In Cold Blood, Part I

We are in the middle of a fun and creative project involving Truman Capote's classic novel, In Cold Blood. The brainchild of teachers Danielle Keating and Stacy Maguire, the project is a collaboration between two 10th grade ELA classes, three Forensics Science classes, and me, the school librarian. The classes are researching and re-creating the crime and then the trial from the book. As an interesting twist, the forensics classes are allowed to use modern-day analytical techniques and the trial lawyers are allowed to devise alternate defense strategies using current Kansas law for the trial.

The following are the instructional roles for the project:

• ELA Classes – Read book, research and recreate crime scene, participate in crime scene as accused murderers and victims, participate in trial as witnesses, attorneys for the defense and other characters.
• Core group of Forensics Science students (volunteers) – Process and analyze crime scene and evidence, research trial, participate in trial as prosecutors and key witnesses for the prosecution.
• Three Forensics Science classes (11^th and 12^th graders) –  Research the case, participate in trial as audience, jury, and paralegal assistants as needed.
• Classroom Teachers - Familiarize classes with the book and forensics techniques. Work with students to research and recreate crime scene and trial. Guide students via online collaboration and classroom teaching.
• Librarian: Assist both groups with researching crime scene and trial details. Post online resources for groups and teachers to use. Act as go-between to coordinate groups.

Both classes are using Wiggio, an online collaboration tool, to share links and information about the trial in their separate groups. I am also using a wiki to post links and information about the project for all of the groups to share. It has been extremely helpful to have the library (and the librarian!) serve as the common link between the classes, to facilitate the project, as it is difficult to manage schedules between busy teachers, students, and classes that don't happen at the same time. The core group of Forensics students are volunteers that happen to have a study hall during one of the class periods when the ELA students meet, but who are getting class credit for working on this project. I also  meet with the classroom teachers on a regular basis during planning periods, lunch, or after school to coordinate the project.

So far we have staged and processed the crime scene, collected evidence from two differnt crime scenes, and "arrested" the suspects. The trial is scheduled for late April, so I'll post more information in a future blog post. At this stage I can report that the students are excited and highly engaged in the project! They appreciate the project-based learning opportunity, and are looking forward to the trial. We are pretty sure that many of them are underestimating the amount of preparation the trial will require, but that will be a teachable moment in itself. Oh, and did I mention that this project meets a slew of Common Core standards?