I am going to show you how we get our students learning the Scientific process in the beginning of the year. This time is crucial to set the kiddos up to correctly complete scientific investigations throughout the year.
Because I work in a magnet program, these students must always be challenged beyond the average. So, our magnet team leader (who is an absolute genius!) developed this exciting project to challenge all of the students.
Welcome to CSI! Our students work together in our classes and among the grade levels to solve the crime and figure out who the criminals are!
It is set up by creating bios for all of the suspects (aka- our teachers!) and ensuring that they follow a similar pattern so the students don't figure it out too quickly. All of the teachers collect and submit evidence such as empty food containers and such before CSI starts so that evidence can be placed in the crime scene. The goal is to get the students seeing everyone eating and drinking from their
submitted evidence- this is when the fingers start to get pointed! ;)
We also submit samples of our footprints, fingerprints, hair samples, and writing samples. The students will actually thoroughly examine these and process them as evidence. The students evaluate all of the footprints and measure the length and width. They also evaluate all of the crime scene fingerprints as well as their own. Finally, third grade evaluates the various writing using chromatography to see who's pen matches the crime scene ink. The amount of work that the kids put into this is incredible!
We had our huge reveal this past Monday - here is the video. Enjoy! :)
Finally- the giveaway times! I am having a giveaway for any one of my TpT products and the grand prize giveaway is awesome as well, you can win a gift card for TpT! All you need to do is enter the Rafflecopter giveaways below!
Jump on to the next blog!
What an awesome activity! I can just imagine how this keeps enthusiasm and curiosity high all the time!
ReplyDelete:o) Pamela
Hedgehog Reader
Pamela-
DeleteThe kiddos absolutely love this! They look forward to it every year and each grade level investigates a different part. It's fun to come up with the "crime" each year and how it was committed!
Thanks for stopping by!
I am in love with this idea! We do a mystery week every year and this would go perfect with that! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe Blessed Teacher
Jennifer-
DeleteI hope that you'll give this a try and let us all know how it goes! It is seriously my favorite thing we do in Science and it is so engaging. We do a different crime every year and this was the first year we actually were taken away by or deputy! Haha! It was a blast!
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How awesome! What student wouldn't want to come to school with activities like that! Love the crime scene tape.
ReplyDeleteAmber-
DeleteIt is seriously such a blast! The kiddos beg to do science all the time so they can do more "investigation" :)
This is AMAZING! I absolutely LOVE this idea! Now my brain is going 20 mph trying to figure out when we can do this!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Becky
CookingUpSuccess
What an amazing and engaging idea! I bet the children were focused and on task the whole time. This activity sounds incredible. What a way to make science come alive!
ReplyDeleteThey were! They love the idea of suspects each year and the new "crime"! It is fun to watch how they think and the process they go through!
DeleteWhat an absolutely awesome activity for the kids! That's definitely one of those things you know they'll remember forever that they did in school. Way to imprint the scientific process into their brains! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really helps that difficult task of getting the scientific process down. I truly believe this is why our students are very successful down the line in science! :)
DeleteThat looks like so much fun! I bet teaching at a school like that is super rewarding and challenging at the same time!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! These students keep me on my toes with their quick thinking and engagement. I always have to have a trick up my sleeve! ;)
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