High School Forensic Science Crime Scene Investigations: 10 Engaging Cases for Critical Thinking

Bring the excitement of crime-solving into your classroom with this 10 Crime Scene Investigation Activity Bundle tailored specifically for high school forensic science students. Each investigation immerses students in realistic scenarios that will have them thinking like detectives, evaluating evidence, and piecing together the clues to solve each mystery. These cases are designed to challenge students' critical thinking, develop their analytical skills, and keep them fully engaged throughout the learning process.

What’s Included:

• Case Overviews: Ten different crime scene narratives present unique situations for students to investigate.
• Witness Statements: Detailed accounts from multiple witnesses encourage students to evaluate reliability and bias.
• Suspect Graphic Organizer: A pre-filled suspect list for each case that allows students to gather evidence for and against each suspect.
• Investigation Questions: Guided questions that promote analysis and draw students to logical conclusions.
• Answer Keys: Comprehensive answer keys to assist teachers in evaluating student work.

The 10 Crime Scene Cases:

The Poisoned Picnic:

• A festive community picnic turns tragic when several attendees fall ill after eating a shared dish. Students must piece together witness testimonies, evaluate food contamination, and narrow down the suspect list to find out who tampered with the dish

The Sabotaged Science Experiment:

• A promising chemistry student’s science fair experiment goes awry, producing dangerous smoke instead of the expected results. Students will explore motivations, analyze evidence of tampering, and determine if jealousy played a role in this case of sabotage.

The Art Heist:

• A priceless painting is stolen from a museum, seemingly without a trace. Students will evaluate security footage, question suspicious behaviors, and investigate relationships among museum staff and attendees to figure out who walked away with the masterpiece.

The Vandalized Car:

• A quiet neighborhood is shocked when Mr. Thompson's car is found covered in graffiti and with its tires slashed. Was it an act of revenge, a prank gone wrong, or something else entirely? Students must determine which suspect had the motive, opportunity, and means.

The Warehouse Fire:

• A warehouse storing construction supplies goes up in flames under suspicious circumstances. Students will investigate the possibility of arson, analyzing witness testimonies and suspect motives to determine who had the most to gain from the fire.

The Missing Test Papers:

• Final exam papers disappear from Mrs. Thompson’s locked desk drawer. Students will evaluate who had access to the staff room and investigate motives ranging from helping friends to undermining authority, leading them to uncover the truth behind the missing tests.

The Stolen Cow:

• On a small farm, a prize-winning cow named Bessie mysteriously vanishes overnight. Students must explore the relationships between the farm owner, neighboring farmers, and farmhands to determine who had a reason to steal Bessie and how they did it.

The Stolen Formula:

• A groundbreaking chemical formula goes missing from a high-tech research lab, jeopardizing months of work. Students will investigate rival scientists, disgruntled employees, and others who had access to the formula to determine who could have stolen it—and why.

The Warehouse Theft:

• A series of items go missing from a shipping warehouse, with no clear sign of forced entry. Was it an inside job, or did someone find a way to bypass security? Students will work through testimonies and logistics to identify the culprit and the methods used.

The Stolen Necklace:

• A valuable necklace disappears during a high-society event. The investigation leads students through alibis, potential motivations of jealousy or greed, and witness contradictions to determine who was responsible for the theft.

Great for:

• Sub Plans: These activities require minimal setup, making them perfect for substitute teachers while keeping students actively engaged in learning.
• Deeper Learning: Encourage deeper thinking with activities that challenge students to evaluate evidence critically and make informed decisions based on the data provided.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze and Evaluate Evidence: Students will practice gathering, evaluating, and connecting evidence to solve complex problems.
• Develop Logical Reasoning: Students will build logical reasoning skills by connecting witness testimonies and physical evidence to identify suspects.
• Enhance Reading Comprehension and Writing: Students will improve their reading comprehension through case studies and articulate their findings in investigation summaries.

Aligned Common Core Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in collaborative discussions.

Courses:

• Forensic Science: Perfect for supplementing a high school forensic science course, providing hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities.
• English Language Arts (ELA): Ideal for ELA classes that want to incorporate nonfiction and analytical reading components into their lessons.
• Criminal Justice and Social Studies: Great for exploring themes related to criminal justice, sociology, and human behavior.

Ready to unlock your students' critical thinking potential? Explore my store for a treasure trove of reading comprehensions that tackle diverse themes and inspire insightful discussions. From historical mysteries to scientific explorations, there's something for every classroom!

Support a fellow educator and get rewarded! Purchase this resource, leave a review, and earn TeachShare credits you can use on any product on the platform. Your feedback helps others and benefits you too!

Related Products

Forensic Mysteries

• Unleash the CSI in your students! Explore 10 real-life forensic mysteries with this captivating reading comprehension bundle!

Forensic Files 

• Unleash the detective within your students with this captivating bundle of 12 reading comprehension worksheets that explore the diverse wonders of forensic science!

Forensic Case Files

• Become crime scene detectives! Captivating forensic science cases through reading comprehension, igniting critical thinking skills.

Serial Killer Reading Bundle

• Unravel the chilling narratives of history's most infamous serial killers with this in-depth reading comprehension bundle!

Unsolved Mysteries Reading Bundle 

• Unravel the mysteries of true crime with 10 engaging reading comprehension worksheets, fostering critical thinking and analysis of real-world cases.