Forensic chain-of-custody basics, independent project claim, final portfolio audit; no new curriculum after Dec 11.
What to do if absent- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Week overview - Forensics and Final Portfolio: chain of custody, claims, and the audit
Apply chain-of-custody basics, sharpen your independent research question and methods, and audit your final portfolio against the checklist.
- 1In your notebook, write the chain-of-custody steps that keep evidence trustworthy from collection to court.
- 2State your independent research question in one clear, testable sentence.
- 3List the methods you will use and one limitation each method carries.
- 4Write one claim from your project and the evidence that supports it.
- 5Open the portfolio checklist and mark each required piece as done or missing.
- 6Make a short to-do list of the missing pieces and pick the first one to finish.
- • You will be able to explain why chain of custody protects evidence integrity.
- • You will be able to state a testable research question with methods and limitations.
- • You will be able to audit a portfolio against required criteria.
Daily lessons this week
Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.
One sentence on the consequence of a broken chain of custody, plus a written ethical standard statement for your own independent project.
Forensic evidence table with each item, collector, date and location of collection, all custody transfers with dates and handlers, storage and sealing method, and flagged documentation gaps.
Independent project definition: researchable question, testable claim, methods outline with identified variables and measurement units, a designated control, and one named limitation.
Full portfolio audit tracker: status for every Problem 1-8 deliverable marked complete/in-progress/missing, top-priority gaps identified and fixed, and tracker updated to reflect post-fix status.
Complete Biomedical Innovations portfolio for the year: all Problems 1-8 artifacts, each cited and concluded, plus a one-paragraph reflection on your strongest work.
Quick intro to the week
- Hook: whether in a courtroom or a research portfolio, evidence is only as strong as the record that tracks it.
- Today's goal: tighten your project claim and confirm your portfolio is complete.
- Monday bioethics debate closes the year: what does honest research owe to the people it studies?
- Reminder: your graded portfolio audit is submitted in the PLTW course shell.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Advance your PLTW independent project by completing your research-question refinement and final portfolio audit in the online course shell.
- • Chain of custody documents who handled evidence and when to protect its integrity.
- • A strong claim is backed by evidence and names its limitations.
- • Write a testable research question with methods and limitations.
- • Audit a portfolio against required criteria.
📋 PLTW evidence due: a refined research question with methods and limitations, plus a completed final portfolio audit in the course shell.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction.
This week's PLTW tracker
Your week at a glance. Check off each deliverable as you finish it, then submit so Mr. Mendoza can see how the class is pacing.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
| Day | Date | Focus | Key deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Tue, Apr 27 | Research ethics debate | One sentence on the consequence of a broken chain of custody, plus a written ethical standard statement for your own independent project. |
| Tuesday | Wed, Apr 28 | Forensic evidence table | Forensic evidence table with each item, collector, date and location of collection, all custody transfers with dates and handlers, storage and sealing method, and flagged documentation gaps. |
| Wednesday | Thu, Apr 29 | Project question | Independent project definition: researchable question, testable claim, methods outline with identified variables and measurement units, a designated control, and one named limitation. |
| Thursday | Fri, Apr 30 | Portfolio audit | Full portfolio audit tracker: status for every Problem 1-8 deliverable marked complete/in-progress/missing, top-priority gaps identified and fixed, and tracker updated to reflect post-fix status. |
| Friday | Mon, May 3 | Final portfolio submit | Complete Biomedical Innovations portfolio for the year: all Problems 1-8 artifacts, each cited and concluded, plus a one-paragraph reflection on your strongest work. |
- M: research ethics debate
- T: forensic evidence table
- W: project question
- Th: portfolio audit
- F: final portfolio submit
Due by week's end: Complete BI curriculum portfolio. No new curriculum after Dec 11.
What to do when absent
Most days, this class is your PLTW coursework — and PLTW is online and individual. So being out usually just means doing exactly what we did in class, from home.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
You can't do those from home — do this instead: Portfolio checklist.
Class still runs. A substitute will post today's plan — complete the online activity above; it's built to be self-guided. Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
NIST Forensic ScienceVocabulary
Virtual resources
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Forensic autopsy project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-7_Forensic-Autopsy/7.1_Forensic-Autopsy; keywords:forensic, autopsy, fetal pig, organ. Score 158. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Forensic autopsy project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-7_Forensic-Autopsy/7.1_Forensic-Autopsy; keywords:forensic, autopsy, fetal pig, organ. Score 158. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this as the classroom resource for Forensic autopsy project.
Placement rationale
Matched Forensic autopsy project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-7_Forensic-Autopsy/7.1_Forensic-Autopsy; keywords:forensic, autopsy, fetal pig, organ. Score 158. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Standards this week
WebXam practice
Drop your Week 15 here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project