RINGGOLD, Ga. - When Hector the parakeet went missing, it was up to a group of fourth-grade detectives at Ringgold Elementary School to identify the culprit.
To solve the crime, the students first had to figure out who wrote the ransom note demanding money for the bird. They used chromatography, which analyzes mixtures by separating them into their individual chemicals, to figure out what kind of pen was used to write the sinister note.
What resembled serious police work here was actually an exercise as part of Ringgold Elementary's CSI Week, in which science classes study crime-scene investigation techniques.
Fourth-grade science teacher Mishana Paris said CSI Week is usually a highlight of the year for students and teachers.
"They love hands-on activities," she said. "So, anything to do with experiments, they love."
Paris said all activities during CSI Week are taught according to Georgia school standards. In fourth grade, students must study light, sound and colors -- all of which are incorporated in the criminology lessons.
In the fifth grade, students must study heredity and genetics. Science teacher Melissa McKown incorporated those into her forensic science lessons.
On Wednesday, her classes learned about genetics and built models of the DNA double helix.
The hallways were decked with crime scene tape and, earlier in the week, outlines of bodies carpeted the floor. In her class, McKown played theme music from the TV shows "Mission: Impossible" and "CSI."
Many of the week's lessons are pegged as mysteries that students must solve.
"It all goes along with state standards," McKown said. "But it's a lot more fun if you do it this way."
Teachers also included lessons on cells, fingerprinting and blood-spatter techniques.
In one lesson, students examined their own DNA by mixing their saliva with a chemical solution.
"I told them it's one of the few times you get to spit in class and not get in trouble," McKown said.
One student said CSI Week, now in its second year, is her favorite week of school.
Fifth-grader Sarah Bandy said she enjoyed imitating some of the techniques used on "CSI," a show she said she watches regularly. Now, she'll better understand what those TV detectives are up to.
"I like it because it has to do with a lot of mystery and you have to figure out who did it," she said.