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My students are in my company because traditional models of school have left them behind. They need alternative means of accessing our state standards, and approaching the 7th grade science standards from a hands-on, real life perspective gives my students the opportunity to move around, think concretely and find value in the work they are doing. Students will use the forensics kit as it is designed: by performing the labs, consuming the content and completing the assessments, as well as purposing the remaining materials to solve a long-term murder mystery as a final assessment. Additional supplements to the curriculum will be included to ensure that our students can relate their learning to the appropriate standard, as well as to accommodate for their learning needs. To make the final murder mystery relevant to the STEAM model, students will perform forensic lab tests, use GPS (from the University of Minnesota) and geocaching to find clues in the vicinity of the school, solve a field lab dilemma by engineering a solution, draw facial composites and crime scene depictions and use geometry and measurement to examine the various crime scenes. As valuable as this learning is on its own merit, perhaps more importantly will be their inclusion into the school community. At the initiation of the final murder mystery, my class will join the other 7th grade classes to lead them in solving the crime. As 鈥渇orensic experts鈥, who know how to examine the evidence because they鈥檝e completed the unit, they will guide their small groups in gathering evidence to catch the murderer. By becoming part of the class, and taking a leadership role, my students are having the opportunity to demonstrate to themselves and their peers that they are capable students who aren鈥檛 as their isolation and exclusion presents them to be.
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