives the learning home and provides teachers with an abundance of cross-curricular learning opportunities!

Look for more details to come in February.

Enjoy your break!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I'm certain many people have heard of Sir Ken Robinson and his famous TED talks.

I'm less certain about how many people have seen his ideas detailed on a whiteboard.  His talks are interesting and thought provoking to begin with but after watching this video a couple times I started to "see" his ideas differently and understand his thesis on an entirely different level. 

I think many after school providers know exactly what he means when he talks about where kids are today. 

Take a look and tell me what you think.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-By Mike DeBritz on Friday, May 27, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mike DeBritz,

Community Learning, LLC

877.347.0461

SCHENECTADY, NY--You wouldn't want to be the fictional perp who raided the cookie jar at Schenectady's Central Park International Magnet School a few months ago.

After all, some 15 budding Crime Scene Investigators -- Central Park forth through eighth graders -- have been hot on his or her trail ever since, sifting through a mountain of evidence that ranges from hair sample analysis to blood typing, shoe prints, ink chromatography, fingerprints, pollen analysis, and DNA, among other forensic clues.

And next Thursday (June 2), the cookie nabber's chances of making off cleanly with the dough will dwindle even further, when the diligent young detectives join forces with an officer of the Schenectady Police Department in their ongoing efforts to crack the case.

The student sleuths are taking part in an innovative after-school program that combines CSI-like mysteries and hands-on science learning. The program, developed by the Scotia-based Community Learning LLC, is being conducted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady in all three of the city's middle schools simultaneously.

At the June 2 session, which begins at 4 p.m. at the school, the students will have the opportunity to explore the real-world forensic practices of the Schenectady Police, in the context of the scientific principles and practices they have learned along the way.

While "The Cookie Jar Mystery" curriculum is grounded in the fun and glamour of forensic science made popular by television programs such as the CSI series, it also has a serious purpose, said Mike DeBritz, founder and president of Community Learning. The firm's "Course Kits" are used in after-school programs nationwide to engage students in exciting experiences grounded in standards-based learning.

"From the White House to schoolrooms across the country, the emphasis is really on STEM education -- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, ".DeBritz explained.  "'The Cookie Jar Mystery" takes advantage of the popular appeal of forensics to engage students in the application of authentic forensic procedures to solve this G-rated school-based caper," he added.

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, April 06, 2011

After hearing from customers who would like to tap into technology at their programs, we developed a Screenwriting course to help jump start ideas for short video and films. 

Many kids had trouble staying on task, they said, a lot of activity was happening but not much to show for it.

When we first started looking at that problem, what components and background do kids need to know about in order to cultivate a good idea and story for a short film?

We started to think about what you need to know and what you need to be thinking about before you pick up a camera. We decided to first focus on the creative writing process, and bingo! The course came together as a fun, active, engaging series of activities to really get kids excited about the movies they want to make. 

Naturally, as we got going, we could see that it would be attractive to site leaders, who probably have better luck hiring teachers with a background in language arts than in video production.

As far as getting kids in the door, playing up the Hollywood angle won’t be hard…video is in every student’s vocabulary.

And like all good things, there’s something in it for everyone.

Students will find:

-An outlet for their ideas

-Acting and directing opportunities

-Creative work to post and share with friends

-Opportunity for recognition

-Sense of accomplishment

Program leaders will benefit from offering:

-Attractive and unique offering

-Customizable program

-Teaching relevant and lifelong skills

-Long-term project

-Great opportunity to build relationships

We have an abundance of tools available to us today, but we don’t need to be an expert in the technology to teach kids these timeless storytelling skills. Your students may be attracted to the glamorous side of movie making, but as an after-school leader, you know there is so much more to the story!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, March 30, 2011

While forensics remains popular with students, teachers may experience their very own “CSI effect” when they see how many ways forensics can be incorporated into their curriculum.

The reference chart below was compiled by Patricia and Anthony "Bud" Bertino, from Bertino Forensics.  They've co-authored a high school text book on the subject and really enjoy talking to educators about this topic. Bud is also our lead developer on the "Cookie Jar Mystery."

Bud believes forensics provides teachers with an excellent  opportunity to create cross-curricular activities while building  an appreciation and interest in science education for every student.  

Take a look at the chart below they developed and grab the pieces that work for you! 

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Brian Melick, a musician and performer who we collaborated with on our “Playing with Percussion” Course Kit, is a man following his talents and almost any kind of percussion instrument he finds. 

We worked together demonstrating some of the basics behind percussion, where kids make and play instruments out of everyday objects (he's also the the star of the DVD in the kit).  In addition to performing, I've seen him work his magic leading professional development sessions and assemblies.

Brian has been making instruments out of found objects for a long time and we'll be highlighting some of his latest creations real soon. 

In the meantime, here are a couple fun clips of Brian doing his thing on a Cajinto and Cajon. Enjoy!