We all want to start the year off with a great activity or inspiring discussion to engage our students and build a positive culture in the classroom.  I have found that in Forensic Science I have it easy, because the students usually come in with some interest in the topic.  At my school, they have been able to choose this course over other science topics!  This episode of Modern Marvels introduces them to the FBI Crime Lab and it is a great way to bring them in to forensics as a career.  In order to build enthusiasm at the beginning of the course there are a few things I like to do:

1. Introduce the badge system (another post on this is coming soon!)
2. Discuss the FBI and show the Modern Marvels episode described in this post
3. Introduce Sherlock Holmes and test their skills of observation

Forensic Expert Badges

When students enter my class they become trainees in the crime lab.  I have a badge sheet that my students keep in the front of their course binder.  There are 8 areas that they need to become expert in, to get a job in crime lab and pass the course.  As they meet the criteria in each area they get a badge!  I will elaborate on this in another blog post but I was pleasantly surprised at how well seniors in high school took to this process!  I printed stickers of the 8 badges and each time we finished a unit and they knew they met the criteria, they wanted to know when they would get their badge.  It was a great motivator!

Discuss the FBI

History Channel’s Modern Marvels Season 12 Episode 54 is available on DVD or YouTube:  Modern Marvels – FBI’s Crime Lab

I like to show this 45 minute video in the first few days of my 12th grade Forensic Science course as a great way to introduce students to some of the history of forensics and different areas of a crime lab.  This video also describes how the FBI is available to help all law enforcement agencies large and small.  We often have a discussion about “Why did you take this class?” or “Now that we have introduced some of the different areas of Forensics, what would you choose as your area of expertise?”  Many students come into the class saying that they want to be an FBI Agent!  In our Forensics Introduction lecture we discuss the different specialties and then we have some great class discussion around that.

You could play the video straight through and have students fill in the answers to the questions, or you could pause the video throughout to discuss the different topics as a class.  I usually take this approach.  I like to stop and pull the class together to discuss things that have just been presented in the video.  This also gives them time to focus on filling in the answers on the worksheet, and looking ahead to the next questions so they can have them on their mind as they watch.

This activity does work as a homework assignment since students can access the video online, and I’ve used it as a sub plan in the past too!  It is great that the video is on YouTube so students can watch it anywhere.  They also can pause it when they would like to fill in an answer.  The 3-page worksheet for students to follow and fill-in as they watch the video is available in my TPT store here: Modern Marvels FBI Crime Lab Video Worksheet

Introduce Sherlock Holmes

I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and it lends itself to this course very nicely.  All of the different movies and television series of his work that have come out in recently help to keep his stories and his methods relevant as well.  I’ll elaborate on how to incorporate Sherlock into the course in another post.  At the start of the year, I like to take a poll of the class to see who has heard of the character.  You may be surprised at the results!  Then, there is a very short video at the end of the Forensics Introduction lecture introducing his methods, and we like to discuss how crimes were investigated in the 1800s.  There a several ways to compare then to now.

This is part of my Introduction to Forensics Unit.  Access the Unit Plan for links to lesson plans, prezis, quizlets, and other resources.

If you would like to purchase the Modern Marvels: FBI Crime Lab DVD through Amazon, click below: