The cost of a Ward's Natural Science Forensic Entomology Lab is proposal is $350, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
Forensic Science is the up and coming science field as it mixes science with technology. Unfortunately, most students are not aware of the rigorous curriculum or the path needed to insure a career in Forensic Science. An upper middle school class in Forensic Science is the perfect time to interest students in Forensics and science in general. It is my hope that this heightened interest in science will push students to take advanced science classes in high school, which in turn will prepare students for college and success in a competitive career.
Students are more likely to become interested in a career if they have a concrete understanding of its processes. In my Eighth Grade Science classroom I have the materials needed for the basic science concepts only. I teach in a public school in rural Western North Carolina, so the community/parent funding is minimal. We are in desperate need of the materials necessary to show how Forensic Scientist use a wide variety of evidence types to solve crimes.
One important part of Forensics is to learn about the effects that outside influences have on how and if a crime is solved. I would like to study the life cycle of insects in my Forensics class, and then reach one step further and show how insects, in their various stages, are used to fight crime. I have found an excellent, mostly reusable, resource that will truly engage the minds of middle school students.
In the entomology lab I would like to purchase, students place a piece of pork in an outdoor environment and study the insect life that visit. Students collect, preserve, and investigate the insects with the materials provided in the lab. Students then use the identification cards provided to ID insects in their different stages. Finally, students apply their entomology knowledge to solve a mock crime scene.
The students enrolled in Forensic Science have chosen the course as an elective because they are interested in Forensics. I will be teaching approximately 30 students this year and will be able to reuse most these materials each year. I will also be teaching Forensic Science this summer to a group of approximately 90 at-risk middle school students. Therefore, within a year, I will be using the materials to teach approximately 120 students.
I would love to show the students the variety that a career in Forensic Science can offer, but I will be unable to do so without additional materials.
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