Game Sructure
The original Science Sleuths videodisc contained 24 mysteries for middle-school students. Each Sleuth episode was introduced by a brief video in which a fictional character would present a self-contained mystery story. Students were then offered a set of resources (video "interviews", mini-documentaries, popular media stories, scientific articles, lab results, still photographs, etc.) from which they could derive information, suggestions, and new "leads." The resources contained enough information to suggest several avenues of exploration, and ultimately to solve the case. The videos and other resources often used both humor and the pending mystery to drive the students' search. In the process learned to accumulate and apply science knowledge, while practicing problem-solving skills. Students would develop a solution which they could present in a "case report" which could reference the original videodisc resources.
Later projects adapted this structure for elementary school students (Science Sleuths Elementary), middle school mathematics (Math Sleuths), and elementary through high school health (Health Sleuths).
Other projects used a "forum" structure in which the class was divided into groups, each group arguing a point of view and set of solutions towards a problem (Science-Technology-Society Forums, for middle school and Bioethics Forums, for high school). As with the Sleuths, a video character would present a problem, and students would draw from a set of resources to support a point of view. Unlike the Sleuths, the Forums explored problems that did not have clear, cut-and-dried solutions. Students learned to explore different points of view as they role-played different stakeholders.
The Performance-Based Assessment project used a stripped-down version of the sleuths as an assessment mechanism.
Read more about this topic: Science Sleuths
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