Introduction
You and a few friends are in the woods partying it up the night before your transition to the next grade. Suddenly, you all here a gunshot in the distance followed by a chill-inducing scream. You take off running to help the citizen in need. Upon arrival you notice the victim had been shot. You call the cops and when they arrive they question everyone there and they rule it a suicide. You think otherwise. Can you prove it?
Task
In this webquest you will prepare yourself to make your case to the investigating cops. You will research the topic of forensic investigation. Return to the scene of the crime to make notes, casts, and drawings. Keep a journal showing all suspensions and if they are valid proof of a homicide. With a group member you will share your journal and discuss any differences. Then, as a group, present your findings along with what was comprimised.
Process
Can this case be solved? Even forensic scientists have trouble with these cases. There is not always an answer for some cases. Presented are three cases of forensics. The cases might present some words that you may not be familiar with. You are encourage to research these words in a dictionary.
The cases are:
2. http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/forensic-cases-murder-leanne-tiernan.html
3. http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/forensic-cases-woman-suitcase.html
Once you have explored the links, write in your journal if you could encounter any of the possibilities in the cases while you explore this crime scene.
Visit any websites that could explain any oddities you noticed at the scene. Also find and explore websites or papers to discover the process of a forensic investigation. One website is listed here and is a very good site in most aspects of forensics.
http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com/showall.asp?folder=523675
For the next step, write in your journal any possible solutions to the case.
Most people don't understand the process forensic scientist go through to find the solution to a case. Now, however, you do. Apply this knowledge and see if you can find and solve other cases posted on the web.
Using what you have learned and wrote in your journal, get into your group and share. If your views are different from your group-mate's, try to use internet resources to persuade them to adopt your view. Once this process is complete, make a presentation that shows what you learned and how it applys to the case. Also share your solution to the case. Some of the questions/answers in the presentation should include:
What is forensics?
What are some techniques that could help in this case?
How are those techniques done?
What did your group come up with for a conclusion?
Are there any other explanations?
If yes, what are they?
After the presentation is complete, turn in a copy of it along with your journal. Also turn in any discriminations between your group and the compromise.
Evaluation
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Score 30
Beginning
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Score 40
Developing
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Score 50
Accomplished
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Journal
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Displays basic/incomplete information
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Display required information but does not offer possible conclusion to case
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Displays required information and shows possible conclusion(s) to case
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Presentation
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Jumps around the topic and is not planned out
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Show little creativity and effort. Shows student thinking in the process and case conclusions
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Shows creativity and effort. Good learning presentation. Shows student thinking process and conclusions
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Conclusion
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Hopefully you have learned about the importance of forensics. Also, I hope you realized that even experts in this field have a challeging task ahead of them. Since the answers aren't readily available, forensics requires forensic scientist to remain calm, take in all information, and to think critically. If you found a conclusion to the murder in the woods case, congratulations. It wasn't as easy as you thought, was it?
If you are interested, there are a number of forensic magazines out there. I encourage all of you to further research forensics because there are many topics not discussed in this process. Most cases can also be viewed and you try to guess the solution before it is mentioned. This will further develop your critical thinking skills as it did in this assignment. Some of the magazines are:
3. www.theforensicexaminer.com
Credits
The images and information presented in this WebQuest are used with permission from forensic magazines and websites mentioned in the conclusion.