OUTREACH : HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS : Crime Lab

Become forensic scientists as you analyze the evidence gathered from a fictional crime scene. From fake blood testing to fingerprints, handwriting analysis to mystery powders — work to gather clues and vote to convict the suspect in a mock jury.

Michigan Curriculum Framework Benchmarks

• generate questions about the world based on observation (SCI.I.1.E.1)
• use tools and equipment appropriate to scientific investigating (SCI.I.1.MS.3)
• evaluate strengths and weaknesses of claims and data (SCI.II.1.MS.1)

Crime Lab Pre-visit Vocabulary

Accomplice: Second person associated with committing a crime.

Alibi: Statement of where a suspect was at the time of a crime.

Antibody: Substance produced by the immune system to help destroy foreign substances in the body.

Antigen: Protein marker on the outside of cells.

Charity: Giving of gifts or money.

Chromatography: Process used to separate the parts of a mixture.

Dactylography: Study of fingerprints.

Estate: A large piece of land with a large house on it.

Forensic science: Field of science involved in analyzing evidence.

Fraud: Attempting to trick or deceive.

Jury: People selected to hear a trial and determine guilt or innocence.

Solute: Substance being dissolved.

Solvent: Substance that dissolves another substance.

Suspect: Person thought to be capable of committing a crime.

Crime Lab Post-visit Materials

Post-visit activities provide your students with an opportunity to review workshop-presented concepts and introduce related subjects. Below you will find a classroom extension activity and a list of suggested resources for further exploration. We hope that you enjoyed our Outreach Hands-On Workshop, and we look forward to visiting your students again!

Extend your experience with the Crime Lab into other areas of your curriculum by trying one or more of the following ideas!

• Using the Crime Lab Data Sheets completed during the workshop, have small groups of students work together to make graphs and/or charts to represent the data they collected.
• Have students make up their own mysteries alone or in small groups. Mysteries might be written as short stories or as plays to perform for the class.
• Take your class on a field trip to a local crime lab, or invite a police detective, forensic scientist, or person in a related occupation to come to class, make a brief presentation, and answer student questions about their work. Ask the presenter to explain the scientific basis for what they do.
• Encourage students to read mysteries — literature that stimulates logical thinking processes and problem solving skills can extend the learning done in the Crime Lab class to mathematics, language arts, social studies, and other areas.

Suggested Resources

Books

Butler, William Vivian. The Kid Detective Handbook. Little, Brown & Company, Boston, MA. 1995
Jones, Charlotte Foltz. Fingerprints and Talking Bones: How Real Life Crimes Are Solved. Yearling Books. 1999
Rainis, Kenneth G. Crime-Solving Science Projects: Forensic Science Experiments. Enslow Publishers, Inc. 2000
Silverstein, Herman. Threads of Evidence: Using Forensic Science to Solve Crimes. Twenty First Century Books. 1997
Walker, Pam and Elaine Wood. Crime Scene Investigations: Real-Life Science Activities for the Elementary Grades. The Center for Applied Research in Education. West Nyack, NY. 1999
Walker, Pam and Elaine Wood. Crime Scene Investigations: Real-Life Science Activities for Grades 6–12. The Center for Applied Research in Education. West Nyack, NY. 1999

Internet

CIA’s Homepage for Kids
Secrets of the Dead From Krakatoa to Hindenburg, scientific sleuths attempt to solve the greatest mysteries of the past.
FBI’s Teens page (6th-12th Grade) includes information, tips and games
The Science of Crime: The Why Files’ forensic science pages