Chain of custody: track the evidence
Open your materials, follow the steps, then turn in your work.
Check four simulated handling records and write one complete evidence-transfer entry.
Already passed safety? Focus on chain of custody. You do not need to retake the safety test.
Safety catch-up: new students or students who have not passed
- Read the lab safety review.
- Take your section's Schoology safety test. You need all 10 questions correct. If the test is not available, tell me and continue the paper-based custody work.
- Read the safety contract (PDF). Return the required signatures only if your contract is not already on file.
Ask me if you are unsure which requirements you completed. Wait for my approval before hands-on work; today's custody task uses paper records only.
1. Open your materials
2. Start the work
Open the custody handout. Read the rule and worked Model M. If you already passed safety, skip the safety catch-up links.
Show all 4 required steps
- Open the custody handout. Read the rule and worked Model M. If you already passed safety, skip the safety catch-up links.
- Read R1 through R4. For each record, check who had the item and its reported condition. Use the handout's table to record your decision, a fact, and one next step.
- Use Record T to write one transfer entry with all six fields shown in Model M. Use only the facts supplied. Do not imitate anyone's signature.
- Write the two conclusion sentences in Part 5. Check your four-row review and transfer entry, then submit all three parts together in your section's Week 3 Schoology assignment.
Lost your place? Find the first blank row in your review table or transfer entry. Re-read that record and continue there.
Check your work before submitting
- I checked the record and package condition separately for R1 through R4.
- I supported each decision with a supplied fact and named a next step.
- My transfer entry has all six fields and no invented information.
- My conclusion says what the record shows and what it cannot show.
3. Turn in your work
DueCheck Schoology- Hand in
- Custody record review and transfer entry
How to submit and name your file
Submit one document with the four-row review, one six-field transfer entry, and two conclusion sentences. Use your section's Week 3 Schoology assignment below. Check Schoology for the deadline.
In Schoology, open your course and the assignment for this lesson. Attach your file, select Submit, and check that it appears in the submission.
PDF upload helpYou get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Find this lesson's Schoology assignments
These are existing assignments for your section. Follow the directions in the assignment you are working on; this list does not add new work. Check Schoology for each deadline.
Link will not open? Open Schoology, choose your course and section, and find the title shown above.
How this lesson connects
Clear claims → honest graphs → careful evidence records → a case investigation. Use evidence to explain what you know and what you still need to find out.
Need help? Warm-up, timing, and directions▸
💡 Big idea: Track who had the item, then check its condition. Do not fill a gap with a guess.
- 0-10 minRead the rule; identify who still needs catch-up
- 10-25 minStudy Model M and ask one question about a missing receiver
- 25-50 minReview R1 through R4 using the table
- 50-65 minWrite the Record T transfer entry independently
- 65-75 minWrite two conclusion sentences and check the facts
- 75-80 minSubmit one document; note any remaining catch-up
- • Today we are practicing . Students who already passed do not repeat it.
- • Use only the fictional records in the handout. Keep them separate from the official PLTW case.
- • I will model the first transfer. You will check four records and write your own entry.
- • tracks collection, storage, and transfers.
- • A complete transfer record and an intact package are separate checks.
- • Missing information must be marked and checked, not guessed.
PLTW connection and today's work
This John Hay original practice supports the documentation skills in PLTW Activity 1.1.1, A Sketchy Scene. Open the official handout through your course's Schoology materials. The practice records are not evidence from the Anna Garcia case.
Today's stopping point: Stop after Part 5. You do not need to complete the whole PLTW activity today.
Today uses John Hay teacher-created practice. It builds skills for the course, but does not count as completing an official myPLTW activity.
Open your section's PLTW handouts in Schoology. Find Activity 1.1.1, A Sketchy Scene. The official case materials stay in Schoology.
Course connection
- Activity 1.1.1 A Sketchy Scene
Use the turn-in directions at the top of this page. Do not create a second submission unless your teacher asks for one.
Show another explanation or a smaller first step
Need help? Choose a starting point
Lesson resources: reading, slides, and vocabulary▸
Use the slides and optional guided notes to help with the same custody record review, transfer entry and two conclusion sentences. Submit one document with those three parts.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
For the original slide animations, use the PowerPoint download.
Citation auditand a well-labeled graph turn raw measurements into evidence a scientist can defend.
Track who had the item, then check its condition. Do not fill a gap with a guess.
Driving question: Which parts of these handling records can you support with facts?
What you already know: You can tell an observation from an inference. The handout defines , transfer, item ID, seal, and condition before you read a record.
New idea: Track who had the item, then check its condition. Do not fill a gap with a guess.
Visual or model: F1. F1 is the handout's rule for reading a handling record, not a case fact. Your review table applies the first two lines to every record; Record T applies all four. What to notice: Track who had the item, then check its condition. Do not fill a gap with a guess.
- Read one record. Find who had the item, when, and which item ID it was.
- Decide the record check: no gap shown, gap or concern shown, or not enough information, and name the fact.
