Activity 2.1 - Other clues to solve a crime

Learning Aims:

Reflection on which other types of evidence there might be, besides fingerprints.
Comparing pros and cons of different types of evidence.

Materials:

Pen and paper

Suggestions for use:

At first, students think for themselves which clues there might be.
In a classroom discussion students exchange their clues and discuss which are the most valuable.
How valuable a clue is, depends on the circumstances (if a crime takes place outside in muddy garden, it can be very useful to look for footprints).
The teacher can emphasize that it is not possible that in a crime scene all the things are investigated, depending on the severity of the crime. It is a bit out of balance if the police will take fingerprints, footprints, DNA-profiles, etc. in case of a bicycle theft.
Answers of the students (in the classroom discussion) might look like:

Clue	Easy to collect and use?	Unique way to identify criminals?
Fingerprints	+ -	++
Footprints (shoe size)	+ -	-
Footprints (profile)	-	+
DNA from blood	-	++

Let the students give valid arguments to decide which five clues are the most powerful

Possible questions:

Students can make a flow chart or table, where the evidence to collect depends on the circumstances. Part of this table might look like this:

	Yes	No
Is it raining outside or is it muddy?	Look for footprints.	Do not look for footprints.
Was there a struggle on the crime scene?	Look for blood traces.	Do not look for blood traces.