"My child was extremely enthusiastic about the week, and is already thinking ahead to next year!"
"The staff and volunteers are very committed and passionate about their jobs. Our children were well taken care of and so involved in the camp that I never heard one complaint about having to get up early and go to camp. My only suggestion is to offer more weeks of camp. Thank you to everybody- the team is awesome!"
Educational Info
Detectives at Cool Science Club use and learn many skills and concepts in science as well as math and technology themes. Many of the core concepts are listed below.
Science Curriculum Overview
Skills
- Observing
- Comparing
- Relating
- Sorting
- Classifying
- Analyzing
- Evaluating
- Evidence
- Making inferences
- Distinguishing evidence from inferences
- Problem solving
- Drawing conclusions
- Communicating
- Describing
- Working in teams
- Logical thinking
- Organizing data
- Role-playing
- Debating
- Drawing and mapping
Concepts
- Forensic science
- Evidence
- Fingerprints
- Chromatography
- Acids, bases and neutrals
- pH
- Powder testing
- Thread comparison testing
- Crystals
- Dissolving
- DNA
Science Themes
- Systems and interactions
- Matter
- Pattern of change
- Models and simulations
- Stability
- Scale
- Structure
- Diversity and unity
Mathematics Strands
- Number
- Pattern
- Logic
- Measurement
Nature of Science and Mathematics
- Scientific community
- Changing nature of facts
- Creativity and constraints
- Theory-based and testable
- Cooperative efforts
- Objectivity and ethics
- Real-life applications
Technology*
- Websites for warm-up activities
- Websites for use in research
- Using FACE software used by FBI
References
- *Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS)
- University of California at Berkeley
- *Mary Anne Butler- Strengthening Your Science Instruction Using New and Innovative Forensic Strategies
- FACE’s
- Bureau of Education Research
The Understanding By Design Approach
CSC Goals
- To create the best summer experience ever for our students
- To create a safe environment- physically and emotionally
- To increase interest and enthusiasm for science
Academic Goals
- Science is the asking and answering of questions
- Ideas need proof or evidence in order to be accepted by others
- Inferences make sense of observations
- Forensic evidence is an essential part of our legal system
Essential Questions
- How do we find answers to our questions?
- How can we be sure others will accept our ‘proof’?
- How do we research our inferences to distinguish from just gossip, feelings, and intuition to find the truth?
- What role does forensic evidence play in our lives?
- In what way, will we show how we solved the crime?
Correlation to National Science Education Standards- Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
- A-1 Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
- A-2 Design and conduct a scientific investigation.
- A-3 Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
- A-4 Develop descriptions, explanations, and models using evidence.
- A-5 Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
- A-6 Recognize and analyze alternate explanations and predictions.
- A-7 Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.
- A-8 Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
