1. Metric Murder Mystery: Teaching Math and Information Literacy in a
Middle School Media Center

2. Needs Assessment
For the last several years, 6th grade students scored poorly on metrics and measurement section of CRCT
Teachers confirm that students struggle in this area
Strategies rarely include performance-based but focus on teacher led, direct instruction

3. Methodology
Metric Murder Mystery: math, media literacy, critical thinking, collaboration with peers, writing
Used the steps of the Big 6 to solve a murder mystery and to answer math problems; also used Cobb Virtual Library databases
Incorporated word problems, conversions, and measuring (areas of weakness identified by assessment and teacher observation)

4. PE Teacher, Mr. Kevin Goss, killed at Palmer
Body found in media center
As CSIs, students must solve murder

5. Placed in CSI Teams and taught Big 6
Given crime scene photos, current evidence, and suspects: four Palmer teachers in a notebook

6. Four labs: Murder Weapons, Water Bottle, Murder Scene, and Shoebox
Must apply Big 6 steps to each lab in order to solve the murder

7. Lab #1: Murder Weapons
Weapon must weigh 48 oz. to have caused deadly blow
Weighed in pounds
Converted
Had to choose most logical measurement
Explain choices and conclusions

8. Lab #2: Water Bottle
Leaked from murder scene to media center at rate of 3.7mL per meter
Find volume
Convert mL to Liters
Conclude murder scene

9. Lab #3: Murder Scene Blood found in three places
Measure distance from body to three places
Covert meters to kilometers
Choose most logical

10. Lab #4: Shoebox Surface area of shoebox found
Area of blue fiber items used to cover box and clean murder scene
Convert feet to inches
Draw conclusions

11. Murderer Identified! Used CSI Notebook Considered all evidence
Wrote paragraph naming murderer and evidence to support

12. Instrumentation Pre and Post-Test
Teacher and Media Specialist Observation
Student Comments

13. Results Question Pre-Test Post-Test Difference 1: Big 6 41/91=45%
23/83= 28%
-17%
2: Big 6
30/91=33%
17/83=20%
-13%
3: Big 6
18/91= 20%
4/83= 4%
-16%
4: Volume
67/91= 74%
60/83=72%
-2%
5: Surface Area
64/90= 70%
49/83=59%
-11%
6: Word Problem
57/92= 62%
57/83=69%
+7%
7: Word Problem
75/92= 82%
-23%
8: Word Problem
77/92= 84%
33/83=40%
-44%
9: Conversion
N/A
10: Word Problem
47/92= 51%
76/83=92%
+41%
11: Measuring
43/92: 47%
51/83=61%
+14%
12: Conversions
30/92= 33%
59/83=71%
+38%
Table A: Teacher #1 Results: Pre- and Post-Test results represent the number of students answered incorrectly/ number of students tested = percent of students who answered incorrectly.

14. Results (cont.) Question Pre-Test Post-Test Difference 1: Big 6
37/85=43%
15/75= 20%
-23%
2: Big 6
18/85=21%
13/75=17%
-4%
3: Big 6
6/85= 7%
4/75= 5%
-2%
4: Volume
45/85= 53%
34/75=45%
-8%
5: Surface Area
35/85= 41%
15/75=20%
-21%
6: Word Problem
32/85= 38%
49/75=65%
+27%
7: Word Problem
44/85= 52%
52/75=69%
+17%
8: Word Problem
51/85= 60%
24/75=32%
-28%
9: Conversion
57/85= 67%
29/75= 39%
10: Word Problem
59/85= 69%
61/75=81%
+12%
11: Measuring
N/A
12: Conversions
24/67= 36%
35/75=47%
+11%
Table B: Teacher #2 Results: Pre- and Post-Test results represent the number of students answered incorrectly/ number of students tested = percent of students who answered incorrectly.

15. Results (cont.) Question Pre-Test Post-Test Difference 1: Big 6
24/60= 40%
15/60= 25%
-15%
2: Big 6
9/60= 15%
-10%
3: Big 6
14/60= 23%
3/60= 5%
-18%
4: Volume
35/60= 58%
22/60= 37%
-21%
5: Surface Area
29/60= 48%
-33%
6: Word Problem
23/60= 38%
44/60= 73%
+35%
7: Word Problem
36/60= 60%
41/60= 68%
+8%
8: Word Problem
45/60= 75%
-38%
9: Conversion
21/60= 35%
-40%
10: Word Problem
53/60= 88%
+15%
11: Measuring
33/60= 55%
+20%
12: Conversions
17/60= 28%
+32%
Table C: Teacher #3 Results: Pre- and Post-Test results represent the number of students answered incorrectly/ number of students tested = percent of students who answered incorrectly.

16. Results (cont.) Question #6: No student work included
Question #10: Interpreted the problem as one of area instead of perimeter
Question #11: Majority of answers missed were the half and sixteenth measurements
Questions #12: Struggle with which direction to move the decimal

17. Question #13: Big 6
“You can use the Big 6 in a math problem by identifying the problems, seeing what sources you can use to solve it, finding the information from the sources, using the information and evaluating the answer and then solving the problem.”
“You can use the Big 6 to solve a math problem. You just follow the six steps. It works because one step tells you to read the problem and another tells you to make sure your answer is reasonable. So if you follow the steps you will have read, answered, and checked the problem.”

18. Observations “Awww, I don’t want to go yet!”
“Well, I didn’t know what I wanted to be until just now with this lesson, but I want to be a CSI.”
“This is so much fun!” and “That’s so cool!”
Comments across the room could be heard, like “I remember in class yesterday and Mrs. Waters was saying…,” and “No, remember, the decimal goes this way…,” and “Let me show you. I took this….”

19. Teacher Comments
“Wow! This was great!” Never seen their students so engaged in solving math problems and so intent on making accurate deductions
One teacher mentioned wanting to do similar activities for other math units
Another mentioned using the steps of the Big 6 in her class in an effort to help the students solve all math problems

20. Modified Action Plan Shortened amount of time between unit and mystery
Additional labs to speed completion
Include problems that address perimeter, 1/16” measurements, more conversions
Time in media center for post-test
More performance assessments needed overall

21. Overall, Metric Murder Mystery will return for a second season next year!
PALMER