While solving a mystery about what happened to a farmer and his dog, fourth-graders at Herbert Mills STEM Elementary School were also learning science — and some technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, too.
The whodunit is at the heart of the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Science School, a free, 26-part lesson plan that uses hands-on experiments and inquiry-based learning aligned to the Ohio Department of Education’s fourth-grade standards.
The Herbert Mills school was one of seven throughout Ohio that participated in a pilot for the program, which is now available statewide.
In March, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine visited the school to see how close the kids were to solving the “crime.”
“Since we can’t take every fourth-grade student and teacher to BCI, where they are solving crimes every single day, we thought creatively about what we could do to make BCI available to teachers and students to accomplish our goal of early learning and excitement for science and related fields,” he said.
Principal Brian Coffey of Herbert Mills said the BCI Science School was well-received by students and teachers. “It’s hands-on applied learning,” he said. “And the students love it.”
They wanted to work on the project beyond the time limit, he said.
Chris Cracraft, a fourth-grade teacher at the school, enjoyed teaching the program and said the students were enthusiastic about the experiments.
“Anytime they can get their hands a little dirty and use some tools they typically wouldn’t usually use is outstanding for them,” he said
And after solving the case, students are interested in working at BCI, he said.
Fraizere Amare, a fourth-grade student who took part in the program, said he most enjoyed learning about fingerprints.
“We put our fingers on an inkpad and looked for whorls, arches, and loops,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
Working on the case has made Fraizere think about the future.
“When I grow up, I want to be a scientist or a football player,” he said.
To download the lessons or see related videos, visit the Ohio Attorney General's
website.