The discussion sounded straight out of a television episode of “C.S.I: Crime Scene Investigation.” Deborah Conners, a science teacher at Elk Grove High School, was talking about how to test clothing and skin for gunshot residue.
Her 20 forensic science students, juniors and seniors assigned to investigate a mock crime, were trying to find out who fired a gun.
“Everybody wants to know how to take a fingerprint and how to interpret that data,” said Conners, who started teaching the class last year. Demand for the class rose this year so it now requires four sections, she said.
“This is real science where they’re actually collecting material, making their own observations and solving their own mysteries,” she said.
The class, Advanced Topics in Science, teaches students about crime-scene analysis and forensics. Recently, the class began using material that Court TV cable network offers free on its Web site. Teachers download study units that come with a mystery to solve.
Conners met Court TV representatives last summer at an American Academy of Forensic Science conference, where she was introduced to the online lessons. More than 100 high schools in the United States already use the “Forensics in the Classroom” lessons.
“We hope that in a way we inspire some of them to become forensic scientists,” said Linda Finney, vice president of Court TV.
The most recent case, “The Celebration,” is about a group of students celebrating a football victory when they hear two gunshots.
Conners’ students put on their lab coats, rubber gloves and protective glasses and began looking at five possible suspects. Their tasks included figuring out the type of bullet used in the shooting.
“The most interesting part is going through the crime-scene scenarios and finding all of the evidence,” said Anna Radziszewska, 18, of Elk Grove Village. “It makes you aware of what’s going on with being a police officer. You realize the kind of job they’re doing.”
Terry Mootz, head of the school’s math and science department, said that the teachers designed the course three years ago to get students excited about science. At the time, Mootz noticed a decrease in the number of juniors enrolling in science classes. Mootz wanted a course that would integrate multiple sciences, such as chemistry, biology and genetics, to give students a more rounded science education.
“In this class, they’ve analyzed accident scenes and footprints. They used chemistry to find out who the perpetrator was or genetics when they analyze blood,” Mootz said. “We’re hoping it’s attractive to the student who doesn’t get the value of a science education in their future.”
