Forensics

Age

High School

Format

Stage Show, Hands-on

Materials

   List materials like this...

Safety Precautions

Science Theatre demonstrators must keep the safety of themselves and their audience in mind at all times. All Science Theatre demonstrators must have read through the Safety Training page. The ST Safety Box with first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc. should always be available to demonstrators. Always wear safety gloves, glasses, and a labcoat if handling chemicals; always perform potentially dangerous demonstrations at a safe distance from the audience; and always keep a very close eye on any volunteers you call from the audience. Add safety information

Preparation

Most materials will be kept in the four boxes marked 'Forensics,' along with a printed copy of this script.

Demonstration

I. Introduction Introduce Science Theatre and the show. An exact script of this is found in Box 2. Introduce the story behind the murder mystery (on the next page of the script).

II. Crime Scene Stations (7) 1) Victim and Suspect Profiles At this station, there should be volunteers representing each of the five suspects and an 'FBI Agent' moderating the discussion. Each suspect gets a chance to state their alibi and then students can ask questions from the suspects. Be sure to give each student a 'victim and suspect profile' sheet as well as a suspect interrogation form (in the script) to write down alibis and the results of their questioning. 2) The Crime Scene Everyone should wear safety glasses and latex gloves for this demo.

First discuss the steps of processing a crime scene:

1-secure the scene;

2-record the scene, try to establish a point of entry;

3-conduct a search for physical evidence;

4-collect and package evidence;

5-obtain controls;

6-submit evidence to laboratory.

Here you only complete steps 2 and 3.

Tell the students the scene has been secured, so the next step is to record and conduct a search for physical evidence. Allow each student to survey the room for evidence and safety hazards to prevent inadvertent destruction of evidence. Have them sketch and describe the entire room, including locations of doors, windows and furniture. Measure distances in paces. From here the students to directly to the laboratory to see the analyzed results of things they see here.

Some good things to have them ask themselves during the investigation: What are the points of entry? What types of physical evidence are commonly found at crime scenes? What tools can be used to aid crime scene searches? What ways other than a sketch can you use to document a crime scene?

3) The Laboratory

Physical evidence can occur in many forms and encompass any object or material found at the crime scene. In the upcoming stations, we will address 4 common types of evidence: blood, documents, trace evidence (hairs and fibers) and fingerprints.