Adventures in After School Learning Blog

-By Mike DeBritz on Monday, May 21, 2012

Here is a sample from our Playing with Percussion DVD where Brian Melick walks teachers and students through the playing techniques for shakers.  This is the first of five home made percussion instruments students make and play throughout the course.  At the end of each activity, kids have fun starting a musical conversation with the Call and Response technique. Enjoy!

-By Mike DeBritz on Monday, May 07, 2012

Here's a quick video on how to break the cookie jar for the classroom version of the "Cookie Jar Mystery."  

In module 1, "The Crime Scenario" you'll start off by mocking up the crime scene to recreate the heinous crime that happened in Mrs. Johnson's classroom!   

-By Mike DeBritz on Monday, April 23, 2012

If you need to reach out and involve more High School (or mature Middle School) students this summer, we have a great opportunity! 

Our Screenwriting for Short Video: An Introduction for Teens kit has everything you need to run an engaging mini course on this high interest topic!

This 10-unit program is designed to engage older students in a highly participatory and intriguing study of movie-making. Kids know when they like a film...after taking this class they'll understand why!

Our approach to the weekly activities is to first introduce students to concepts of screenwriting like the three-act structure, creating characters and writing dialogue.

Then students will look at award-winning teen-produced movies as examples. This drives each concept home but also helps students visualize themselves sitting in the director's chair.

Next students participate in a critique, and move to working on applying these concepts to their own short video scripts.

In ten fun-filled weeks, students will walk away with a working knowledge of video storytelling and complete a script with a meaningful theme, characters and scenes ready to shoot!

We've worked hard to make this kit affordable and easy to maintain for future use. The complete package, which includes materials for a class of 20 students, is only $695!

To learn more about this program and review the detailed program outline, click here.  Or if you're inspired, click here to order!

-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, 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, January 18, 2012

The Google Science Fair is back and from the looks of the world-class prizes at stake they've really taken it up a notch!

Take a look at this quick introductory video to learn more or click here to enter.

-By Mike DeBritz on Thursday, December 29, 2011

Along the same lines as the new versions of the  “Cookie Jar Mystery” and “Missing Money Mystery” we’re developing a smaller version of “Playing with Percussion” to be released in March.

We’ve heard from a number of sites interested in introducing students to world music but in a shorter format.  Our new version will focus on eight core lessons that can be delivered sequentially or standalone. They include step-by-step instructions on instrument construction and playing techniques. But now sites will be able to purchase just the Instructor’s Guide and DVD with student activity sheets provided on CD (similar to photo).

This new kit will allow sites to involve more students by building the activities and supplies (we’ll provide the shopping list) around the targeted population of kids. Also, site leaders can utilize the kit to productively fill any gaps in their instructors' schedules.

In addition, bonus material will be included on the Resource CD with plans on how to make other interesting “found object” instruments from recycled materials. Once students understand the core rhythms they can apply these techniques to any of the newly built instruments. 

With all the emphasis on STEM this year these hands-on projects will help sites knock off another requirement that can categorized nicely under the “Science of Sound” heading. 

Have a Happy New Year!

-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 Wednesday, November 02, 2011

I talk to after school directors about our course topics all the time. Many agree that forensic science (for example) is interesting and would be something fun for their kids.

But even if a course is under consideration, the first question that usually comes up is, "Who can I get to teach this?"

The first thought, which makes perfect sense and is ideal, would be a science teacher.  But unfortunately in most schools that's a long shot. They're either too busy with their daily class schedule or not interested or coaching or any number of other reasons. 

But maybe it’s time to look for another kind of teacher…one who's curious and just as interested in learning something new as her students.  After all, diving into a problem and figuring it out is what we do most everyday in the real world. Talk about teaching life skills!

Over the years we've had a wide range of individuals, everyone from college kids to seasoned teachers, successfully teach forensics after school.   

I believe the main reasons are:

1. Forensics is High Interest:

   Both students and teachers are fascinated by this topic. This helps teachers reach outside of their comfort zone and take a shot at learning something new along side their students.  

2. Thematic Design:

   Teachers understand a mystery and can easily transfer that familiarity to their students, making the goal of the course extremely clear. We're here to solve a classroom caper utilizing forensic science.

3. Step-by-Step Lessons:

   Once a potential teacher understands that all the lessons and hands-on activities are planned out and ready to deliver, they know they won't be forced to wing it. We also provide training tips to help teachers get off to a good start. 

4. Materials are Included:

   Another challenge with getting busy people to do science experiments of any kind is acquiring and managing supplies. Our kits come with everything they need, from mini-microscopes to certificates of completion.

5. Hands-On Learning:

   This creates an active learning environment which is more fun to lead. Time flies by when kids are busy observing, experimenting, recording data and advancing their theory of the case.

So if you're in recruiting mode for a new teacher, keep in mind that perfect person may be closer than you think!

-By Mike DeBritz on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

If you need to fill gaps in your after school programming schedule or would like to spice it up with fun STEM activities, I've got a great package deal to tell you about. 

Right now you can get 20 weeks of programming, with the "Cookie Jar Mystery: A Study in Forensic Science" and "The Cookie Jar Case: A Role-Play Mock Trial" for a special package price!        

Both kits come with everything you need to run these fun hands-on classes for 20 students. If you have more kids, don't worry we can extend the kit with booster packs.   

You'll save by buying both kits together and, to make things even more interesting, we'll also include a FREE Flip Camera! This handy little camera is so easy to use and shoots in beautiful high definition video.   

These cameras are great for capturing kids engaged in your program or special events. The built-in USB connection makes it easy to upload to your website, blog or Facebook page.

And better yet, we'll get it customized with your program or school logo (like ours above)!    

Click here to get all the details and order information but act fast this package will expire soon.