Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha

Grades 5-12

Students work individually or in small teams as police detectives to solve this fun and engaging crime mystery. Students begin by learning about different types of forensic evidence such as fingerprints, ballistics, handwriting, and more. Using witnesses' statements, police reports, and forensic evidence lab reports, students must apply their critical thinking skills and forensic knowledge to solve this case. As with any investigation, students will need to make inferences and deal with the reality that not all loose ends can always be answered. Students determine the path of their investigation. Will they ask their police supervisor (teacher or parent) to see a specific witness statement? If so, they will need to determine which information from the statement will be helpful to the investigation. Does the information lead them to another clue? Could the witness really be a suspect? Does this person have an alibi? Do they ask for a Ballistics, Fingerprint, or Handwriting Report? These preliminary reports require students to use their forensic knowledge to analyze the information in the report, draw conclusions based on the content in the preliminary report, and record their findings in a final lab report. Their conclusions on the final reports will point them in the direction of the guilty parties.