Crime Scene Reveals Real-life Math
San Bernardino, Calif.-area high school students took a break from the classroom recently to visit several mock crime scenes.The exercise was part of a day devoted to teaching students how they can apply math and science skills to real life, reports the Inland Valley Bulletin.
“These students do higher-level math in school and don’t realize how it can be used in every-day crime situations,” said Kim Terry, curriculum specialist with the county’s Superintendent of Schools Office. “We are literally taking kids out of the classroom and exposing them to careers.”
About 70 students from San Bernardino’s San Gorgonio High and Rancho Cucamonga’s Los Osos High participated in the field study, organized by the county superintendent’s Alliance for Education and the San Bernardino County sheriff’s scientific investigations unit.
Craig Ogino, former director of the sheriff’s crime lab, did the first presentation about six years ago. It has since grown into the project-based learning experience offered three times a year to students at the sheriff’s headquarters on Third Street in San Bernardino.
Crime scene specialist Kim Shapiro discussed how investigators use trigonometry to calculate the location of a victim, suspect or crime objects.
San Gorgonio student Ally Schmitz realized that real crime scene investigation is not like what you see on TV.
“I thought it was strange that they used strings,” she said. “It’s way different than the actual CSI show.”
Filed under: K-12 Education News
Tags: Forensics, Programs for Students, Television
