Forensic Soil Evidence Lab: Slides, Notes, Review and Lab

Description

Make Forensic Soil Evidence real for your students! Analyze and compare soil samples to solve the case of Missing: Hank the Hound. Hank was stolen from his backyard and there are five suspects. Students analyze soil samples from the wheel wells of each suspect, and a sample from the crime scene. Which suspect sample is a match to the crime scene?

Soil Lab resource includes:

Pre-Lab Google Slides: 27 interactive Google Slides teach students how to analyze soil samples in nine different ways. Interactive slides invite students to drag and drop images, click and watch video links, label diagrams, and answer questions – keeping them engaged in the learning process. Slides can be fully student led (great for a sub!) or be used for direct instruction, or a combination of both!
Pre-Lab Student Notes: 4 pages of notes and practice questions for students to complete while working through the Google Slides
KEY for the Pre-Lab Notes
KEY for the Pre-Lab Interactive Google Slides
Google Form Review: 15 multiple choice questions on an editable self-grading Google Form. Give this to students after completing the Pre-Lab notes and slides to see if there are any topics that you need to review before starting the Lab. This can also be used as an assessment.
Instructions for the Soil Lab: organized in nine separate parts so each part can be used as a single lab station, or different parts of the lab can be completed on different days. Each part is optional if you must take some out due to limited time or resources.
Student Lab Sheet: used to record data and observations from the lab
Teaching Guide: detailed and comprehensive, with everything you need to know for smoothly and easily setting up and running the lab.

Activities in the Soil Evidence Lab

Slides teach students about nine different ways to analyze and compare soil samples:

Determine soil texture by hand
Calculate soil texture with a Mason Jar and a Soil Texture Triangle
Determine soil color with the Munsell Color chart
Test the soil pH
Observe the soil under the microscope for shape, color, and weathering
Test the soil for the presence of carbonates
Test the soil for the presence of sulfates
Observe soil samples for fluorescent minerals with a Ultraviolet light
Observe soil samples for birefringence with polarizing filters

This entire resource is editable – easily take out or change any part of the Lab that you do not have time or resources for. The Teaching Guide includes alternative ideas for lab equipment and supplies to make set up as cheap and easy as possible.

Additional Forensic Trace Evidence Resources:

Intro to Soil Evidence and Case Studies
Forensic Soil Analysis Lesson: slides, notes, and review
Soil Evidence Lab
Paint Evidence Lesson: slides, notes, lab and review
Glass Evidence Lesson: slides, notes, review
Glass Evidence Lab: slides, notes, review, lab
Trace Evidence: Hair and Fiber Unit BUNDLE

More to come!

This resource will be part of a new Unit – Trace Evidence Part 2, which will include Soil, Paint, Glass, and Powder evidence.

Click HERE to see the full Pacing Guide and know how this resource fits into the whole Forensic Science Curriculum.

Click here to see a preview of Soil Evidence Lab!

Here is what some happy teachers are saying about this resource in our Teachers Pay Teachers store!

This fit my needs perfectly and my students loved it. Thank you for your hard work! – Jamie Q.

My forensic chemistry students wanted to expand the trace evidence unit beyond hairs and fibers so I purchased this resource on soil evidence. It was excellent! I love the way the student notes are organized to go along with the interactive slides. There were several videos linked in the slides that further explained some of the information. – Michele R.

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