Last updated: 8/13/2010
Niagara Falls City School District
630 66th Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14304

Science - Forensic Science - 10 Weeks

 CHAPTER 1:
Observation Skills
(3) MST1.C.LE.LE.1.1 Students elaborate on basic scientific and personal explanations of natural phenomena, and develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent their thinking.
1.1a  Develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent an understanding of natural phenomena
Observation Skills
• Define observation and describe what changes occur in the brain.
• Describe examples of factors influencing eyewitness accounts of events.
• Compare the reliability of eyewitness testimony to what actually happened.
• Relate observation skills to their use in forensic science.
• Define forensic science.
• Practice and improve your own observation skills.
 Bertino Chapter 1 Activity 1-1 Learning to See
(2) MST1.C.LE.LE.1.2 Students hone ideas through reasoning, library research, and discussion with others, including experts.
1.2a Inquiry involves asking questions and locating, interpreting, and processing information from a variety of sources. Activity 1-2 You’re an Eyewitness!
Standard 1 (Living Environment)
KI 11.3a Scientific explanations are accepted when they are consistent with experimental and observational evidence and when they lead to accurate predictions. 		Activity 1-3 What Influences Our Observations?

ELA

Describe an actual court case where a particular type of evidence was used to help solve the crime expert witness testimony write a fictitious crime short story using scientific description of possible evidence.
MST4.C.LE2.1 Devise ways of making observations to test proposed explanations. Case Studies p. 10
MST4.C.LE2.3a Hypotheses are predictions based upon both research and observation. Digging Deeper with Forensic Science e-Collection p. 4 and 8
MST4.C.LE2.4  Carry out a research plan for testing explanations, including selecting and developing techniques, acquiring and building apparatus, and recording observations as necessary. “The Innocence Project”
http://www.innocenceproject.org/
Use the link on this site:  “Understand the Causes” as a Jigsaw activity on the limits of observation.
MST4.C.LE3.5b Scientists use peer review to evaluate the results of scientific investigations and the explanations proposed by other scientists. They analyze the experimental procedures, examine the evidence, identify faulty reasoning, point out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggest alternative explanations for the same observations. Testing observations
http://www.shodor.org/succeed/
forensic/observation/observation.html
CHAPTER 2:
Crime-Scenes Investigation and Evidence Collection
(3) MST1.C.LE.LE.1.1 Students elaborate on basic scientific and personal explanations of natural phenomena, and develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent their thinking.
Crime-Scene Investigation and Evidence Collection
• Summarize Locard’s exchange principle.
• Identify four examples of trace evidence.
• Distinguish between direct and circumstantial evidence.
• Identify the type of professionals who are present at a crime scene.
• Summarize the seven steps of a crime-scene investigation.
• Explain the importance of securing the crime scene.
• Identify the methods by which a crime scene is documented.
• Demonstrate proper technique in collecting and packaging trace evidence.
• Describe how evidence from a crime scene is analyzed. 		Bertino Chapter 2 Activity 2-1 Locard's Principle SCIENCE

Observational skills
Data collection measurement
MST4.C.LE1.1a Scientific explanations are built by combining evidence that can be observed with what people already know about the world. Activity 2-2 Crime-Scene Investigation

MATH

Measure size of crime scene and all important items in the crime scene.

Draw a sketch to scale
MST4.C.LE1.1c Science provides knowledge, but values are also essential to making effective and ethical decisions about the application of scientific knowledge. Case Studies p. 31

ELA

Preparation of written report of the crime scene including eyewitness interviews.
Interview a policeman and ask him what types of reports are required for any investigation
MST4.C.LE2.1f In all organisms, the coded instructions for specifying the characteristics of the organism are carried in DNA, a large molecule formed from subunits arranged in a sequence with bases of four kinds (represented by A, G, C, and T). The chemical and structural properties of DNA are the basis for how the genetic information that underlies heredity is both encoded in genes (as a string of molecular 'bases') and replicated by means of a template. Digging Deeper with Forensic Science e-Collection p. 26 and 29

TECHNOLOGY

Computer skill to draw a crime scene using computer software
MST4.C.LE2.1s Weathering is the physical and chemical breakdown of rocks at or near Earth's surface. Soils are the result of weathering and biological activity over long periods of time. Digging Deeper with Forensic Science e-Collection p. 26 and 29
MST4.C.CH.5.2n Physical properties of substances can be explained in terms of chemical bonds and intermolecular forces. These properties include conductivity, malleability, solubility, hardness, melting point, and boiling point.
MST4.C.CH.3.1jj The structure and arrangement of particles and their interactions determine the physical state of a substance at a given temperature and pressure.
3.1kkThe three phases of matter (solids, liquids, and gases) have different properties.
MST4.C.ES  2.1s Weathering is the physical and chemical breakdown of rocks at or near Earth's surface. Soils are the result of weathering and biological activity over long periods of time.
CHAPTER 3:
The Study of Hair
(3) MST1.C.LE.LE.1.1 Students elaborate on basic scientific and personal explanations of natural phenomena, and develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent their thinking.
1.1a Scientific explanations are built by combining evidence that can be observed with what people already know about the world.

