Cookie Jar Mystery
Cookie Jar Mystery
Cookie Jar Mystery
okie JJaarr
Mysteery
ry
The
Instructors Guide
by Anthony J. Bertino
Table of Contents
Preface
.................................................................................................... iii
Introduction ..................................................................................................... v
Lesson 1:
Heads Up
Lesson 2:
Lesson 3:
Lesson 4:
Lesson 5:
Lesson 6:
Lesson 7:
Lesson 8:
Lesson 9:
Lesson 10:
Lesson 11:
Lesson 12:
Lesson 13:
Lesson 14:
Lesson 15:
Glossary
Appendix
Think Ink
Ink Chromatography ..............................................................19
Evidence on the Move
Locards Principle ....................................................................27
The White Stuff
White Substances and Toxicology ........................................35
Pull Some Strings
Fiber Analysis ..........................................................................41
Hair We Go
Hair Samples ............................................................................49
Follow the Grain
Pollen Analysis ........................................................................57
Make an Impression
Bite Marks ................................................................................63
Shoo-In
Shoe Print Evidence ................................................................69
Bloody Brilliant
Blood Types .............................................................................77
One of a Kind
Fingerprint Evidence ..............................................................83
Crack the Code
DNA ..........................................................................................93
Lets Talk
Questioning Our Suspects ...................................................101
Who Dunnit?
Examining & Analyzing All the Evidence ........................113
..................................................................................................119
National Science Education Standards................................123
Instructors Guide
Introduction
Instructors note: please read this to students prior to beginning the course or, if thats not possible, at the first
lesson. This will help to build intrigue for The Cookie Jar Mystery.
Mrs. Randall is a science teacher. She enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies and sharing
them with her students. One morning when Mrs. Randall entered her classroom, she
found her favorite cookie jar in pieces on the floor. She had baked cookies the day before,
but now only a few pieces of broken cookies were left on the floor, next to the pieces of the
cookie jar.
Mrs. Randall loves to teach, and she loves to use science to solve mysteries and answer
questions. She decided to use forensic science to solve this mystery of the broken cookie
jar, and she got her students to help her. Now she wants you to use forensic science to solve
the mystery, too!
What is forensic science? Forensic science is
science that relates to the law. The word forensic
means anything related to the handing out, or
administration, of justice. You will look at the clues
left in Mrs. Randalls classroom and use forensic
science to decide who broke the cookie jar and ate
the missing cookies.
On the morning that Mrs. Randall discovered the
broken cookie jar, she entered her classroom from
the door at the back of the room. She set some
books and papers on the work counter, then she
checked on the plants her students were growing
on the windowsills. It was when Mrs. Randall got to
the front of the classroom that she saw her favorite
cookie jar on the floor in pieces. The door to the
storage cabinet where Mrs. Randall usually kept
the cookie jar was open, and pieces of cookies were
scattered between the cabinet and Mrs. Randalls
desk. It was a mess.
Mrs. Randall stopped by the front work table while
she thought about what she should do. She knew it
was important not to touch anything that could give
clues about who had broken the cookie jar. But she
had to get ready for her class to come in. She decided
to look at everything carefully and take notes about
what she found. She took a digital photo of the crime
scene. Then she put anything that looked unusual
Instructors Guide
Lesson 1
Heads Up!
Instructors Guide
Lesson 1
Instructors Guide
Lesson 1
Lesson 1
Memory Story
1. Gather together 15 or 20 items from around
the house or from around the classroom (or from
the supply box): a pencil, a key, a comb, a spoon
or a cup could be among these. The 15 items
should be random. Put these items together on
a tray and cover them. Then gather in small groups
around the tray. Remove the cover for 30 seconds
and ask each member in the group to try to commit
to memory all of the items. After 30 seconds, cover
the items, and ask each person to write down as
many items as they can remember.
a. Some wont remember every item, and some
will. Ask the people with the best memories
how they remembered the itemsoften
youll discover that theyve constructed a
memory story to help them remember
what theyve seen.
b. For example, Karen told the following story:
I just put it together like this when I saw
the items: I thought to myself, I need a key
(key) to open the door to the kitchen, where
I would go to the drawer and get a spoon
(spoon) to stir my coffee (cup); as I drink
my coffee I often make a list of the things I
need to do (pencil) which include combing
my hair (comb), etc.
2. Have a group discussion of witness reporting
based upon students personal experiences. For
example, consider two students describing to the
principal their own account of what transpired in
a cafeteria incident.
3. Inquire if any students or parents ever witnessed
a car accident. Did they provide a report for the
police? What was the result?
And try these observation skills tests on the Internet:
t )FSFTTPNFGVODBOZPVOEOJOFQFPQMFJO
this picture? www.orderofthewhitelion.com/
Miscellaneous@/Observationpowers.html.
Instructors Guide
Lesson 1
How did the person walk? (fast? slow? big or little steps?)
Instructors Guide
Lesson 1
Look at a picture for 20 seconds and then answer the following questions:
Picture #1
1. What did you see in the picture? .............................Two firefighters extinguishing a burning golf cart
2. How many cars are in the picture? ..........................1 car, 1 SUV
3. How many trucks are in the picture?....................... Possibly 1 truck
4. How many people are in the picture? .....................2 firefighters and 7 other people
5. Was anyone in danger? .............................................. No, the situation looked under control and the
people were standing far away
Picture #2
1. What is happening in this picture? .......................... A parking enforcement officer is writing a ticket
2. Where is it taking place?............................................A parking lot possibly in a warm climate because
of the officers hat
3. How many vehicles are in the picture? .................... 4 cars, 1 SUV
4. What was the person wearing? .................................Dark blue broad-brimmed hat with a double redstriped hat band, a light blue short-sleeved shirt, red tie, sunglasses, a watch, navy pants and hiking
boots
Enlarged photo of Cookie Jar Crime Scene
1. What do you notice in the scene?
6 Instructors Guide