Forensics Basics: Teach Direct vs Circumstantial Evidence
Teach students the difference between Direct and Circumstantial evidence. It also shows students the unreliability of direct evidence (eyewitness testimony), and therefore the extreme importance of circumstantial evidence – which is what Forensic Science is all about!
Teach students the difference between Direct vs Circumstantial evidence. It also shows students the unreliability of direct evidence (eyewitness testimony), and therefore the extreme importance of circumstantial evidence – which is what Forensic Science is all about!
The Direct vs Circumstantial Evidence resource includes:
Google Slides – 16 slides NO PREP This lesson is student – led, the teacher needs only to give students access! It includes…
An explanation of the difference between direct and circumstantial evidence
Ask students to evaluate their own merits as an eyewitness with three short video clips that test student’s observation skills, sure to stump even your most observant students!
Three minute news clip from CNN investigating the unreliability of human memory and perception
A TedTalk that puts it all together, including the story of how two eyewitnesses put an innocent man behind bars for eight years, and explaining why witnesses so often get it wrong.
Video clips are broken up into parts to allow students to think about and answer built in questions as they go along
Ten fill in the blank and processing questions based on the video clips
Four open ended questions asking students to evaluate their thoughts as they learn
Six question Google Form: Examples of Direct vs. Circumstantial Evidence – a great way for students to practice identifying examples of Direct vs Circumstantial evidence. It is self-grading!
KEY for Direct vs Circumstantial Evidence Google Slides is also included to make grading easier!
Teachers Guide: Includes tips on how to assign, grade, and collect student work! This resource is fully editable! Feel free to change anything to fit your own class.
“…after grading 92 Direct vs Circumstantial assignments – WOW – I could see the kids change their thinking IN the work. They started out thinking Direct was better and at the end they saw the value of Circumstantial. For an at home assignment to pull out that thinking is just awesome.” – Jessica M.
My forensic science class can be a struggle to motivate on most days. But they loved this lesson! It is engaging and thought provoking. A great resource I will continue to use. – Ashton H. November 7, 2021
The embedded videos were fantastic! The ease of use and the professional look of the slides added to the experience. Students were able to work independently, as needed, but also had a lot to say in the chat as they discovered how fallible our memory actually is. – S.J. January 11, 2021
Bundle and Save! This resource is part of the Unit Bundle!
