Activity Introduction

Quick summary: In this lesson, students will use what they have learnt about forensic science to create a crime scene scenario to be solved by other students. They will then present their crime scenes to other students, explain how to collect and analyse the evidence present and get the other students to try and solve the crime.

Learning intentions:

Students will work in groups to plan a crime scene and then get other students to try and solve it
Students will share their knowledge of forensic science and the skills they have learnt to other students.

21st century skills:

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 10 Science

Scientific understanding, including models and theories, is contestable and is refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community (ACSHE191)
People use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they accept claims, explanations or predictions, and advances in science can affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities (ACSHE194)

Syllabus outcomes: SC5-12ES, SC5-13ES

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding

Relevant parts of Year 10 achievement standards: Students evaluate the validity and reliability of claims made in secondary sources with reference to currently held scientific views, the quality of the methodology and the evidence cited. They construct evidence-based arguments and select appropriate representations and text types to communicate science ideas for specific purposes.

Topic: STEM

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work work: Real-life CSI – Secondary

Time required: 180 mins (split between three, 60 min lessons).

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low – the students should now have all the knowledge and skills they need to complete this task relatively independently, with minimal guidance from you.

Resources required:

Another class to be willing participants in having your class explain to them how to analyse a crime scene
By the end of the planning phase of this lesson and, each group will order from you the materials they need to construct their crime scene in the construction part of the lesson. If the materials aren’t available, they will need to come up with alternatives or provide them themselves
For the “solving” lesson, each group will need their crime scenes. You will also need:
- Gloves
- Hairnets
- Lab coats

Keywords: forensic science, crime scene investigation, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, STEM, evidence, trace evidence, fingerprints, impressions, blood splatter, Kastle-Meyer test, hair, DNA, genetics, DNA profiling, gel electrophoresis, polymerase chain reaction, forensic psychology, lies, lie detection, memory, eyewitness testimony, photofits, police line ups, reliability.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

Learning intentions: Students will...

... work in groups to plan a crime scene and then get other students to try and solve it
... share their knowledge of forensic science and the skills they have learnt to other students.

Success criteria: Students can…

... apply knowledge of forensic science and skills to plan a crime scene for other students
… communicate their crime scene to other students and the steps needed to solve them.

Teacher content information:

Note: If you have completed the rest of the lessons in this series, you may wish to skip this information as it is repeated from earlier lessons.

The work of a forensic scientist falls into three broad groups.

1. Field (collecting the evidence)

Forensic scientists can find evidence from the crime’s perpetrator at almost every crime scene. Trace (or fragmentary) evidence is any type of material left at or taken from a crime scene, or the result of contact between two surfaces such as sh

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: What is Forensic Science?

Using the space below, write down as much as you can remember or know of forensic science.

FORENSIC SCIENCE

Planning Your Crime Scene

What crime has been committed?
Who is the victim?
Who is the perpetrator of the crime?
What is the background to the crime (i.e. the scenario)? Make sure you include several suspects in this scenario. This will need to be provided to the people solving your crime scene.
What will your crime scene look like? Draw a picture on a separate sheet of paper.
What materials will you need? (e.g. doll, blood, etc.)
What pieces of evidence are you going to include (remember you need at least four)? Circle the evidence you plan to use.	Blood Fingerprints Tyre tracks (or other impressions like shoe prints) Hair DNA fingerprint results Eyewitness testimony (victim or witness

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Activity: Real-life CSI – DIY Crime Scene – Science – Year 10