CSI Science Class

We covered light, optics, and fluorescence in class.  As a culminating activity, we set up a crime scene investigation for my students to work through.

THE HORROR!!

I brought in a stuffed animal owl (Thisty the Owl) from home to play the victim.  He was missing and the students had to follow a UV blood trail to find the body.

Ship this poor bird off to the morgue.

They also used magnifying glasses to match fingerprints to our database.  This gave us suspects to interrogate.  I wrote scripts for students to follow, and I even interrogated my guinea pig, Bridget.

Besides fingerprints and blood, the students founf hairs and fibers at the crime scene.  They used microscopes to match with our database of fibers to narrow our search to a final suspect.

Guinea pig hair has a bumpy texture.

Human hair does not.

Using the evidence they gathered and the testimony of the suspects, the students had to justify who they chose to blame the crime on.  (It was Bridget)