GEMS project

AUTHORS’ NAMES: Melissa Lindsey

TITLE OF LESSON: Crime Scene Investigators!

TECHNOLOGY LESSON (circle one): YES NO

DATE OF LESSON: October 29, 2008

LENGTH OF LESSON: 45 minutes

NAME OF COURSE: 3^rd Grade Science

SOURCE OF THE LESSON: GEMS guide: Mystery Festival, Who Borrowed Mr. Bear?

TEKS ADDRESSED: §112.5. Science, Grade 3.

(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:

(A) plan and implement descriptive investigations including asking well-defined questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting and using equipment and technology;

(B) collect information by observing and measuring;

(D) communicate valid conclusions; and

(E) construct simple graphs, tables, maps, and charts to organize, examine and evaluate information

CONCEPT STATEMENT:

Students will explore the relationship between scientific evidence and inference. They will organize thoughts, facts, observations, and opinions and interpret information. Inference is the act or process of deriving a conclusion based solely on what one already knows. Evidence includes anything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. In scientific research evidence is acquired through observations in the environment or through experimentation in laboratory experiments. Scientific evidence is useful in supporting or rejecting a hypothesis.

Definitions adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:

1. The student will be able to explain the difference between evidence and inference.

2. The student will be able to give examples of evidence and inference from the story.

3. The student will be able to indentify clues from the story of Mr. Bear.

4. The student will be able to discriminate between clues and non-clues after reading the story.

RESOURCES:

Ø Crime scene map (from session 1)

Ø 1 roll tape or glue per group

Ø 1 construction paper per group

Ø Ruler and felt-tipped marker to make lines on Clue Board

Ø Pictures of suspects- 1 per group (p 40-44)

Ø Clue Board illustration- 1 per group (p 45-47)

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no safety concerns for this particular lesson.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, HANDOUTS:

· Copy of the story of “Who Borrowed Mr. Bear?” for each group

· Copy of pictures of suspects from pages 40-44 for each group

· Copy of Clue Board Illustration form pages 45-47 for each group

ENGAGEMENT TIME: 10 min
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Today we are going to start solving the mystery of Who Borrowed Mr. Bear!	Can anyone tell me what happened in our mystery yesterday?	The class looked at the crime scene and saw that Mr. Bear had been taken by someone.
First, I am going to read you the story of Mr. Bear.	Do you think the story will give us the answer to our mystery?	No, it will give us clues Misconception: the story will give us all of the answers to our mystery and the class will not have to dig deeper for clues.

EXPLORATION TIME: 15 min
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Teacher will read the story aloud to the class one time	What do you think the story is telling us about Mr. Bear?	It is giving us clues and facts
Demonstrates to students how to use the Clue Board while students read the story with group members.	What are the Clue Board and story used for in our investigation? Can you give me an example of a clue you have found?	To help find clues to figure out who borrowed Mr. Bear

EXPLANATION TIME: 10 min
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Walk throughout classroom and check each group’s Clue Board	Is this clue something that you already knew or something you read in the story?	I already knew or I read in the story
Have class give examples of clues they already knew or clues the read in the story. Write in columns on the board. Gives students vocabulary, evidence and inference and define.	What things do clues you read in the story have in common? What does the “things you already know” column have in common?	They are facts. They are in the story. Things we did not already know before reading. They are guesses. Clues we saw at the crime scene but were not in the story.

ELABORATION TIME: 10 min
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Tell students to go back to groups and put the clues they found into the same two columns.	Can you predict from the clues we have so far who borrowed Mr. Bear?	Yes/No
	What do you think we need to do next? What would real-life Crime Scene Investigators do next?	Fingerprint Do tests Arrest people

EVALUATION TIME: 5 min
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Ask students to write down (on their own) one evidence clue and one inference clue they found	What were evidence clues? What were inference clues?	Facts Hard clues Things we already knew
Tell students to make a guess who they think borrowed Mr. Bear	Do you think your answer will be the same when we finish solving our mystery?	Yes/No