Sunday, February 22, 2015

Crime and Investigation

Sixth through eighth graders wrapped up their mystery unit with a visit from Maine State Police Detective, Greg Mitchell. The first part of Mitchell’s presentation engaged students in a discussion about the different types of evidence. “While records and interviews are important,” says Mitchell, “the evidence at the crime scene is especially crucial. You can’t ignore what you know to fit a theory.” What can we prove? was the theme of his presentation, and Mitchell designed a practicum which provided our middle schoolers with an opportunity to play detective. Students worked in teams to solve a crime as Mitchell provided them with clues and pretended to be different suspects. During a final question and answer session about Mitchell’s career as a detective, he stressed the importance of literacy and teamwork skills in his work. Throughout the mystery unit, students have explored nonfiction texts about forensic science as well as practiced their own investigative skills by solving fictional mysteries.