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Schoolyard Geology |
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Lesson 3: GeoSleuth Murder Mystery
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Bottom image: Matthew d'Alessio, USGS |
Learning Outcomes |
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Materials |
Presentation (either as overhead transparency or computer projector). The activity is based around the GeoSleuth murder mystery drawing, shown below. You have two options:
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Time Requirements | One 50 minute class period |
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Introducing the Activity |
Get students excited that today they are going to do something a little bit different. Today, they are going to solve a mystery!
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Instructions |
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Closing the Activity |
It's key to end the activity by returning to the GeoSleuth murder mystery photo. You should not, however, give students a definitive answer to the mystery. That's part of the nature of science -- there is never a right answer. There is only a "best answer," meaning one that is most consistent with the observations and most likely to be true. Different scientists often disagree about which answer is best, even when looking at the same data. This is because data are often incomplete or have large uncertainty.
Students may point out that they could say more if this were a color picture. That's very similar to science as well -- if we had the technology to collect better data (in this case, color), we could say more about what happened. For example, is that a coffee or a blood stain? It makes a difference, but we can't tell from this picture. We may have to modify our interpretation when we collect these new data points. |
Homework | Students can write their own murder mystery, carefully trying to integrate clues that will give the reader evidence of the sequence of events leading up to the murder.
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Science Standards: |
California Investigation and Experiment ("Nature of Science" standards) Gr3, Sc5. Gr4, Sc6. Gr5, Sc6. Gr6, Sc7. Gr7, Sc7. Gr8, Sc9. Gr9-12, Science Investigation. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. (See individual subitems for each grade). Gr7, Sc4. Evidence from rocks allows us to understand the evolution of life on Earth. As a basis for understanding this concept: Gr7, Sc4a. Students know Earth processes today are similar to those that occurred in the past and slow geologic processes have large cumulative effects over long periods of time. Gr7, Sc4c. Students know that the rock cycle includes the formation of new sediment and rocks and that rocks are often found in layers, with the oldest generally on the bottom. Gr9-12, Bio8g.* Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated against each other and combined with evidence from the fossil record, can help to estimate how long ago various groups of organisms diverged evolutionarily from one another. |
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