Elementary students in the district's Gifted and Talented program recently participated in some fun sleuthing, combining typical elements of a literary mystery with physical science experiments and critical thinking skills.
The students and their parents were introduced to a mystery entitled "The Case of the Missing Lunch."
"The activity opens with a reading of a narrative to set the scene," says gifted program teacher Esther Van Riper. As part of the fictional narrative, "some items in a lunch are stolen and a white substance is found at the crime scene."
The students observed the crime scene for clues, breaking into groups to conduct an active investigation that included chemistry experiments involving the mystery powder and different types of markers used to write a note left at the fictitious crime scene.
"In the end, the students come together to communicate and share their findings," says Van Riper. "They discussed the hard evidence that could be used to identify the culprit."