GEMS Science Class Summary 4/1/13

Putting the Pieces Together

We are getting closer to putting together the pieces of this mysterious puzzle! Our class began with a discussion of our test results from our last class period. Some disagreement arose over a couple of the results, which we will review in our next class session. Other tests definitively pointed to certain suspects. So, we were left with the question of how important a certain piece of evidence could be. We re-arranged a few things on our clue board and began 3 more tests. DNA was found from hair in a comb at the scene. The lab sent us the results, which we compared to the DNA of our four suspects. We also tested the water found in an ice cube tray to see how it compared to regular tap water. Finally, a piece of tagboard was found at the scene with an imprint of a note on it. Using silly putty we pressed it against the indents of the letters and held it up to a mirror in order to read what was written. This proved to be much harder than expected, so each team shared results as they went along in order to piece the words together into a coherent message.

In class on Monday (4/8) we will conduct two final tests and share our results as a class, writing our final results on our crime scene map. Next, we’ll work in groups to put together some kind of a story line that coordinates with our evidence. This is where students will discover that investigating a crime has lots of loose ends and every piece of evidence might not be essential. Picking and choosing what to focus on will be critical to our success as we move closer to solving this crime.

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