Forensic Science

Forensic Science is the application of the scientific method to solving mysteries. Forensic scientists draw on skills from a number of disciplines in order to gather evidence and draw conclusions about an event. Teachers may use the subject of forensic science to stimulate interest in the various disciplines of science among their students. The discipline is particularly useful in the classroom because it emphasizes hands-on learning and gives students the opportunity to develop their reasoning skills.

Many of the activities on this site use computers and computational science. Such methods are useful to forensic scientists because they allow scientists to view evidence with greater clarity, to simulate specific events and to save time by automating tedious processes.

This portion of the site is dedicated to resources designed to help teachers with some of the activities found on the main page. Some of the resources found here are complementary, others do not yet have a counterpart on the main site. Please bear with us as we continue to add more resources to the site.

	Lesson Plans Suggested lesson plans you can use in the classroom including worksheets and handouts.
	Skills One of the most useful tools a scientist has is the ability to reason. Logic skills are important in all fields of scientific inquiry. The activitivies on this page are designed to help students practice their observation skills, recognize the subjective nature of the human mind, and learn methods of reasoning.
	Lab Experiments Another tool in the forensic scientists arsenal is a grounded understanding in the basic sciences. Principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and even entymology aid in collecting and interpreting evidence. Students can experiment with the technical methods used in forensic science using these hands-on labs.
	Investigations Students combine their scientific knowledge and computer modeling skills with their deductive reasoning ability to solve mysteries.
	Resources Links to useful resource materials on the Web, online mysteries and reference books. Library.