| A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed description of the | | | | whether or not the substances provided will be |
| course of instruction for an individual lesson. While | | | | catalase positive or negative. They also examine |
| there is no single way to construct one, most lesson | | | | whether each substance tests positive for blood |
| plans contain some or all of the elements of the | | | | using the phenolphthalein test. After this step, they |
| course. In today's modern teaching style, individual | | | | open the evidence packets provided and test |
| lesson plans are often inappropriate. Specific | | | | whether each stain that was found is likely to be |
| objectives and timelines may be included in the unit | | | | blood or not. The second part addresses blood |
| plan, but lesson plans are more fluid as they cater to | | | | typing. |
| the students needs and learning styles. | | | | Hair Analysis intends to introduce students to the |
| Students are asked to engage in problems or inquiry | | | | thought process involved in developing a technique |
| learning. Rigid lesson planning with title, objectives and | | | | for forensic analysis and to the physical structure of |
| specific outcomes within certain time constraints, | | | | hair. It also provides opportunity for students to |
| often no longer fit within modern effective | | | | improve skills in observation, critical thinking and |
| pedagogy. Today, formal lesson plans are often | | | | microscopy. This activity again involves two parts, |
| required only by student teachers, who must be | | | | which may be performed separately or as a cohesive |
| demonstrably familiar with the components of a | | | | unit. The first part requires students to examine a |
| lesson, or by teachers new to the field, who have | | | | given set of hair. Using their observational and critical |
| not yet internalized the flow of a lesson. | | | | thinking skills, they develop a procedure to identify |
| Given below are a series of different lesson plans | | | | hair collected from crime scenes. The second part is |
| which may appeal to science professors, currently | | | | intended to complement any crime scene scenario. In |
| teaching forensic science in class, involving a range of | | | | this part, students examine the hair supposedly |
| difficulties and different aspects of forensic science. | | | | collected from the crime scene as well as hair of the |
| Bloodstain Analysis involves introducing students to | | | | suspects and the pets involved. They use the data |
| some of the techniques used by forensic scientists | | | | sheet provided to determine which suspect is the |
| for analyzing blood, the concept of blood type, and | | | | most likely match. |
| providing opportunity for students to practice critical | | | | DNA fingerprinting involves the preparation and |
| thinking skills in the context of scientific inquiry. It | | | | conduct of the DNA fingerprinting laboratory. It is |
| consists of two parts. The first part is intended to | | | | divided into the following parts- Preparation of the |
| teach students about the catalase test, which is used | | | | student materials, plasmid DNA preparation, restriction |
| to detect the presence of blood. While there are | | | | endonuclease preparation, migration dye preparation |
| more sensitive tests available for the presence of | | | | and preparation, loading and running of an agarose gel |
| blood that an investigator might use, this is by far | | | | for use with carolina blue stain. |
| the cheapest. Students are expected to predict | | | | |