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The Cookie Jar Mystery: A Study in Forensic Science Extended Learning Kit

Price:
$1,495.00
SKU:
CJM1100
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Product Description

This fun, interactive, 15-unit project-oriented forensic science course is designed to engage and expose students to this truly fascinating area of science!  Students in grades 5-8 are immersed in roles of crime scene investigators as they work together examining and analyzing evidence needed to solve the mystery of the broken cookie jar!

Learning Objectives

To introduce students to forensic science through a classroom crime scene investigation.

Benefits

  • Introduces authentic crime scene analysis techniques
  • Sharpens scientific inquiry skills and deductive reasoning
  • Improves complex problem solving skills
  • Attractive in recruiting and engaging reluctant learners
  • Sparks an interest in further science learning and careers

More about The Cookie Jar Mystery

The Cookie Jar Mystery is immersion science at its best! Students use real laboratory techniques and materials, create theories about the “crime,” and test their hypotheses much like bench scientists. Along the way, students acquire new vocabulary, explore careers in forensics, and become acquainted with scientific procedures and processes they will also encounter in their classrooms. At its core, The Cookie Jar Mystery is designed to spark students’ interest in science.

National, state, and local standards all highlight the need for children’s enrichment activities to improve science literacy. As students engage in the investigative activities of The Cookie Jar Mystery, they experience science in an authentic hands-on environment that illuminates the use of evidence, models, tools, and techniques in science inquiry. Students analyze hair and pollen samples, investigate fiber samples, study blood types, and learn about DNA profiling. They test their powers of observation and use lie detection techniques as they examine statements written by each suspect.

In the culminating activity, students analyze their findings, and—using deductive reasoning—point their fingers at the guilty party. Applying real laboratory techniques, students form teams to analyze trace evidence, unknown substances, handwriting, fingerprints and even shoe prints left at the crime scene.

These highly engaging activities help students develop strong research and problem-solving skills in an atmosphere of fun and high interest! Created for the non-specialist instructor, The Cookie Jar Mystery Course Kits are easy to plan, understand and deliver. Each lesson,designed to run approximately one hour, is thoroughly outlined for the instructor in our easy-to-follow Instructor’s Guide. The Guide provides step-by-step directions for working with students, and includes background information,safety instructions, materials lists, demonstration details, use to extend and enhance their lessons. Anyone motivated to engage students in this exciting program can teach The Cookie Jar MysteryForensic Science Kit!

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Program Outline

Grades 5-8

Lesson 1: Heads Up-Observation Skills
You can't believe your eyes or can you? Budding CSI investigators love to explore the challenge of visual memory and eyewitness testimony in this activity of "Did You See That?"

Lesson 2: Beyond the Naked Eye-Handwriting Analysis
Students will think twice about forging a signature after this revealing look at how we write tells the story of who we are!

Lesson 3: Think Ink-Ink Chromatography
The telltale composition of ink can help CSI's identify the perpetrator when students make their own ink chromatographs. Easy-to-follow instructions lead the way in your classroom's forensics laboratory.

Lesson 4: Evidence on the Move-Locard's Principle
Locard's Principle suggests that the contact between two objects creates the opportunity for scientific evidence to "trade places." Trace evidence is the subject of this fascinating lesson.

Lesson 5: The White Stuff-White Substance and Toxicology
Take a powder, please! Students get a closer look at the differences in white substances (Of course they're all non-toxic!) and at the world of poison science in this riveting research.

Lesson 6: Pull Some Strings-Fiber Analysis
Can scientific analysis of fibers help identify our thief? Students use handy pocket microscopes to get up close and personal with fiber analysis, and learn to distinguish between class evidence and direct (conclusive) evidence.

Lesson 7: Hair We Go-Hair Sample
Who knew hair could be so complex? In this activity, can our junior gumshoes match a hair sample to the correct suspect? This absorbing inquiry will have students scratching their heads (and plucking their own hair!) as they delve deeper into the Cookie Jar Mystery.

Lesson 8: Follow the Grain-Pollen Analysis
Achoo! Pollen as evidence? Learners explore another form of trace evidence that often tells where something happened. Students do the legwork in the field as they practice with this essential tool.

Lesson 9: Make an Impression-Bite Marks
Surprisingly simple materials provide all you need for another great lesson in comparing and contrasting for students to "sink their teeth into."

Lesson 10: Shoo-In-Shoe Print Evidence
Want to "make an impression" on learners? Students use their own shoes to work just like real police officers, and then investigate more evidence found at the scene of the crime.

Lesson 11: Bloody Brilliant-Blood Types
Of course, it's not real blood - but we do provide blood evidence substitute encourages learners to handle evidence just like genuine CSI laboratory technicians. This lesson in blood typing provides a great jump start for future scientists, geneticists and crime scene detectives.

Lesson 12: One of a Kind-Fingerprint Evidence
Oh, the things we leave behind! Everything you always wanted to know about whorls and ridges, fingerprinting technique and more with authentic Ten Cards for each student to make a record of his/her prints.

Lesson 13: Crack the Code-DNA
Learning to unravel the mystery of our genetic code revealed in this straightforward explanation and lesson helps learners narrow the field of suspects.

Lesson 14: Let's Talk-Questioning Our Suspects
A lie detector isn't the only way of getting at the truth! In this lesson, our junior CSI detectives learn the meaning of the "norm" and how knowing the norm helps sort truth tellers from liars. Students also return to the "scene of the crime" for another look.

Lesson 15: Who Dunnitt?-Examining & Analyzing All the Evidence
Means, motive and opportunity all come together in this culminating activity that encourages students to put all of the puzzle pieces together and finally solve the Cookie Jar Mystery!

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