The case of the purloined hat:

For my Forensic Biology Class, my Forensics teacher Mrs. Livtson, had us solve a crime
scene called the case of the purloined hat. To begin this project, we were first placed into
groups (of about 5 people). Each day we were to work together to solve the crime. In other
words, we had a different task every day for about two weeks. We worked together to complete
every task correctly and we assigned tasks to ensure that the assigned task for the day was
completed that day. After we finished solving the crime we then worked individually to compose
a portfolio with all the work we had completed during the past two weeks. Thus, we had an oral
presentation to the class explaining everything we did to testify who the murder was, how it all
happened, and our thoughts about it.
In order to complete this assignment, I used life and career skills. Being aware of these skills
helped me apply them for this project in particular. For example, I adapted to the change in
responsibilities, jobs, and roles that were necessary for the crime scene. Meaning that I had to be
flexible with the time spent on each task for the day. Prior to the changes of roles and jobs for the
crime, I was able to manage a list of goals in which I knew I needed to accomplish by the end of
the week. Aside from that, I interacted effectively with my group members in order to ensure
that our crime scene was solved accurately. Thereupon, after completing each task, I was able to
meet the goals that I set to accomplish the crime scene, which was very beneficial to my group
members and me.
Furthermore, as part of the process for this assignment, I used another set of skills that helped
me endeavor. These skills are known as learning and innovation. With these skills, I Made
assumptions on how the crime happened with the evidence that was given, and from that
information, I determined how the crime came to happen. After doing so, I Understood how parts
of the crime scene interacted with each other and possibly why they came to happen. But I also
kept in mind that to solve this crime scene correctly, I needed to share my thoughts to my group
members. Therefore, I communicated with my group members to have a discussion about how
the crime was exactly done based on our evidence. Aside from that, I collaborated with my group
members to complete the tasks that were assigned each day, as well as elaborating and analyzing
the crime to help create a well written portfolio that would sum up what we did each day for the
process.
In continuation, I also used interdisciplinary themes, which were also very beneficial for this
assignment. An example would be that I worked collaboratively with individuals of different
lifestyles. I understood the legal obligations for a citizen in my community before beginning with
this crime, and that it is important to make responsible decisions when dealing with materials
that are used for this assignment. Likewise, I comprehended that the habits of healthy behavior
for the process of solving this crime must be taken seriously. Thus, prior to the crime, I explored/
researched, environmental issues related to the crime.
Moreover, after successfully completing this assignment, there were several things I would
have liked to improve. One of them would have been to involve myself more in the process of
triangulation measuring, because even though a group member was in charge of that, I would
have liked to improve my triangulation skills if I taken more part in that. Just like with the
triangulation measurements, I would have liked to been a pat of the hair analysis lab because I
would have been able to help identify each hair found as evidence and it would help sugarcoat
my presentation. The last thing that I would have liked to improve would have been the
presentation. The reason is because my group members and me didn't practice at all due to
insufficient time to prepare, but if we had done this, our presentation would have been more
organized.