Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha
A Whodunit Forensic Mystery
Grades: 5-9
Critical Thinking
View Sample Pages Grades: 5-9
Critical Thinking
- Multiple Award Winner
Description and Features
Description and Features
-
great forensic science programSomething’s Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha sounds like it would be a cheesy product but it’s not! This is a great forensic science program. Your children will work on developing their thinking skills while seeing how science is applied in real life situations. If your family likes crime scene shows they will love it.
Posted on
-
interesting and excitingI like how the Critical Thinking Co.™ put this together to make it interesting and exciting, and encourage students to use critical thinking skills in a way that really requires them to apply them. Not just in the sense that they are reading and answering questions or drawing conclusions, but that they are pulling together pieces and parts of information from all different sources and synthesizing them and then drawing conclusions and using those conclusions to answer other questions. That’s the kind of critical thinking I want my son to be able to do as a high schooler, and honestly, this is just a really fun way to do it!
Posted on
-
my kids loved this programGeared for grades 5 and up, Something's Fishy is quite challenging. My sons, especially the youngest, are pretty protected, and the youngest is exceptionally sensitive, but they loved this program. They viewed it from a scientific and mystery stand point only and never once blinked an eye at the details presented. If you have a child with an investigative mind who likes a good mystery, they will probably love Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha. The Critical Thinking Co. has always been a favorite in our house. Their colorful workbooks and mind challenging products never disappoint.
Posted on
-
science and critical thinking applied to real lifeAs the students examine the evidence, they will need to request further information from the teacher, who plays the role of a sergeant obtaining the requested reports. So students will need to use critical thinking skills to decide what kind of evidence to ask for - what will they need first, and where will each additional piece of the puzzle lead them? They can examine Missing Persons Reports, Witness Statements, reports from the various labs and units (arson investigation, ballistics and striations reports, firearms identification catalog, counterfeit currency department, vehicle registrations, handwriting samples, fingerprint records, and the medical examiner's report), and record their findings on various forms. We used this investigation purely as a fun supplement, but it does present a lot of great introductory information on forensic sciences and how experts and detectives use these specialized fields of science in solving crimes. The practice in logical and analytical thinking is also valuable. It's a fun way to see how science and critical thinking is used in practical applications. I do want to mention that even though the students are learning about analyzing evidence from human remains, where the cause of death was violent, there are no graphic or disturbing images or descriptions. We both had a lot of fun sifting through evidence, analyzing information, and figuring out which Persons of Interest should be charged with the crimes.
Posted on
-
Loved it!Did this with a group of homeschool students and we all had a blast! The kids are hoping the author is working on another one!
Posted on
-
AwesomeI did this with a group of homeschoolers and it was fantastic! The kids AND parents LOVED it. I lasted longer than we expected but no one complained. The youngest kids gave out, but the teens had a blast and have asked for MORE! Hope more books like this are published!
Posted on
-
N/ATeachers seeking to actively and enthusiastically engage students in the learning process will be delighted by the ease with which this highly entertaining crime mystery simulation accomplishes that goal. Kids happily take on the role of police detectives trying to get to the bottom of this carefully crafted crime scenario. Working individually or in small teams, sleuthing students throw themselves into gathering information, observing, assessing, questioning, comparing, drawing inferences, and deducing their way towards solutions rooted in logic. Along the way, they also learn a good deal about various types of forensic evidence (fingerprints, ballistics, handwriting, and more) while using witnesses' statements, police reports, and lab reports to form and corroborate theories and conclusions. From cover to cover, Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha is filled with easy-to-use tools and resources that lend this in-depth learning experience the immersive and rewarding feel of an exciting, real-life adventure.
Posted on
-
Outstanding activities to engage a variety of learnersI was able to observe these activities in action with many classes at different levels. Kids were PUMPED and primed to learn and explore! Well worth your efforts!!!
Posted on