Documentation and custody
Explain forensic documentation steps and chain of custody, then complete the PLTW scene task online.
Exit ticket: write the four documentation steps in correct sequence and list three required fields in a chain-of-custody record.
- 1Do thisExplain forensic documentation steps and chain of custody, then complete the PLTW scene task online.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisExit ticket: Exit ticket: write the four documentation steps in correct sequence and list three required fields in a chain-of-custody record.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science) › Unit 1.1 Investigating the Scene: Forensic scene documentation, evidence log, crime-scene sketch, trace evidence, biometric data. › Exit ticketOpen Schoology
- 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.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: In forensic science, documentation is the evidence. No documentation, no case.
- 0:00Review Monday CERs; connect chain-of-custody principle to today's content
- 0:10Teacher-led notes: four-step documentation sequence with examples; what makes a log admissible
- 0:28Practice: fill out a sample evidence-log entry from a scenario card
- 0:42myPLTW: open investigating-the-scene task; complete evidence-log entry online
- 1:02Identify independent variable and controls in a described collection method
- 1:10Exit ticket: list the four documentation steps in order from memory
- • If Monday was about the ethics of touching a scene, today is about how to touch it correctly. The order of steps is not arbitrary; it is the difference between evidence that holds up in court and evidence that gets thrown out.
- • Photograph everything before you move it. Sketch the scene with a scale and orientation marker. Log every item with a number and description. Only then do you collect.
- • Chain of custody means every person who touches a piece of evidence signs for it. If a sample goes from the scene to the lab to the analyst, every one of those handoffs needs a dated, signed record.
- • Today you will practice filling out a real evidence log and learn what a judge looks for when deciding whether to admit evidence.
- 1Take notes on the order of scene documentation: photograph, sketch, log, collect.
- 2Define chain of custody and list what each transfer record must capture.
- 3Review what makes an evidence log admissible vs. compromised.
- 4Complete the PLTW investigating-the-scene online task and evidence-log entry.
- 5Identify the independent variable and controls in a controlled collection method.
- • I can sequence the steps of documenting a scene.
- • I can describe what a valid chain-of-custody record contains.
- • The order of scene documentation is photograph first, then sketch with measurements, then log each item, then collect.
- • A chain-of-custody record must capture: who collected the item, date and time, case number, item description, and signatures at every transfer.
- • An evidence log is compromised if any link in the chain is unsigned, undated, or out of sequence.
Your PLTW work today
Unit 1.1 Investigating the Scene: Forensic scene documentation, evidence log, crime-scene sketch, trace evidence, biometric data. · Documentation and custody
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Lesson 1.1 Investigating the Scene in myPLTW and complete the evidence-log entry task in the online activity.
Mark the Lesson 1.1 evidence-log task complete in myPLTW.
You read the overview Monday. By the end of today the myPLTW evidence-log entry for Lesson 1.1 should be finished.
Screenshot of your completed myPLTW Lesson 1.1 evidence-log task.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit 1.1 Investigating the Scene: Forensic scene documentation, evidence log, crime-scene sketch, trace evidence, biometric data. · Documentation and custody
Open Lesson 1.1 Investigating the Scene in myPLTW and complete the evidence-log entry task in the online activity.
You read the overview Monday. By the end of today the myPLTW evidence-log entry for Lesson 1.1 should be finished.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Explain forensic documentation steps and chain of custody, then complete the PLTW scene task online.
- Take notes on the order of scene documentation: photograph, sketch, log, collect.
- Define chain of custody and list what each transfer record must capture.
- Review what makes an evidence log admissible vs. compromised.
- Complete the PLTW investigating-the-scene online task and evidence-log entry.
- Identify the independent variable and controls in a controlled collection method.
Exit ticket: Exit ticket: write the four documentation steps in correct sequence and list three required fields in a chain-of-custody record.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Take notes on the order of scene documentation: photograph, sketch, log, collect. | _______ |
| Define chain of custody and list what each transfer record must capture. | _______ |
| Review what makes an evidence log admissible vs. compromised. | _______ |
| Complete the PLTW investigating-the-scene online task and evidence-log entry. | _______ |
| Identify the independent variable and controls in a controlled collection method. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- I can sequence the steps of documenting a scene.
- I can describe what a valid chain-of-custody record contains.
Resources & readings
Hand-picked materials for this lesson. Class file items open the document directly; the rest are vetted readings and interactives from other biomedical programs.
Lab & supplies
WebXam practice
Cumulative WebXam review
A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.
Where this leads — careers
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
What to do if you were absent
Today is individual PLTW work, so do exactly what we did in class, from home: complete the same PLTW target above, then submit your Exit ticket.
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.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Khan Academy: using the microscope (Cell biology)- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Tue, Sep 1, 2026 · Documentation and custody here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project