Murder At Old Fields

Online Forensic Science Lab Activity for middle & high school classrooms. Try our free demo. Works great on tablets, too.Murder at Old Fields is an exciting new Forensic Science Lab Activity for middle school and high school classrooms. Based on the 1842 double-murder of Alexander and Rebecca Smith at their farmhouse in Old Fields, Long Island, students examine evidence and conduct labs based on the historical facts of this case.

It is is a cutting edge tool for teaching forensic science featuring an online classroom with lessons and quizzes, a 3D crime scene to explore, a virtual lab to study gathered evidence, and an easy-to-use interface for teachers to manage their classes.

It represents an ideal combination of a video game-like experience to explore the crime scene and an objective-based, learning-by-discovery, fun way for students to learn forensic science.

Murder at Old Fields is a web-based app delivered through modern versions of all major browsers - Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari. It is also perfectly compatible with ChromeBooks and iPads.

Murder at Old Fields provides:

• Lessons that teach the real forensic science according to National Science Education Content Standards.
• Quizzes auto-graded to quickly and easily gauge a student’s mastery of the science lessons.
• Discovery of the evidence at the 3D crime scene of a historically-accurate rural American 19th Century farmhouse.
• Lab activities to analyse evidence, record data and apply the scientific method to solve problems through a compelling and engaging use of the most advanced online tools available.
• Easy-to-use accounts where students can assess their results and teachers can monitor student performance. Teachers can choose to enable some or all of the lab activities to accommodate the class schedule and help students learn through discovery, at their own pace.

Meticulously crafted to reflect the facts of this long cold case, Murder at Old Fields is also an ideal interdisciplinary/cross-curricular learning experience, with a rich immersion in American history and a strong narrative of the crime and the time. It is objective-based learning that supports the learning of core scientific principles, particularly those related to scientific inquiry.

Murder at Old Fields provides complete flexibility to work in your lab at school, or on the computer either at school or at home.

Now, students can:
• Examine the Crime Scene
• Find the Clues
• Learn Science through Discovery
• And Solve the Mystery of…Murder at Old Fields.


What Users are Saying…

The students are really enjoying the activity and I'm looking to include it in my curriculum again next year.
Biology Teacher, East Providence, RI

This is a very well designed series of forensic activities based in the real world. I can’t wait to share it with my teachers.
Suzanne, Oklahoma

You really thought of everything. This lesson will be a staple in my curriculum for years to come!!
Angie, Science Teacher, Long Island

We love it!
Jen, Science Teacher, Utah

My 7th grader has done a lot of work on it and likes it. He is learning a lot and enjoys the challenge of finding the clues and analysing the evidence…. it works well and is a nice addition to our home-school.

Erin, Home-school Parent, New York