Catch Me If You Can
TEACHER RESOURCES
A WebQuest for 4th Grade Science

Lori Aldredge
Northwest Elementary School
Marshall, MO

laldredge@marshallschools.com

Introduction

This lesson was originally presented at the Missouri Interface Conference in 2000. I have used it in my classroom every year since. I have adapted the lesson to meet the needs of my fourth graders. This lesson has been developed as part of eMINTS training.

This lesson is an interesting way to introduce students to the Scientific Method to solve a crime.

Learners

This lesson has been adapted for fourth grade students. This is a science themed WebQuest, however, I have included a Literature Unit to be read along with the lesson.

Curriculum Standards

Missouri State Show-Me Standards

PERFORMANCE:
GOAL 1-3: Design and conduct field and laboratory investigations
GOAL 1-8: Organize data, information and ideas into useful forms
GOAL 3-5: Reason inductively from a set of specific facts

KNOWLEDGE:
SCIENCE 7: Process of scientific inquiry
SCIENCE 8: Impact of science, technology on resources and the environment

Process

On the first day of school, students arrive to see a taped off mock crime scene with a ransom note on display outside your classroom. Ask a Police Officer for yellow crime tape. Throughout the WebQuest students will carry out experiments to narrow down suspects and determine who the true criminal is.

Teachers will need to create a bulletin board with information on criminals and updated crime information. You will need four suspects that you can create. Be sure to include the following information for each suspect:

• Mug Shots(ask someone to pose for the mug shots)
• Criminal record for each suspect
• Profile(including where, when, and with what the suspect was found, items include washable and permanent markers, lemon juice, lotion, hair gel, etc.)

Example Suspect:

"R.U. Guilty"
*Criminal Record: Break-in at a music store in 2001
*R.U. Guilty was found hanging around Wal-Mart's music department shortly after the break-in.
*He was caught carrying an oversized bag with pens, pencils, and Sharpie Markers

Throughout the week add information to the display such as fingerprints, and the mystery substance.

Each detective unit of four students will conduct experiments on the clues using the Scientific Method. Detectives will fill in their logs at the end of each class period. Photographers will use a camera/digital camera to record experiments.

Printable Detective Log

DAY 1: FINGERPRINTING

Discuss the fact that our fingerprints are unique. Have students make prints of their five fingers and identify what their print is. Have students look at the prints of the suspects to determine their types. Then tell the students that the criminal had a "whorl", or whatever you choose to eliminate a suspect.

DAY 2: MYSTERY SUBSTANCE

Introduce students to the concept of pH and the use of Litmus Paper. Discuss how this could be helpful in solving a crime. Pretend that you have a sample of the substance found at the crime scene. Once you determine the pH level of the substance, allow students to test the substances found on the suspects. Eliminate the suspect that had lemon juice.

DAY 3: INK IDENTIFICATION

Show students the random note. Discuss how this note could be used to solve the crime. Cut the ransom note into strips for each student to test. After testing different pens and markers using water and coffee filters, students will test the ransom note by dipping it into water to test what will happen with the ink. This will eliminate a suspect that is carrying either permanent or washable markers, whichever you choose.

DAY 4: ISSUE A WARRANT

By conducting the experiments, you can eliminate three of the four suspects. The one suspect left is the criminal and will be issued the warrant.

After the suspect is arrested place a red "solved" sign over the suspect board.

Resources Needed

Supplies:

Litmus Paper
Coffee Filters
Washable Markers and Permanent Markers
Assorted Pens
Washable Ink Pads
Lemon Juice
Hand Lotion
Hair Gel
(any other substances you would like the students to test)

SUGGESTED LITERATURE
The following mystery stories would lend well to read as a supplement:

Mary Downing Hahn:
Dead Man In Indian Creek
Following The Mystery Man
Wait Till Helen Comes
Doll In The Garden
Time For Andrew

Kids Discover Magazine "Detectives" Vol. 9, Issue 7
Fingerprinting, by Jeremy John Ahouse, Great Explorations in Math and Science (copyright 1987)

Evaluation

Each detective will evaluated on cooperation, complete detective log, and each units' written warrant.

UNIT COOPERATION

DETECTIVE LOG

WRITTEN WARRANT

Credits & References

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL.