Introduction Lesson #4: The Nature of Science

Introduction Lesson #4: The Nature of Science
Bell Work Pick up the Papers on the Back Counter Find your seat Work on Crime Puzzle #4 Be sure to go over homework from previous lesson and have students turn it in.

Intro Lesson #6: Nature of Technology and Technological Design
Crime Puzzle #4 Why does Mr. Hudson’s chauffeur think he’s bound for prison? Responses may vary but should be logical and thoughtful. Effort should be shown to make complete responses that are at a level appropriate for a eleventh grade student.

Observation, Remembering, & Recording
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Observation, Remembering, & Recording What skills are most important in solving crimes?

I can… Define observation and perception
Introduction Lesson #5 I can… Define observation and perception Describe what changes occur in the brain during observation Describe some of the problems in making good observations Relate observation skills to their use in forensic science Use observation skills to make good observations during events

How Good are Your Observation Skills?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How Good are Your Observation Skills?

Primary Skills Lesson #1
Observe the picture for 15 seconds. Look at everything that you think might be important.

What Do You Remember How many people were in the bank? What time was it? What is the date? What’s on the sign? What is the man at the front of the line handing the teller? What’s on the man’s hat? What is the woman with the little girl wearing?

Taking a second look at the picture
Primary Skills Lesson #1 #1 Taking a second look at the picture

Discussion What is observation? Student answers may vary. Student answers may vary depending on first answer. Student answers may vary but should include something about using science to solve crime.

What is Observation? Observations Things that you can see but also feel, taste, smell, or hear Items you need to note carefully Our perceptions (how we interpret information received from the senses) limit what we observe It is an active process that takes training to develop

What is not Observation?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 What is not Observation? Casually watching what happens “You see but you do not observe.”--Sherlock Holmes

Observe the Photograph for 20 seconds. Note the Details.
#2 Observe the Photograph for 20 seconds. Note the Details.

How Well Did You Observe?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How Well Did You Observe? How many women are in the photograph? How many of the women are wearing hats? How many women are wearing ties? How many women have on boots? How many vehicles are shown in the picture?

#2 How well did you do?

Discussion In the two examples , what types of details did you find easy to remember? What types of details did you find hard to remember? Which was easier, doing things on your own or working as a group? Why? How many details about the pictures do you think you could remember by the end of the day? Tomorrow? Next week?

Functional areas of the brains
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Functional areas of the brains The brain receives and processes sensory information, initiates and controls movement, and executes cognitive (thought) processes. In general, information tends to flow from the back of the brain to the front. The brain expends most of its energy packaging sensory input from all available modalities into a coherent view of the environment. Vision is combined with somatosensory information to give a sense of where one's body is in space. Memory functions in the temporal lobe allow for recognition of the visual perceptions. The processed sensory input finally makes its way to the frontal lobe where decisions are made regarding the various stimuli. The human brain has more than 100 billion neurons , with 14 to 16 billion in the cerebral cortex and nearly 100 billion in the cerebellum alone. In addition, there are perhaps nine times as many glial cells, whose exact roles are unclear, but which help to support and maintain neurons. Most neurons are present shortly after birth, and as the brain continues to grow, the number and complexity of neuronal connections increases. Sensory Areas. Primary sensory areas receive incoming sensory information. One of these, the primary somatosensory cortex, receives input for pain, temperature, touch, and pressure. It is located in the postcentral gyrus, the first gyrus of the parietal lobe posterior to the central sulcus. The primary auditory cortex, for hearing, is on the super (upper) margin of the temporal lobe, deep in the lateral fissure. The primary visual cortex, for sight, is in the occipital lobe, especially the medial surface. Primary sensory areas are organized into precise sensory maps of the body. The primary somatosensory cortex, for example, has a point-for-point correspondence with the opposite (contralateral) side of the body, so that, for instance, the first and second fingers of the left hand send sensory information to adjacent areas of the right primary somatosensory cortex. Similarly, the primary visual cortex has a point-for-point map of the contralateral visual field. The primary auditory cortex has a tonotopic map of the cochlea of the inner ear, with different points in the cortex representing different sound frequencies. Association Areas. Once received by a primary sensory area, information is sorted and relayed to adjacent sensory association areas for processing. Association areas identify specific qualities of a stimulus and integrate stimulus information with memory and other input. To hear a piece of music, for example, involves the primary auditory cortex, but to recognize that music as Mozart or Elvis Presley involves the auditory association area just below the primary auditory cortex. The human brain differs from that of other primates in its large amount of association cortex. Association areas not only integrate immediate sensory data with other information, but are also responsible for human ingenuity, personality, judgment, and decision making. Read more: Brain - Biology Encyclopedia - cells, body, function, human, system, different, organs, blood, specific

How Our Brain Processes Information
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How Our Brain Processes Information Observation Information from our senses What We Pay Attention to Filter out some information Perception Fill in gaps from previous knowledge and enriches with detail what we see, hear, feel, taste, and touch Short Term Memory Recently stored information Long Term Memory Information that remains in memory – needs rehearsed & practiced to retain. Do you ever go to a telephone book to look up a number and remember it just long enough to dial it? That’s an example of working memory. If you get distracted between looking up the number and dialing the number, you will forget it. In order for something in working memory to be stored, it must be rehearsed and practiced.

How to be a Good Observer
Observe systematically Do not pay attention to only what you think is important Make a conscious effort to pay attention to all the details in your surroundings. Look for patterns and make connections. Do not assume that later on you will be able to remember everything.

Scene of a crime -- Observe for 30 seconds – Sketch the Scene
Primary Skills Lesson #1 #3 Scene of a crime -- Observe for 30 seconds – Sketch the Scene From:

How Well Did You Observe?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How Well Did You Observe? Is this a business or residential area? How many vehicles are parked on the sides of the road? What color is the pickup truck driving in the road? Any minivans around? How many? What does the blue sign say? What's the speed limit? Are there any pedestrians on the road?

What to Do Tonight Read pages 3-9 and do the questions listed in your handout.

Bell Work Pick up new note sheet on the back counter. Read pages 3-9 and do the questions listed in your handout. Be sure to go over homework from previous lesson and have students turn it in.

Introduction Lesson #5 I can… Define observation and perception Describe what changes occur in the brain during observation Describe some of the problems in making good observations Relate observation skills to their use in forensic science Use observation skills to make good observations during events Bolded what covering today Italicized what have already covered for this lesson

#3 Check how students did on questions previous day How well did you do? From:

Recording Information
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Recording Information Puts observations in long-term memory Helps you to remember your observations over a long period of time Keeps the details fresh in your mind

Ways to record Write it down—take notes Photograph or videotape Make an audio recording Sketch or draw maps of scene

How Well Do Others Observe
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How Well Do Others Observe Break into 2 person teams One person from each group go over to Mrs. Moran’s room The other person will observe the picture, feel free to take some notes to help you remember.

#4 Observe for 60 seconds – Remember you are going to describe this to your teammate

How Well Do Others Observe
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How Well Do Others Observe Group from Mrs. Moran’s room: Ask questions about what your teammate observed All the investigators will then have 10 minutes to confer and reconstruct the scene on the whiteboard from the description they got from their partner – no help from the observers at this point Have other students come back

What to Do Tonight Read over directions for lab #2 Generate 3 ideas for crime scenario you can act out for Lab #2. Finish the reading and questions if you haven’t got them completed

Bell Work Work on lab scenarios Generate 3 ideas for crime scenario you can act out for Lab #2. Be sure to go over homework from previous lesson and have students turn it in.

How well does your description match the scene?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 #4 How well does your description match the scene?

Discussion Did everyone answer the questions correctly? If everyone viewed the same photograph, list some possible reasons why your answers differed. Did your ability to see more detail and answer more questions correctly improve with practice? Explain your answer. Do you consider yourself a good observer?

Discussion Does observation only involve sight and not the other senses?

Practice Making Observations without sight
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Practice Making Observations without sight You will get 1 minute with each box. Then you will switch with another person. You need to determine what is in each box based on observations you made using your other senses You are not permitted to open the boxes. Write your hypotheses on your paper. Repeat until you have investigated three boxes Answer the questions on your handout.

What Is Observation? What assumptions can you make about this scene? How might those assumptions be wrong? #5

How Much Can We Trust our Senses?

Blind Spot Take a blank sheet of paper
Place open hand in the middle of the sheet. To the right side of hand make a small dark cross To the left side of hand make a small dark dot Pass out Checklist sheet Go over directions Have students share what items were checked in the Can column and what were checked in the Cannot column. Make sure they justify their answers

Blind Spot Hold left hand over eye, hold paper at arm’s length
Stare at dot on the left with the right eye only. (Both items visible) Now move paper slowly towards you and see what happens Repeat with right eye covered, and stare at cross with left eye Pass out Checklist sheet Go over directions Have students share what items were checked in the Can column and what were checked in the Cannot column. Make sure they justify their answers

Something to Discuss What happened as you moved the paper towards you? Anything strange? Why do you think this happened? Student answers should vary, but should show that cross with right eye and dot with left eye disappear at some point and then reappear. This demonstrates that we all have a blind spot where the retinal nerves all come together and exit through the retina to form the optic nerve. Our eyes are not perfect, and the sense that we normally see a complete field of view with no blind spots is an illusion.

Lab #2: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to it
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Lab #2: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to it You and your classmates will enact different crimes. Develop a skit for your crime scenario that you will perform for the class. Your teacher will have a group of items you may use to simulate these crimes or you may bring items in from home as long as they are school appropriate. If in doubt, ask your teacher first.

Something to Discuss Where was the sun earlier today?
Where will it be later today? How did it get from the morning point to the afternoon point? What is the size of a full moon just above the horizon compared to its size straight overhead? Illusion of movement because the sun rotates on it axis. The sun stays stationary and the earth moves. In fact, the moon is the same size…it’s change in size is only an illusion.

Other Illusions in Nature
In your group, list as many other illusions in nature as you can Pick a spokesperson to share your list with the rest of the class. Examples We are the center of the universe Earth seems closer to sun in the summer Light travels instantaneously Lightning Rainbows Earthquakes Eclipses Disease, birth defects Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, rain Fire Stars I n the dome of the sky Everyone and every solid thing is solid matter Flying saucers Mirages Earth stands still

What do you see?

Are the tables the same size and shape?

What do you see? Ask: Are there any limits to what science can do?
Discuss responses What do you see?

What is happening in this picture?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 What is happening in this picture?

Illusions Don’t Happen Just with Sight
All your senses can be fooled in some way or another

Two Identical Balls? Send one person from each group forward to take a close look at the two balls In your group, write whether you think the balls are identical and what you think will happen Watch the demonstration Discuss the results as a class Illusions don’t just have to be visual. They can involve other senses. So what’s the point of all this?

Perception is not always reality.
The natural world is full of illusions, and simple common sense doesn’t always work to explain such illusions. This is where science is an especially reliable tool, able to cut through illusions, useful to help us dig out real story…the most accurate explanation, the reality behind the illusions. Nevertheless, science is not perfect; science can be fooled, too. For that reason people who practice the art of creating illusions professionally (magicians and illusionists) are sometimes even better equipped to see through illusory phenomena, especially if they are intentional, as perpetuated by hoaxes and con artists. Randi the Magician is one such professional who has exposed such people where scientist have been fooled. He is occasionally feature on television demonstrating his success at unmasking the tricks of those who would profit at your expense: psychic readers, magical healers, spoon benders, clock starters, and the like.

Discussion With all these limitations is observation still useful?
How can we get around those limitations? It turns out that the limitations are the strengths of science. From the actual use and application of the knowledge of science to real world problems, we have found that scientific knowledge is the most reliable knowledge we have about the natural world. In other words, most of the time, it works! Good science is not dogmatic, but should be viewed as an ongoing process of testing and evaluation. This has enabled much of our work in space explorations, modern medicine, agriculture, and technology to be as successful as it has been, at an ever-increasing rate.

Watch for potential illusions. Turn off filters Keep in mind that memory is faulty. Remember that our brains tend to automatically fill in gaps in our perceptions. Remember that eyewitness accounts and your own thinking can include prejudices.

Bell Work Work on lab scenarios Review vocabulary and notes. Make sure to note any questions you have and ask them in class tomorrow. Be sure to go over homework from previous lesson and have students turn it in.

What to Do Tonight Review notes and vocabulary. Read pages 3-9 and do the questions listed in your handout if you didn’t get it done last night. Work on scenario for observation lab.

Tools Used to Enhance Observations
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Tools Used to Enhance Observations Cameras, video recorders… record observations so they can be viewed again. Microscopes provide fast, low-cost, and definitive results whether it’s simple hand-lenses or more the more powerful types found in labs Tools that use other forms of electromagnetic radiation like ultraviolet and infrared can reveal hidden evidence our eyes can’t see

Bell Work Turn in your questions from the reading for some feedback. Work on scenario for observation lab with your group. Be sure to go over homework from previous lesson and have students turn it in.

How does observation relate to Forensic Science?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 How does observation relate to Forensic Science?

#6 Observe for 15 Seconds

You have Three Minutes To answer as Many questions as you can
Primary Skills Lesson #1 You have Three Minutes To answer as Many questions as you can At what location was the photograph taken? How many cars are pictured? What color are the cars? What types of offices are located in the building? How many small trees are in the picture? The photograph was taken in New York State during which season? How many people are in the photograph?

Primary Skills Lesson #1 You have Three Minutes To answer as Many questions as you can What is pictured in Photograph 2? Describe the shape of the object pictured. What are the colors of the object? What color edged the top of the object? Upon what is the object displayed? Describe or sketch the design on the object. What is the approximate size of the object?

Primary Skills Lesson #1 You have Three Minutes To answer as Many questions as you can How many people are in Photograph 3? What is the sex of the person in the picture? What is the approximate age of the person in the photograph? What color is the person’s hair? Does the person have long hair or short hair? Does the person have any distinguishing features? Glasses? Can you describe the person’s clothing? Is the person wearing any jewelry? If so, describe it. Can you describe where the picture was taken? Based on evidence in the photograph, can you form a hypothesis about the person’s occupation? Is it possible to identify the interests of the person based on evidence in the room?

Discussion Is your ability to see more detail and answer more questions correctly improving with practice? Explain your answer.

Observations in Forensics
Study situations. Find clues in ordinary details. Work backwards from the evidence to what led up to the crime. Be patient. Practice.

Importance of Observation
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Importance of Observation Basis for all crime scene investigation Finding the facts without bias (driven by your own emotions or ideas) Allows you to find clues or tail a suspect Creates in mind images of what a person sees which can be stored in order for the person to remember later

Why Do You Need to Remember Your Observations?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 Why Do You Need to Remember Your Observations? To testify in court where you must know the details months after you made your observations Inadequate information and details will allow a criminal to get off

What do You Need to Remember?
Primary Skills Lesson #1 What do You Need to Remember? You want to describe: Who was involved? What happened? When did it take place? Where did it take place? How did it happen? Anything unusual or out of the ordinary

On a crime scene you will not know what will turn out to be important. Start at one part of a crime scene and run your eyes slowly over every space. Slowly look at every part of a piece of evidence. Leave the final interpretation of data until later The more information obtained, the better will be the interpretations. It is important to document as much information as possible.

What to Do Tonight Review your notes and vocabulary. Finalize your scenarios Don’t forget to bring in your props.

Bell Work Finalize scenario for observation lab with your group. Be sure to go over homework from previous lesson and have students turn it in.

Primary Skills Lesson #1 Lab #2: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to it Position yourself in an area where you can see the location where the crime will take place. Place your pencil and Crime Report Sheet on the floor beside your desk or chair. Mentally record the information as you witness each crime. Make use of you all your senses during this process. On the Crime Report Sheet and under Crime #1, record as much detail as you can about the event you witnessed. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other crimes you will observe. Take this Crime Report Sheet home with you and study your notes. Think about what occurred. Did you accidentally omit any information? If so, add it at this time. Use your notes about the crimes you observed to answer the questions on the worksheet .

What to Do Tonight Finish the lab. Do the review questions on the handout.

Summary define clues, long-term memory, observation, short-term memory, and tail explain the importance of observation explain the importance of remembering events. describe key items that they need to remember about an event. explain the importance of recording events describe ways of recording events

Introduction Lesson #4: The Nature of Science

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