Download Forensics SH - Willmar Public Schools

Willmar Public Schools
Curriculum Map
Subject Area
Science – Senior High
Course Name
Forensics
Date
June 2010
Timeline
Content
Standards Addressed
Skills/Benchmarks
Essential Questions
Assessments
1-2
Introduction
Science is a way of knowing
about the natural world and
is characterized by
empirical criteria, logical
argument and skeptical
review.
Understand that scientists
conduct investigations for a
variety of reasons, including:
to discover new aspects of the
natural world, to explain
observed phenomena, to test
the conclusions of prior
investigations, or to test the
predictions of current theories
How is the knowledge of other areas
of science used to successfully solve
crimes?
Test Labs/Class
Activities
Explain how the traditions and
norms of science define the
bounds of professional
scientific practice and reveal
instances of scientific error or
misconduct.
What are some examples of typical
crime laboratories, as they exist on
the national, state, and local levels of
government?
History and
Development of
Forensic Science
Organization of a
Crime Lab
Responsibilities of a
Forensic Scientist
Other services
Crime Scene
Processing the
Crime Scene
Legal
Considerations at
the Crime Scene
Explain how societal and
scientific ethics impact
research practices.
Identify sources of bias and
explain how bias might
influence the direction of
research and the interpretation
of data.
Describe how changes in
scientific knowledge generally
occur in incremental steps that
include and build on earlier
knowledge.
What is forensic science of
criminalistics?
What are the major contributors to
the development of forensic science?
What are the services of a typical
comprehensive crime laboratory in
the criminal justice system?
What is the role and responsibilities
of the expert witness?
What is the proper collection and
packaging of common types of
physical evidence?
What is the importance of the Frye
and Daubert decisions with regard to
admissibility of scientific evidence in
the courtroom?
What is physical evidence?
What is the responsibility of the first
police officer that arrives at a crime
Alternative Assessment
Projects
Willmar Public Schools
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3
Physical Evidence
Types of Physical
Evidence
Scientific inquiry uses
multiple interrelated
processes to investigate and
explain the natural world.
Importance of
Physical Evidence
Formulate a testable
hypothesis, design and
conduct an experiment to test
the hypothesis, analyze the
data, consider alternative
explanations and draw
conclusions supported by
evidence from the
investigation.
Evaluate the explanations
proposed by others by
examining and comparing
evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the
scientifically acceptable
evidence, and suggesting
alternative scientific
explanations.
4
Fingerprinting
History
Principle of
Fingerprints
Classification of
fingerprints
Automated
fingerprint
Identification
systems
Scientific inquiry uses
multiple interrelated
processes to investigate and
explain the natural world.
Identify the critical
assumptions and logic used in
a line of reasoning to judge the
validity of a claim.
Formulate a testable
hypothesis, design and
conduct an experiment to test
the hypothesis, analyze the
data, consider alternative
explanations and draw
conclusions supported by
evidence from the
investigation.
scene?
How is scientific inquiry used to
evaluate physical evidence from a
crime scene?
What are the common types of
physical evidence encountered at
crime scene?
Alternative Assessment
Projects
What is the difference between the
identification and comparison of
physical evidence?
What is the difference between
individual and class characteristics
and give example of physical
evidence that has these
characteristics?
What is the value of class evidence to
a criminal investigation?
What role does physical evidence
play in reconstructing the events
surrounding the commission of a
crime?
How has the evolution of
fingerprinting as a diagnostic
procedure been used in the solving of
crimes?
What is a brief history of the
development of fingerprint
technology?
What are ridge characteristics?
Evaluate the explanations
proposed by others by
examining and comparing
evidence, identifying faulty
Test Labs/Class
Activities
Why is a fingerprint a permanent
feature of the human anatomy?
Test Labs/Class
Activities
Alternative Assessment
Projects
Willmar Public Schools
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Methods of
Detecting
fingerprints
reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the
scientifically acceptable
evidence, and suggesting
alternative scientific
explanations.
Preservation of
Developed Prints
Identify the critical
assumptions and logic used in
a line of reasoning to judge the
validity of a claim.
Digital Imaging for
Fingerprints
enhancement
What are the three major fingerprint
patterns and their respective
subclasses?
How is the primary classification of
the Henry system used to classify a
set of fingerprints?
What is meant by visible, plastic, and
latent fingerprints?
What are the techniques for
developing latent fingerprints on
nonporous objects?
What are the techniques for
developing prints on porous objects?
What are the proper procedures for
preserving a developed latent
fingerprint?
5
Forensic Serology
Blood
Bloodstains
Stain patterns of
blood
Inheritance of blood
type
Semen
Collection of Rape
Evidence
Scientific inquiry uses
multiple interrelated
processes to investigate and
explain the natural world.
Formulate a testable
hypothesis, design and
conduct an experiment to test
the hypothesis, analyze the
data, consider alternative
explanations and draw
conclusions supported by
evidence from the
investigation.
Evaluate the explanations
proposed by others by
examining and comparing
evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the
How can digital imaging be used to
enhance latent fingerprint images?
How is the knowledge of serology
used with scientific inquiry to solve a
crime?
