Podcast Crime, Serial style STEM Integrated Project
This interdisciplinary unit utilizes English Language-Arts, CTE Criminal Justice, CTE Video, and Science to explore how a true crime story can be used to develop a compelling narrative in an audio format. The culminating project is a four-part podcast that can be shared digitally.
Lessons in this project include:
-The Job of an Audio Engineer: Sound is an essential part of our multimedia culture. From voices we hear to music to foley effects in movies and television, sound is one of our strongest communication modes. We will explore the career of a sound engineer technician in today’s job market by listening to a sound puzzle, researching the job market, reviewing sound editing skills and creating our own sound library to start our own career in the sound engineering field.
-Writing a script for a podcast: After the students listen to the first installment of “Serial” and they break down the structure and form of the most popular episode in podcast history, they get to use that form to write their own story in the form of a podcast script.
-Crime Scene DNA: Paper Chromatography: Students are introduced to the value of DNA fingerprinting. To build students’ understanding of the chemistry involved, students perform an inquiry-based paper chromatography experiment.
-Linking Crimes: Crime Analysis: Often a criminal will commit more than one crime. Clues left behind in the one event may help the investigator solve a second event or anticipate a third. This lesson will explore some techniques for linking crimes and ultimately identifying the suspect.
Relevant careers include such areas as Criminal Justice forensics, Audio Engineering, and science and essay writing.
This unit is brought to you by Morro Bay High School teachers, Liz Moore (Video Production), Sean True (Criminal Justice), Jay Crawford (Forensic Science), Steve Gade (Science), and Mike Godsey (English) with support from the CTE Online curriculum leadership team and detailed coordination provided by Team Lead Gregg Witkin.
