Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Rain Forest Mural
With Andi and Ginger's wonderful guidance (and hours of hard work), our combined rain forest came to life!
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| Do you see the leaf cutter ant? |
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| Here's another one! |
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Have you SCENE it?
Crime scene investigation!
That was the topic of today's science class. A forensic specialist, Mr. Brocky, came and explained how CSI works and his experiences at the police department at CSU, Fullerton.
In the classroom, he had set up an actual crime scene. As he was explaining the investigation process, a mug was passed around. Everyone took a look at the mug - holding it up to the light, observing items that may serve as a clue. Needless to say, we were the ones putting all the evidence on the mug, with our fingerprints. Oops!
Then he showed us his investigation kit that investigators would use while scoping out a scene.
There were different powders that could be used to find the fingerprint, special tape, fingerprint cards that had both a white and black side, depending on the powder that was used, distilled water, cotton swabs, a black light to capture items that are made of protein that have already been cleaned up, etc.
Note to self: use bleach to clean up an area. Traces of blood, drinks, other liquids can still be detected with a blacklight even if we do not see anything.
To properly investigate a crime scene and to lessen the evidence contamination, investigators try to retrace their footsteps. They also put numbers beside each article so that it is easier to identify later on. Measurements are also taken vertically and horizontally from the wall (or another fixed object) so that they may recreate the scene if necessary. Bullets shells are taken by investigators for an examination by a ballistic specialist, as each one fired have unique "carvings" on it. They also check for fingerprints and DNA on every item, as it is most often the best and the only way to identify the suspect of the crime.
The presentation was fantastic and extremely informative. Which was made even better because it was followed by an environmental investigation lead by Block 3's students. We had to find the suspects and victims who were involved in a pollution crime. It was a great inquiry-base lesson about air, water, and land pollution.
Then we went on to even more investigation with Dr. Gautreau. The mystery - find the screw driver the caused the crime:
The result after quite a few measurements and different ways of poking the clay, our guess was screw driver #3.
In Dr. Guillaume's class, we tested the effects of vinegar and iodine on baking soda, sugar, and corn starch and recorded our results on a data chart. Here are the physical results:
The powder in the first row is baking soda.
Second row is sugar
Third row contains corn starch.
After recording the physical properties and the changes that occurred, we were handed a "mystery blend" and had to figure out the ingredients in the blend. Due to time restraint, a one-hour lesson became a 20-minute one. Nevertheless, the modifications and extensions that we can take away are innumerable.
Science, crime and mystery can definitely be a part of the classroom! Block 3 and 4 witnessed it and can provide proof of the events that occurred. :) We definitely are not afraid to recreate it, either.
That was the topic of today's science class. A forensic specialist, Mr. Brocky, came and explained how CSI works and his experiences at the police department at CSU, Fullerton.
In the classroom, he had set up an actual crime scene. As he was explaining the investigation process, a mug was passed around. Everyone took a look at the mug - holding it up to the light, observing items that may serve as a clue. Needless to say, we were the ones putting all the evidence on the mug, with our fingerprints. Oops!
Then he showed us his investigation kit that investigators would use while scoping out a scene.
There were different powders that could be used to find the fingerprint, special tape, fingerprint cards that had both a white and black side, depending on the powder that was used, distilled water, cotton swabs, a black light to capture items that are made of protein that have already been cleaned up, etc.
Note to self: use bleach to clean up an area. Traces of blood, drinks, other liquids can still be detected with a blacklight even if we do not see anything.
To properly investigate a crime scene and to lessen the evidence contamination, investigators try to retrace their footsteps. They also put numbers beside each article so that it is easier to identify later on. Measurements are also taken vertically and horizontally from the wall (or another fixed object) so that they may recreate the scene if necessary. Bullets shells are taken by investigators for an examination by a ballistic specialist, as each one fired have unique "carvings" on it. They also check for fingerprints and DNA on every item, as it is most often the best and the only way to identify the suspect of the crime.
The presentation was fantastic and extremely informative. Which was made even better because it was followed by an environmental investigation lead by Block 3's students. We had to find the suspects and victims who were involved in a pollution crime. It was a great inquiry-base lesson about air, water, and land pollution.
Then we went on to even more investigation with Dr. Gautreau. The mystery - find the screw driver the caused the crime:
Here is half of our suspects.
Here are the tools we have to recreate the scene: a rule and clay
Here are our clay samples:
In Dr. Guillaume's class, we tested the effects of vinegar and iodine on baking soda, sugar, and corn starch and recorded our results on a data chart. Here are the physical results:
Second row is sugar
Third row contains corn starch.
After recording the physical properties and the changes that occurred, we were handed a "mystery blend" and had to figure out the ingredients in the blend. Due to time restraint, a one-hour lesson became a 20-minute one. Nevertheless, the modifications and extensions that we can take away are innumerable.
Science, crime and mystery can definitely be a part of the classroom! Block 3 and 4 witnessed it and can provide proof of the events that occurred. :) We definitely are not afraid to recreate it, either.
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