Description
All of the physical and instructional materials needed to run a complete elementary summer school program right out of the box!
Grades 2–3. Who took the money? In this fun, interactive, and grade-appropriate course, students dive into forensic science and across 12 dynamic lessons to solve the mystery of their missing field trip money. They collect shoe prints, identify fibers, crack cryptic codes, and chart soil samples as they work together to aid Mr. Mugg, the classroom teacher, in identifying the culprit from 4 suspects. Each lesson introduces intriguing new evidence, forensic techniques, and insight toward solving the Missing Money Mystery. Together, your students will solve the mystery and celebrate their findings in the concluding lesson with certificates honoring their work as forensic investigators.
Product Features
- A self-contained forensic summer school program that includes everything needed
- Includes 12 lessons with materials for 30 students working in groups of 2 or 3
- Each lesson provides 1 to 3 activities
- Comes with teacher guide
- Code inside teacher guide provides online access to printable student handouts, engaging video, and other resources
- Clear, detailed directions make the labs easy to set up and conduct
Course Outline
The Missing Money Mystery consists of 12 lessons, each designed to take approximately 1 hour, for a class of 30 students.
Lesson 1: Figuring Out Forensics—Organization and Observation
A mysterious “bag of stuff” and some peculiar foreign coins launch learners on the trail of a fugitive from justice. Explore the power of description in this exciting introductory lesson.
Lesson 2: Securing the Scene—Collecting Evidence
Wrongdoers, beware! Learners visit the crime scene and use real forensic techniques, such as triangulation, to search for trace evidence pointing to a thief.
Lesson 3: Powder Power—Solutions or Suspensions?
Don’t let our sneaky cash-snatcher get away! As students experiment with different mysterious white powders, the plot thickens (and so do some solutions—or are they suspensions).
Lesson 4: Natural or Not—Fiber Identification
Weave together the threads of a crime in an activity that allows learners to practice a proven technique in forensic fiber analysis. Then, put on your deerstalker and set your Sherlockian sights on classifying the evidence. It’s elementary, dear Watson!
Lesson 5: Tracking the Tires—Tread Patterns
The plot thickens as Mr. Mugg asks his students to examine the strange pattern of tire tread evidence discovered outside his window. Can you figure out who rode the getaway bicycle?
Lesson 6: Digging for Dirt—Soil Samples
Another form of trace evidence gets the “detective treatment” in this fascinating lesson, as learners explore the work of forensic geologists, sort through soil samples, and chart their observations in their detective notebooks.
Lesson 7: Cast a Clue—Shoe Print Evidence
The guilty party had no idea what they stepped into. Students analyze shoe prints left at the crime scene to determine if any suspects were present.
Lesson 8: Crack the Code—Cryptograms
It may not be as challenging as the DaVinci Code, but the coded message left on Mr. Mugg’s desk might point to a clever thief. In this deciphering activity, learners uncover many secrets of the alphabet (and of master criminals).
Lesson 9: Lifting Lips—Lip Prints
Does our crook have a crooked smile? Learners “lift,” classify, and compare their lip prints to unlock the patterns of this unique form of evidence.
Lesson 10: Proof in Profiling—DNA Identification
The case is nearly cracked when students compare strands of the suspects’ DNA and begin to close in on the real culprit. This authentic investigatory procedure explores genetic markers.
Lesson 11: Suspicious Statements: Means, Motive, and Opportunity
Students carefully examine the letters each suspect wrote at the beginning of the year to see if there are any possible connections between their interests and the classroom crime.
Lesson 12: Case Closed: Analyzing the Evidence
Students test their analytical skills when all the evidence is laid on the table—and will lead our detectives to point their fingers at the guilty party. Mystery solved!