forensic science
Mobile Crime Lab
Become a forensic scientist! Students work in teams to analyze evidence to determine who stole a valuable object.
Mobile Crime Lab: For Grades 4–8
- Location: We travel to you!
- Capacity: 30 students
- Duration: 45–60 minutes
- Cost: $200 (travel fees apply outside of Chicago)
- Mobile Labs are offered between 8 a.m. and noon and/or between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Skyline Scope & Sequence connection
4th: Vision & Light
5th: Modeling Matter
7th: Chemical Reactions
8th: Light Waves
Next Generation Science Standards
Science and Engineering Practices:
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Constructing explanations
- Engaging in argument from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information
Crosscutting Concepts:
- Cause and effect
- Patterns
- Systems and system models
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
ETS2: Links among engineering, technology, science and society
Common Core ELA/Literacy Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1, 3.3, 3.7, 3.10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.7, 4.10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.7, 5.10
Lab goals
Students will:
- Have an increased awareness of STEM careers.
- Understand the connection between ideas explored and careers that involve forensic science.
- Actively engage in inquiry-based, hands-on science investigation.
- Work collaboratively with peers.
- Communicate using terminology/vocabulary accurately.
- Analyze findings, develop a hypothesis and communicate results of who they infer committed a crime.
- Identify and describe methods of forensic science techniques including fingerprinting, chromatography, analyzing trace evidence and footwear, and powder analysis.