Curated OER
Writing As Criminal Evidence
Students research 2 famous forgery cases. For this forensics lesson, students are introduced to the methods of handwriting and paper analysis. They then use the Internet to study the cases of the Lindbergh baby and Howard Hughes'...
Curated OER
Guide to Reading Prints
In this forensic science activity, students read a guide to analyzing fingerprint evidence and answer 3 short answer questions about it.
Curated OER
Wanted - Butch and Sundance
Students explore forensic anthropology. Given data, students determine which bones might have been the remains of which individual. They discuss how scientists work with inconclusive data.
Curated OER
America's Stone Age Explorers
Students watch a Nova program examining the earliest in habitants of the Americas. In groups. they take notes on various topics covered in the program. Among the topics covered are: the Clovis people, Solutrean culture, migration...
Kenan Fellows
Unit 2: DNA Analysis
Ever wonder how they solve those mysterious murders in TV crime dramas? The second of four units in a Biotechnology series introduces scholars to the many methods of DNA analysis. Pupils create and run their own gel electrophoresis...
Curated OER
Handwriting and Forgery
Pupils determine how forensics analyze handwriting samples. In this physical science lesson, students research how handwriting analyses help solve their assigned cases. They prepare a skit and present it in class.
Cornell University
Plant Cell Crime Scene
Use science to solve the mystery of the Poplar murder. Pupils use forensic botany to determine if a suspect could be the killer. By analyzing images from a Transmission Electron Microscope, learners determine if the material found on the...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Flame Test Colours
Scientists identify elements by the color of flame they produce because each element is defined by exactly one line on the emission spectrum. By completing a series of puzzles, scholars reinforce their knowledge of the results of flame...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Units of Volume
Did you know in the UK a quart is smaller than in America? This explains why a standard unit of measure is necessary for volume. Young scientists learn the similarities and differences between five different units used to measure volume....
Curated OER
Science: Entomology in Action
Students discover how coroners use insect life cycles to estimate the time of death in cases. they describe how forensic entomologists combine environmental factors with insect life cycles to note the changes. Students examine an...
Curated OER
Murder Mystery
High schoolers examine how to capture foot prints while they simulate a criminal investigation. They discover how the clues are needed for identifying or eliminating murder suspects.
Curated OER
Careers in Chemistry
Students watch a video about careers in chemistry. In this Chemistry lesson plan, students will research chemistry careers and chose one to do further research on.
Curated OER
America's Stone Age Explorers
Students research how mitochondrial DNA is used in determining familial relationships. They complete a worksheet in which they attempt to help solve the identity of bones found in Africa.
Shmoop
ELA - Literacy.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.6
Key to understanding scientific or technical texts is identifying the underlying question the author is attempting to answer. Provide your young scientists with an opportunity to practice identifying these questions and the procedures...
101 Questions
Bone Collector
Feel like a detective yet? Pupils first watch a brief clip from the movie The Bone Collector. Using a photo of the suspect's footprint next to a dollar bill, they then use proportions to determine the size of the suspect's shoe.
Curated OER
Last Flight of Bomber 31
Students act as forensic scientists to help solve a long-standing missing persons case. They study nuclear DNA and mtDNA.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark in Columbia River Country
High schoolers interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this research skills lesson plan, students research the death of Meriwether Lewis using forensic evidence presented in...
Curated OER
Blood, I Presume?
Students explain the value of blood in trials. In this DNA lesson students work together to collect and share information and ideas that they come up with after learning how to distinguish blood from other stains.
Curated OER
Blood Business
Students identify the different kinds of blood. In this biology instructional activity, students investigate the antigens, agglutinins and Rh factor using their own blood. They use Punnett squares to predict blood type of offspring.
Curated OER
Biology: Howler Monkeys Tell All
Students examine a PBS special about howler monkeys as an introduction to scientific forensic investigative methods. In groups, they conduct a host of experiments containing clues which point to discovery. By challenging assumptions,...
Curated OER
What Does That DNA Molecule Really Look Like???
Students extract DNA from animal liver cells. They separate, collect and describe the appearance from the extracted DNA while role playing as an intern in a city's forensics.
Curated OER
Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson Plan 2: PCR and DNA Diagnosis
Students discuss the importance of the Polymerase Chain Reaction for biologists. They explain what factors make the Polymerase Chain Reaction possible. Students explain the steps in thermocycling and what happens during each step.
Curated OER
Soil Detectives: The Case of the Lost Friends
Students show how soil varies across the landscape, they explain how soil can be used to solve mysteries. Pupils are introduced to techniques that would be used to distinguish soils from different places.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Kennewick Man: Science and Sacred Rights
"Have respect for the dead!" Scholars investigate how science and religion often clash. As they look into the laws of science and the laws of religion, the legal ramifications at the federal level of both play into an argument they...