Forensic Science for High School
Explore the world of forensic science with your students. Interactive games with cases to solve, creating fingerprints,reading blood splatters, and learning how to extract DNA are all part of learning how crimes are analyzed. Included is eThemes Resources on Forensic Science.
Grades
- 10,
- 11,
- 12
Links
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CSI: Web Adventures
Solve three levels of on-line cases. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, this site includes activities from blood spatter analysis to DNA extractions. An Educator's guide is provided. Additional links to forensic science are given.
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Forensic Science Activities Teacher's Guide
From UC-Boulder, this teacher's guide provides activities for students involving cases and using forensic science to solve them.
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The Why? Files
Investigate flesh-eating bugs, moldy corpses and the trail of a killer. Activities include collecting forensic clues from a crime scene, online DNA fingerprinting, and building DNA.
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Forensic Science
This site provides information about different aspects of forensics and the role science plays in finding the guilty or proving innocence.
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Biometrics: The Whirl Reports (Webcast)
Watch this webcast as students interview a San Franciso detective who explains fingerprinting techniques.
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Who's Got a Clue?
Students work together as forensic teams to solve "fictional" cold cases after researching actual crimes that have occurred within their state. A PowerPoint description and template of the project can be downloaded.
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Sketching the Crime Scene
In this activity, students produce a scale drawing of the crime scene and pairs of students take measurements. A downloadable hand-out is provided.
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Its a Matter of Blood Spatter
In this experiment, students examine blood spatter patterns resulting from various heights, angles, and surfaces. A downloadable hand-out is provided.
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FBI Teen Page
Use this site from the FBI to learn about solving cases, fingerprint technology, and history of the FBI. Interactive activities and videos explain crime-solving. Links to the "Laboratory Services" in main page gives extensive information on forensic science and analysis.
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NOVA: "Create a DNA Fingerprint
This activity involves solving a mystery by first creating a DNA fingerprint. Then compare the DNA fingerprint to all seven suspects to uncover the perpetrator. Related links about DNA are given.
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DNA Extraction: Biotechniques Virtual Lab
This interactive takes students through a virtual DNA extraction. Instructions on extracting DNA from anything living is provided in the "Try It Yourself!" link.
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Human Body The Real CSI: Crime Autopsy
From National Geographic, a pathologist performs an autopsy in order to solve a mystery. NOTE: This is a graphic video of an autopsy.
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Human Body Body Farm
View the video on this open-air crime scene lab known as the Body Farm. Decomposing corpses allow detectives to learn how to solve murders.
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Fingered Felons
This activity allows students to experiment with fingerprinting and analyze evidence to solve a classroom crime. NOTE: This site contains advertising.
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eThemes Resource: Forensic Science
These sites explain how forensic science and the scientists that study physical evidence and solve crimes. Many sites focus on fingerprints, hair fibers, bones, blood, and more. Here are lots of resources like games, simulations, case study, and articles which can help with teaching and learning. There are links to an eThemes Resource on espionage and spies.