- Decide the condition check separately from the reported label, seal, or package state.
- Write the a careful technician would take, then fill Record T's six fields from its supplied facts.
Real biomedical example: A sample that reaches a laboratory with a complete transfer record and an intact seal can be tested; a gap in the record is checked before the result is trusted. Source: Documentation: Chain of Custody (Crime Scene and DNA Basics).
What the evidence supports: The records and Model M support the three-part product: the four-row review, the six-field transfer entry, and two conclusion sentences.
What it cannot prove: A missing entry or a torn package cannot prove , guilt, or a .
- • : The record of an evidence item's collection, storage, and transfers.
- • Transfer: A change in who is responsible for the item, recorded with a time.
- • Item ID: The item's unique label. It stays the same at every handoff.
- • Seal: A closure that helps show whether a package has been opened.
- • Condition: The reported state of the item or package, such as dry, sealed, or torn.
- • Observation: Something recorded directly.
- • Inference: An explanation drawn from observations. Keep it separate from what was recorded.
Use it now: Use Model M. Both people signed at 9:15 AM and the seal was intact. What does the record not tell you about the item after 9:15 AM?
Go further, optional: The National Institute of Justice training pages linked in the handout explain the professional practice. The handout contains every required fact.
Four separate simulated handling records in the handout, all dated September 8, 2026: a sealed envelope (R1), an unattended packet (R2), a missing receipt (R3), and a torn package (R4). Each states who had the item, when, and the reported condition.
Limit: Review only the interval each record describes. Do not assume an unreported earlier or later event happened. These are original simulations, not Anna Garcia evidence.
The worked transfer entry for item M-1 (a dry blue thread) with all six fields, the model decision, and Record T, the simulated paper sample you write your own entry for.
Limit: A model of a complete record. Copy its field names, never its facts.
A signature or secure receipt confirms a transfer. It does not tell you whether the package stayed sealed. A missing entry is missing information.
Limit: Judge the handling record, not the person. A missing entry or a torn package cannot prove , guilt, or a ; it shows what still needs checking.
PBS-CUSTODY-R · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: evidence technician reviewing practice records
Decision: R3's receiving confirmation is blank and R4's package is torn. A partner says both prove tampering. Decide what your review may claim about a gap before you write your conclusions. Use E1, Model M and E3.
- • Report both records as proof of tampering, since a blank receipt and a torn package mean someone changed the evidence.
- • Write in R3's receiving confirmation as if C2 had signed, and mark R4 intact, because the handoff must have happened and the seal was probably fine.
- • Mark R3 as a gap and R4 as a condition problem, cite a fact for each, and write not enough information where the record is silent.
Response: One document: the four-row review of R1 to R4, one six-field Record T transfer entry, and two conclusion sentences, submitted in your section's Week 3 chain-of-custody assignment. The choice discussion is preparation, not another submission.
Claim ceiling: Judge the handling record, not the person. A missing entry or a torn package cannot prove , guilt, or a ; it shows what still needs checking.
Students often think a missing signature proves someone changed the evidence. The trap: a missing signature shows a missing confirmation. You need more information before claiming that the item changed
Practice case M; item M-1, a dry blue thread. M1 collected it from a chair at 9:00 AM on September 8, 2026, labeled and sealed the packet, and kept it until the transfer. At 9:15 AM, M1 handed it to M2 for secure storage in evidence locker 2. The label matched M-1, the seal was intact, and both signed at the handoff. No gap is shown in this interval. The record does not tell us what happened after 9:15 AM.
| Field | Model M entry |
|---|---|
| Case and item | M; M-1, dry blue thread |
| Date and time | September 8, 2026, 9:15 AM |
| Released by / received by | M1 / M2 |
| Purpose and destination | Secure storage; evidence locker 2 |
| Package condition | Label matches M-1; seal intact |
| Transfer confirmation | M1 and M2 signed at the handoff |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Original practice for evidence documentation. This is not evidence from the PLTW case.
- Date and label the entry.
- Record the procedure, observation, or design decision clearly.
- End with what the evidence means and the next step.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Use the handout to review R1 through R4, write Record T's transfer entry, and finish your two conclusion sentences. Submit the three parts together.
- 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. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Practice: try a question, then check your answer▸
Claim ceiling for this check: Judge the handling record. A missing entry does not prove , guilt, or a .
Both people signed a transfer, but the record says the package was torn. Does the signature prove the item was protected? Explain.
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Missed class or ready for more?▸
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.
Use the handout's simulated records to complete the same three parts at home. No equipment or partner is needed. Complete any missing review and test separately; arrange a teacher room check before hands-on work.
Custody handout and response sheetSubmit one document with the four-row review, one six-field transfer entry, and two conclusion sentences. Use your section's Week 3 Schoology assignment below. Check Schoology for the deadline.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Custody reading and worked model- 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.
- SubmittedGo to Schoology to turn this in. Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf. If you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
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