What antigens, and antibodies are
found in the blood of the four blood
types?
Why does agglutination occur?
What are the tests used to
characterize a stain as blood?
What is the significance of the
precipitin test to forensic serology?
Test Labs/Class
Activities
Alternative Assessment
Projects
Willmar Public Schools
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scientifically acceptable
evidence, and suggesting
alternative scientific
explanations.
Identify the critical
assumptions and logic used in
a line of reasoning to judge the
validity of a claim.
What is the absorption-elution
technique?
How do the existence of polymorphic
enzymes and proteins contribute to
blood individualization?
What is the relationship between a
chromosome and gene?
How is the Punnet square used to
determine the genotypes and
phenotypes of offspring?
What are the laboratory tests
necessary to characterized seminal
stains?
How are suspect stains properly
preserved for laboratory
examination?
6
DNA
Structure of DNA
Function of DNA
Replication of DNA
Recombinant DNA
DNA Typing
Mitochondrial DNA
The Combined
DNA Index System
Scientific inquiry uses
multiple interrelated
processes to investigate and
explain the natural world.
Formulate a testable
hypothesis, design and
conduct an experiment to test
the hypothesis, analyze the
data, consider alternative
explanations and draw
conclusions supported by
evidence from the
investigation.
Evaluate the explanations
proposed by others by
examining and comparing
evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the
How is physical evidence related to a
rape investigation collected?
How is the knowledge about DNA
and its structure used with scientific
inquiry to solve crimes?
How would you describe the
structure of DNA?
How does the sequence of bases
along a DNA strand ultimately
determine the structure of proteins
that are synthesized within the body?
How does DNA replicate itself?
What are the implications of this
process for forensic science?
Test Labs/Class
Activities
Alternative Assessment
Projects
Willmar Public Schools
Curriculum Map
scientifically acceptable
evidence, and suggesting
alternative scientific
explanations.
Collection and
Preservation of
Biological evidence
for DNA evidence
Identify the critical
assumptions and logic used in
a line of reasoning to judge the
validity of a claim.
What are some commercial
applications of recombinant DNA
technology?
What is the difference between DNA
strands that code for the production
of proteins and those strands that
contain repeating sequences of
bases?
What is meant by RFLP?
What is the process of typing DNA
by RFLP technique and explain how
DNA band patterns are interpreted?
What is the technology of PCR and
how is this applied to forensic
science?
What is the difference between RFLP
and PCR?
How would you describe the STR
DNA typing technique?
What is the difference between
nuclear DNA and mitochondrial
DNA?
How does the DNA computerized
database help criminal
investigations?
7
Organic Analysis
Scientific inquiry uses
multiple interrelated
Formulate a testable
hypothesis, design and
What are the necessary procedures to
be taken for the proper preservation
of bloodstained evidence for
laboratory DNA analysis?
How is the chemical process of
organic analysis used in scientific
Test Labs/Class
Activities
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Analytical
Techniques
processes to investigate and
explain the natural world.
Chromatography
Spectrophotometry
conduct an experiment to test
the hypothesis, analyze the
data, consider alternative
explanations and draw
conclusions supported by
evidence from the
investigation.
Mass Spectrometry
Evaluate the explanations
proposed by others by
examining and comparing
evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the
scientifically acceptable
evidence, and suggesting
alternative scientific
explanations.
Identify the critical
assumptions and logic used in
a line of reasoning to judge the
validity of a claim.
inquiry to solve crimes?
What is the difference between a
qualitative and quantitative analysis?
Alternative Assessment
Projects
How does
a liquid reach equilibrium with its
gaseous phase as defined by Henry’s
Law?
What is the process of
chromatography?
What are the types of
chromatography and what are the
differences between them?
What is electrophoresis?
What is Beer’s Law?
What is the structure of the
spectrophotometer?
How are organic compounds
identified using spectrometry?
What is mass spectrometry?
What is the significance of a mass
spectrum?
8-9
Other topics
Glass and soil
Hair, Fibers, and
Scientific inquiry uses
multiple interrelated
processes to investigate and
explain the natural world.
Formulate a testable
hypothesis, design and
conduct an experiment to test
the hypothesis, analyze the
data, consider alternative
How are the above processes used in
criminal investigations to solve
crimes?
What is the value of class and
individual evidence to a criminal
investigation?
Test Labs/Class
Activities
Alternative Assessment
Projects
Willmar Public Schools
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Paint
Drugs
explanations and draw
conclusions supported by
evidence from the
investigation.
Toxicology
Arson
Firearms, tool marks
Document and voice
examination
Evaluate the explanations
proposed by others by
examining and comparing
evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the
scientifically acceptable
evidence, and suggesting
alternative scientific
explanations.
Identify the critical
assumptions and logic used in
a line of reasoning to judge the
validity of a claim.
Content -- big ideas, broad topics, major subcategories and underlying concepts
Standards Addressed -- state and/or local standards
Skills/Benchmarks -- tells what the student will be able to do as a result of instruction
Essential Questions -- what overarching questions will guide instruction and produce higher levels of thinking?
Assessments -- evidence that the student understands the concepts, demonstration of skills