This is the first unit in a high school Forensic Science course.  In this unit, students get a general idea of the different areas of forensics, learn some basics about laws and evidence, and how crime labs work.  After the Introduction unit, students are given the opportunity to become experts in 8 different areas of the lab. Each of the areas is a new unit of study in the course.  Treat your students as trainees in the crime lab!  Students earn a badge as they become expert in each type of evidence collection and analysis.  

You can download this unit plan now as a Google doc or as a PDF

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

• Explore the growth and development of forensic science through history
• Compare types of law in the criminal justice system
• List the federal rules of evidence, including the Frye standard and the Daubert ruling
• Understand how crime labs are organized and what services they provide
• Identify different jobs done by forensic scientists and experts they consult
• Compare indirect vs. direct evidence in a court of law
• Distinguish individual evidence from class evidence

 

NGSS Standards:

SP8	Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

 

Common Core ELA Standards:

RCA-ST.11-12.4	Determine the meaning of general academic vocabulary as well as symbols, notations, key terms and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context to grades 11-12 text and topics
RCA-ST.11-12.7	Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address a question or solve a problem
RCA-ST.11-12.9	Synthesize information from a range of sources into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible
RCA-ST.11-12.10	Independently and proficiently read and comprehend science/technical texts exhibiting complexity appropriate for the grade/course

 

Vocabulary

Part 1: Introduction to Forensics link to: vocabulary document or to quizlet

forensics	Locard’s Exchange Principle	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)	Forensic anthropology
Forensic pathology	odontology	psychology	psychiatry
toxicology	DNA fingerprinting	ballistics	serology
forgery

 

Part 2: Laws & Evidence link to: vocabulary document or to quizlet

Direct evidence	Indirect evidence	Individual evidence	Class evidence
US Constitution	Federal law	felony	misdemeanor
State law	Criminal law	Civil law	Frye Standard
Daubert Approach	Expert witness

 

Schedule

**Each day the class meets for 90 minutes

Day 1:	Course Expectations Begin Introduction to Forensics Lecture
Day 2:	Finish Introduction to Forensics lecture (45 min) Watch Modern Marvels – FBI’s Crime Lab
Day 3:	Begin History of Forensics Timeline project.  Due Day 5. Practice Vocabulary terms – Introduction to Forensics Quizlet
Day 4:	Lecture: Laws & Evidence (45 minutes) with note guide.   Quizlet: Laws & Evidence vocabulary terms
Day 5:	Unit Test: Introduction to Forensics Finish Timelines and Hand In

 

Daily Lesson Plans

Click on a day to open the full lesson plan document:

Day 1: What is Forensics?

Day 2: What is a Crime Lab?

Day 3: Researching the History of Forensics

Day 4: Laws & Evidence

Day 5: Assessment

*Each lesson plan is written for a 90-minute class, make adjustments based on different class times.

Activities & Resources

The documents linked throughout this unit plan are free to use and share.  Aside from the TPT resources, everything in the list below is freely available.

	Forensics Introduction Pinterest Page (my curated links to many, many helpful resources for this introductory unit)
	Forensics Introduction Note Guide to Accompany FREE prezi Forensics Introduction PowerPoint Presentation and Note Guide (same content as prezi) History of Forensics Timeline Project Laws & Evidence Note Guide to Accompany FREE prezi
	Modern Marvels FBI Crime Lab (also available on DVD through History Channel, Amazon, etc.)
	Forensics Introduction Prezi Laws & Evidence Prezi
	Forensics Introduction Quizlet Laws & Evidence Quizlet
	Send me an email – your feedback is important to me, and I am always looking for new topics and ideas to create

The next unit of study in the Forensic Science course is: Crime Scene Protocols

Check out the full course outline on the Forensics page.