2014 Beacon Award Winner
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Shannon Carlisle Mrs. Carlisle: Chief Sherlockian Elementary school (4th grade) |
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Mrs Carlisle is the accelerated learning teacher at Moore Elementary, a school in Franklin, Tennessee, serving kindergarten-4th grade students. Her role is to ensure that the unique intellect of every individual be challenged by developing critical thinking, creative thinking, and research skills through the study of the Common Core State Standards.
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MRS. CARLISLE: CHIEF SHERLOCKIAN
It's Moore...Elementary, my dear Watson by Alisha Erickson, Assistant Principal The hallway to Mrs Carlisle's classroom is decorated with Baker Street signs, and her classroom door is "221B," the front door of the great detective. She even signs her memos and newsletters to our staff and the parent community "Chief Sherlockian." |
During the first week of the school year, she invites the Moore Elementary 4th graders to 221b Baker Street (her classroom) to have them solve the “Mystery of the Borrowed Bear.” The students are told they are Sherlockians-in-Training and by the end of the week they can earn the title of Sherlockians. As a part of the investigation, the students learn about Sherlock Holmes.
Her introductory Power Point teaches the Sherlockians-in-Training about the literary detective including his image and his residence. She teaches the students that he was a “consulting detective” who used the science of deduction and forensic science to solve cases. She also introduces the students to Dr. Watson, the Baker Street Irregulars, and Sherlockian Societies.
Then she uses the first few pages from “A Scandal in Bohemia” to illustrate to the students Sherlock’s deductive thinking skills. Holmes observes and deduces much about Dr. Watson before the doctor even speaks. The line, “You see, but you do not observe,” is posted throughout the week as a reminder to the students to observe well as they are attempting to solve the mystery. Finally, the students are taken to a "crime scene" to visually gather data.
During day 2, the students review their crime scene notes, hear notes recorded from interviewed suspects, and begin to infer who committed the crime. During days 3 and 4, the students complete experiments in the forensics lab. And finally, during day 5, the students solve the case. Every student is then awarded a certificate of completion and is identified as a Sherlockian of Moore Elementary.
Because of her Sherlockian Training and her Baker Street hallway decorations, our students have begun to learn who Sherlock Holmes is and have taken further steps themselves to learn more about the great detective. The newly-published The 100-Year-Old Secret, book one of The Sherlock Files, by Tracy Barrett, has been checked out over 40 times since it was catalogued in our library. The Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes: based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was entered into our library’s circulation February 2007, but wasn’t until Mrs. Carlisle became our Chief Sherlockian that it was finally checked out in October 2011.
Recently, the walls of our library were painted with a fantastic mural highlighting characters from some our best-loved books. In a hot air balloon, flying high over Clifford the Big Red Dog, is Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with the line “It’s Moore… Elementary my dear Watson”. Students are creating their own deerstalkers for crazy hat day. They are attending the play “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” at the Nashville Children’s Theater on their own. One student gets a lot of attention when he wears his Priest Holmes jersey. And ultimately, our students are learning about the science of deduction and applying it daily as they complete tasks in all subject areas.
Her introductory Power Point teaches the Sherlockians-in-Training about the literary detective including his image and his residence. She teaches the students that he was a “consulting detective” who used the science of deduction and forensic science to solve cases. She also introduces the students to Dr. Watson, the Baker Street Irregulars, and Sherlockian Societies.
Then she uses the first few pages from “A Scandal in Bohemia” to illustrate to the students Sherlock’s deductive thinking skills. Holmes observes and deduces much about Dr. Watson before the doctor even speaks. The line, “You see, but you do not observe,” is posted throughout the week as a reminder to the students to observe well as they are attempting to solve the mystery. Finally, the students are taken to a "crime scene" to visually gather data.
During day 2, the students review their crime scene notes, hear notes recorded from interviewed suspects, and begin to infer who committed the crime. During days 3 and 4, the students complete experiments in the forensics lab. And finally, during day 5, the students solve the case. Every student is then awarded a certificate of completion and is identified as a Sherlockian of Moore Elementary.
Because of her Sherlockian Training and her Baker Street hallway decorations, our students have begun to learn who Sherlock Holmes is and have taken further steps themselves to learn more about the great detective. The newly-published The 100-Year-Old Secret, book one of The Sherlock Files, by Tracy Barrett, has been checked out over 40 times since it was catalogued in our library. The Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes: based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was entered into our library’s circulation February 2007, but wasn’t until Mrs. Carlisle became our Chief Sherlockian that it was finally checked out in October 2011.
Recently, the walls of our library were painted with a fantastic mural highlighting characters from some our best-loved books. In a hot air balloon, flying high over Clifford the Big Red Dog, is Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with the line “It’s Moore… Elementary my dear Watson”. Students are creating their own deerstalkers for crazy hat day. They are attending the play “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” at the Nashville Children’s Theater on their own. One student gets a lot of attention when he wears his Priest Holmes jersey. And ultimately, our students are learning about the science of deduction and applying it daily as they complete tasks in all subject areas.