Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.9, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will synthesize information from two texts about crime-solving technologies.

Key Skills

synthesizing, text features, vocabulary, text structure, point of view, summarizing, critical thinking, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The first text discusses DNA testing; the second relates the history of lie detectors.

 

Structure: Both texts are informational. The first has some narrative passages.

 

Language: Both texts use informal, relatable language.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is needed.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: U 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: The New Science of Solving Crimes/The Truth About Lie Detectors

Essential Questions

  • How do new technologies change society?
  • What is privacy? Who decides what information is private?

Literature Connection

  • Nonfiction: DNA Doesn’t Lie: Is the Real Criminal Behind Bars? by Anna Prokos 
  • Novel: You Have a Match by Emma Lord

1. Preparing to Read 

Activate Prior Knowledge (5 minutes)

Before reading the articles, ask students to think about movies or TV shows they’ve seen, or books they’ve read, where an investigator solves a crime. Ask: What tools or techniques does the investigator use? How much do you know about these methods? What questions do you have about them? DNA evidence will likely be mentioned. Encourage students to volunteer what they know (or think they know) about what DNA is and how it might be useful in solving a crime.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the title and subtitle of the first text. What does it mean to “crack” a case? How might science help a detective do this? To crack a case means to solve the mystery surrounding it. Science can offer tools and techniques that are capable of uncovering clues that would otherwise have been missed.
  • Read the title and subtitle of the second text and look at the photos. Based on the photos, how have lie detectors changed over time? In the past, lie detectors looked like big boxes that produced sheets of paper. A person would sit connected to the machine through bands attached to their hands. Today it seems like computers do the job. The person being interviewed is hooked up to the device through electronic touchpoints on their chest, arm, and fingers.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary boxes.  Read the words (technology, unique, database, confirmed, interpret) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan: 

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the articles discuss different ways of solving crimes that have been used over time.
  • Tell students that after they read, they’ll synthesize information from the two articles to better understand how we use new technologies in solving mysteries.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the articles. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Digital. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • How does the story of the “Unknown Boy” show the power of DNA technology? (text structure) The Unknown Boy was a 15-year-old hitchhiker who lost his life in a car accident in 1961 in Alabama. His identity wasn’t known until 2021, when someone used DNA evidence to trace him back to his family. His story shows that by using DNA technology—namely, databases that store people’s DNA and make connections between relatives—we can solve mysteries that we couldn’t before.
  • Why do people use DNA testing sites like AncestryDNA and 23andMe? Why do some people worry about DNA being stored in databases in this way? (point of view) People use DNA testing sites like AncestryDNA and 23andMe to learn what part of the world their families come from and to find long-lost relatives. Some people worry that these sites invade our privacy. Police could use the information on these sites to track people down for all kinds of crimes, although today they use the sites only to go after those who have committed violent crimes.
  • How does the modern-day lie detector work? What are some problems with it? (summarizing) The modern-day lie detector measures a person’s blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and sweat to look for signs of increased levels of stress. It’s assumed that if a person is lying, they will feel stressed. However, a person can be stressed for different reasons, not necessarily because they are lying. Plus, there are many ways to beat a lie detector, which are easy to find online. 

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • Think about the question at the end of the second article: How will we be solving crimes 100 years from now? Do you have any predictions? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Encourage students to draw from their knowledge of technologies that exist today—e.g., surveillance cameras, motion detectors, machines that can detect activity inside the brain—to make predictions.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete our Synthesizing Skill Builder.  (Click here to view all of your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing Prompt: What is your opinion of DNA databases? Are you excited by this technology or worried that it invades our privacy? Write a paragraph to explain your answer using details from the first article, your own experiences, and your imagination.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Boost Your Crime-Solving Knowledge

You just read about two crime-solving technologies. Now you can learn about another one!

Read “Are You Being Watched?” from the November 2021 issue of Action. This article describes some uses of facial recognition technology (FRT), as well as some problems with its use. After reading the article, gather with a few classmates to discuss the following questions:

  • Which crime-fighting tool do you think is more useful, DNA or FRT?
  • How is the way DNA is used similar to the way FRT is used?
  • What are some possible problems with using DNA to fight crime? What are some possible problems with using FRT?
  • Both of these tools could take away some privacy from people. Do you think it’s worth giving up some privacy in order to solve more crimes?

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Review acronyms and initialisms to boost fluency.

After reading the first article, let students know that DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. Ask, “Why do you think we usually call it DNA?” Students will likely answer that DNA is quicker and easier to say. 

Tell students that many terms in English have shortened forms. The shortened  form of a term using just its initials (the first letter of each word, though DNA is a bit different because the N comes from the middle of the first word) is called an initialism. Some examples are FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), mph (miles per hour), and ASAP (as soon as possible). 

Initialisms are often called acronyms. The word acronym refers to a word you can pronounce that is made up of initials. Some examples are FOMO (fear of missing out), BOGO (buy one, get one), and PIN (personal identification number).

Ask students to think of some more examples of initialisms and acronyms. If they need help, remind them that these are very common in texting! (Examples include AWOL, BRB, BTW, IRL, LOL, MVP, NASA, NBA, TTYL, and VIP.)

Tell students that when they encounter an acronym or an initialism and aren’t sure how to pronounce it (as individual letters or as a word), they can ask themselves, “Can I easily pronounce it as a word?” If they can, they probably should!

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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