Advanced Preparation

Before you start decide what experiments you want the students to perform. If you are using microscopes you can build an entire crime scene around items that you would look at under the microscope - hair, simulated blood on cloth, onion, threads etc. Draw a diagram of the crime scene.  

The day before your crime is to take place you need to spend some time setting up the crime scene. Allow plenty of time to set this up. The more involved the crime scene the more time it will take. The first couple of times I set these up it took me much longer than it does now. It usually takes between one to two hours to put everything out on the floor.  

Clear an area of the floor that is about 7 x 10 feet. Cover the area with the large white paper that is used to cover bulletin boards. I hold this down with masking tape. Have someone lay on the floor and draw an outline of their body. Place the other items on the floor according to your plan.  

I usually place things around that will point to several of the suspects. This allows for many more different scenarios. If it points too closely to one person the students will decide early in the investigation stage that they know who did it and not be open to any other suggestions.

Day 1

When the students come into the room the first day, tell them that when you arrived this morning you were greeted by the custodian and the police. What the students see on the floor was what the custodian discovered when he arrived at your door in the morning to unlock the door. At this point don't give them too many clues about what they will learn. The less said the better.

The first day the students write down everything they find at the scene of the crime and draw a detailed picture of the crime scene. Tell them that just like any case they will have to take very detailed notes about what is at the scene of the crime because they will need these notes later. They will not be able to revisit the crime scene. You will be picking this up after one or two days. (I don't have enough room to keep it on the floor and even by the end of one day you end up with evidence on the crime scene that you did not plant.  

Day 2

The second day sets the scene for solving the crime. On this day you read the police report to the students. You can have copies for them if you wish. I usually do not do this. I like to read the reports to the students to give this part more emphasis and add to the suspense. I have them put all of the information on index cards to be used when they are writing their scenarios at the end of the project.  

After I read the police report and the update, which describes how the body was lost on its way to the morgue or stolen from the morgue, I read the statements from the suspects. There are always facts in the statements that lead back to something that was found at the scene of the crime.

Solving the Crime

After all of the evidence at the crime scene has been examined, I have each student write what they think happened. They have the choice of whether there really was a crime or if the victim is on his way somewhere. Our school is located near train tracks, so I always have a statement saying that the victim was seen hoping a train.

They can propose whatever scenario they want as long as they have evidence to support what they say. They must include each piece of evidence in their scenario.

Their final report includes everything that they have done during the project including their drawings and list from the first day, their index cards from the suspects statements and the police report, and their laboratory report with the suspect that matches each piece of evidence.