AndyEducate: Wildlife CSI

The Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered about unique ways of developing students understanding about the scientific method? Some years ago I was on my couch watching the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) show and realized that the standard format of the show was the Scientific Method.
So, I had this brainwave of an idea to create an experience at the Wildlife Sanctuary - Wildlife CSI was born.

In the 2016 version of Wildlife CSI we looked over the NPDL Framework to incorporate ways that the session could incorporate opportunities for students to practice communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills into the activities. Three sessions were developed.

See a reflection of the first run of Wildlife CSI - Here

The Crime Scene

In this activity students work in small teams (4-5) and enter a crime scene filled with evidence. They are not allowed in unless they have their CSI agent badge, their lab coats and their CSI toolkit.

The crime scene is roped off and a range of scats, tracks, animal bones, chalk outlines, taxydermmy and historical artefcats are distributed around a bushland scene.

Teams of CSI agents move in and capture (digitally) the evidence they find. Each peice of evidence has a unique evidence number so the students can refre to it later. On their worksheets, students document their evidence numbers with a short description so it ensures no evidence is lost.

The Evidence

Possum Scats

Back in the lab, students investigate the evidence they have found using identification booklets, microscopes and a range of other tools that help them identify and start hypothesising what the evidence means. In their workbooks students start documenting their ideas and linking these to the evidence they have collected.

The story

Finally the CSI agents gather together in the final 'scene' - the presentation room where they work on their stories and collate their evidence into an evidence logbook that tells the progression of their crime scene story. In this activity students work in their teams and critically discuss the evidence and what they conclude is a likely scenario.. students are working collaborative to critically analyse their thoughts and develop a logical argument for their crime.

Kangaroo Hip

The important part of this process is that there is no prescribed crime - there are a number of possibilities that we introduce through the experience, but it's really up to the students creativity, imagination and ensuring that their thoughts link to the evidence collected.

As a final step in the process each team presents their theory to the whole class.

Developers notes: The session outlines, activity sheets and resources have been a collaborative effort between AndyEducate and Natalie Burley.