1.1c Science provides knowledge, but values are also essential to making effective and ethical decisions about the application of scientific knowledge.
The Study of Hair
• Identify the various parts of a hair.
• Describe variations in the structure of the medulla, cortex, and cuticle.
• Distinguish between human and nonhuman animal hair.
• Determine if two examples of hair are likely to be from the same person.
• Explain how hair can be used in a forensic investigation.
• Calculate the medullary index for a hair.
• Distinguish hairs from individuals belonging to the broad racial categories. 		Bertino Chapter 3 Activity 3-1 Trace Evidence:  Hair

SCIENCE

Skin and hair structure and growth

Wet mount slide preparation
Focusing a microscope

Hair and toxins analysis
MST4.C.LE1.2a Important levels of organization for structure and function include organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and whole organisms. Activity 3-2 Hair Measurement and Match

MATH

Measurement hair under microscope

Animal or human: medullary index of hair
MST4.C.LE.3a The structures present in some single-celled organisms act in a manner similar to the tissues and systems found in multicellular organisms, thus enabling them to perform all of the life processes needed to maintain homeostasis. Activity 3-3 Hair Testimony Essay ELA

Hair analysis is often used to determine drug use of people who have died years earlier. Research a famous case of hair analysis being used to determine if someone was under the influence of drugs or toxins during their lifetime.
MST4.C.LE4.1d The zygote may divide by mitosis and differentiate to form the specialized cells, tissues, and organs of multicellular organisms. Case Studies p. 59

TECHNOLOGY
Digital microscope for measurement

digital camera

MST4.C.PH4.3i When a wave moves from one medium into another, the wave may refract due to a change in speed. The angle of refraction (measured with respect to the normal) depends on the angle of incidence and the properties of the media (indices of refraction).* Digging Deeper with Forensic Science e-Collection p. 57 and 58
MST4.C.PH5.3h Behaviors and characteristics of matter, from the microscopic to the cosmic levels, are manifestations of its atomic structure. The macroscopic characteristics of matter, such as electrical and optical properties, are the result of microscopic interactions. Label a diagram of a hair follicle and shaft
View various slides of hair samples, ID as either animal or human
Online Activity -
http://www.school.cengage.com/
forensicscience/home.html
Click on Interactivity – Crime Scene Investigation and Evidence Collection
Online Activity -
http://www.trutv.com/forensics_curriculum/
Complete any of the mysteries
CHAPTER 4:
A Study of Fibers and Textiles
(2) MST1.C.LE.LE.1.2 Students hone ideas through reasoning, library research, and discussion with others, including experts.

1.2a Inquiry involves asking questions and locating, interpreting, and processing information from a variety of sources.

3.1dd Compounds can be differentiated by their physical and chemical properties.
A Study of Fibers and Textiles
• Identify and describe common weave patterns of textile samples.
• Compare and contrast various types of fibers through physical and chemical analysis.
• Describe principal characteristics of common fibers used in their identification.
• Apply forensic science techniques to analyze fibers. 		Bertino Chapter 4 Activity 4-1 Microscopic Fiber SCIENCE

Chemical analysis of fiber

Solubility, burn tests
MST7.SR2  Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results. Activity 4-2 Bed Sheet Thread Count MATH

Measurement of fibers
Living Environment Appendix A
* Uses a compound microscope/stereoscope effectively to see specimens clearly, using different magnifications
* Prepares wet-mount slides and uses appropriate staining techniques 		Activity 4-3 Weave Pattern Analysis ELA

Investigate the Atlanta serial killer Wayne Williams.
Explain how orange threads lead to linking him to the crime scene.
MST.C.CH.3.1ff Organic compounds contain carbon atoms, which bond to one another in chains, rings, and networks to form a variety of structures. Organic compounds can be named using the IUPAC system. Activity 4-4 Textile Identification TECH

Stereomicroscope analyze weave patterns
MST.C.CH.3.1kkThe three phases of matter (solids, liquids, and gases) have different properties. Activity 4-5 Burn Analysis of Fibers
Case Studies p. 87
Digging Deeper with Forensic Science e-Collection p. 80 and 82
Job Description- Forensic Anthropologist Irene Good
Picking Up the Pieces – A Lab on Fiber Analysis
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