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A crime scene sketch holds a vast amount of information, making it an important part of any police investigation. When you bring a crime scene sketch into a forensic science lesson, that information becomes a valuable teaching tool—one that’s sure to interest even the most reluctant high school science students.

Add sketch-the-scene forensic science activities, lessons, and resources to your crime scene unit to help students practice following directions and applying practical math and observation skills. Your true crime unit will be memorable and educational!

True Crime Sketch-the-Scene Forensic Science Activities

True crime is a popular movie, television, and podcast genre for a reason. People are interested in the crime itself, but more than that, they’re intrigued by the way the forensic team works together to solve the crime quickly. Add an element of true crime to your STEM activities for high school, including sketch-the-scene forensic science activities, to show students how important evidence and details can be in police investigations.

• Crime Scene Investigators: Have students learn to sketch crime scenes as part of a unit on career exploration for high school students, and have them research more about the role of forensic scientists and crime scene investigators.
• Fictional Crime Podcast: Using true crime podcasts as inspiration, students can create a fictional crime event and plan a podcast episode (or series of episodes) that uses a crime scene sketch to solve the case.
• True Crime Research Project: Encourage groups or individuals to research a true crime event and report on the case procedure to the class, including an accurate and analyzed crime scene sketch.

💡Pro Tip: “True crime is a great way to pique students’ interest and get them more engaged in a crime scene sketching lesson plan. There are lots of documentaries out there, and students taking your forensics class are probably already watching them. Leave out the blood and gore, but incorporating similar types of evidence or themes for the type of crime, even the names of suspects and victims, can guide you to an appropriate usage of these true crimes.”
— Linda M., NYS Master Teacher Emeritus, from Small Town Science

Map out a true crime scene sketch

It’s one thing to map out a fictional crime scene, but what do real crime scenes look like? Teach students to map out a crime scene sketch from a true crime event that they’ve researched and analyzed themselves.

Crime Scene Sketch Assignment
By Life in Prism
Grades: 9th-12th
Subjects: Criminal Justice, Law, Forensics

Individuals and groups use forensic science sketch-the-scene skills to research a true crime event and map out the crime scene accordingly, using measurement parameters and details from case studies. 

Following Directions in Crime Scene Sketch Activities

Crime scene sketches help students practice following directions, especially when it comes to scientific procedures. Many aspects of forensic science are aligned to NGSS, including Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts, and each skill emphasizes the importance of following directions precisely. Use these sketch-the-scene forensic science activities to teach students how to follow procedural steps. 

• Logic Puzzles: Assign crime-related grid logic puzzles for students to practice narrowing down options, following directions, and drawing inferences.
• Partner Directions: Have pairs take turns reading each other directions for a crime scene sketch, and see how well they did with only verbal instructions for each sketch.
• Crime Scene Classroom: See how well students can follow directions by setting up a crime scene with provided materials, measurement tools, and very little teacher intervention.

Sketch the crime scene by following directions

How well can your students follow written directions? Incorporate this valuable skill in an upcoming science lesson or when teaching students about sketching crime scenes in a forensic science unit.

CSI Forensic Science: Follow the Directions – Crime Scene Sketch Edition
By Thelma and Louise – Teaching is a Breeze
Grades: 6th-12th
Subjects: Criminal Justice, Law, Forensics

Much of forensic science—and all science, for that matter—involves following directions. Take students through the necessary steps for sketching a crime scene in a forensic science lesson that leads individuals or groups through specific and detailed instructions, and includes student notes, teacher notes, and a blank crime scene printable.

Math and Measurement Forensic Science Ideas

Forensic scientists use mathematics every day, from measuring the elements of their crime scene to calculating the results of the evidence they collect. Use these sketch-the-scene forensic science activities as interdisciplinary opportunities to blend math and science in engaging ways.

• Blood Spatter Analysis: Students use geometry and trigonometry skills to decipher how a crime occurred based on blood spatter evidence in a crime scene.
• Scale Sketches Up: Using their algebraic and arithmetic skills, students take a sketch and scale it up to either a posterboard size or an entire classroom crime scene reconstruction.
• Polar Coordinate Mapping: Have groups triangulate their crime scene sketches with polar coordinates by establishing a reference point and measuring distance and angle to important evidence.

💡Pro Tip: “Students struggle with taking measurements and creating an appropriate scale to use for their formal drawing. I work one-on-one with small groups to take measurements of the crime scene. I try to keep the scene small and relatively rectangular with few objects/pieces of evidence in the scene. All measurements are recorded in a data table for that group to use. I find that with measurement and proportionality, students get a better understanding when they have had firsthand experience in seeing the scene in real life and on paper. They can visualize the connection.”
— Linda M., NYS Master Teacher Emeritus, from Small Town Science

Take a measured approach to crime scene investigation

Show students that they really will use all that measurement knowledge one day with a math-centered lesson in forensic science. These practical applications of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry can illuminate each concept in a new and fascinating way.

Forensic Science: Teach how to Sketch a Crime Scene
By Science of Curiosity
Grades: 9th-12th
Subjects: Forensics, Science

Scaffold an interdisciplinary crime scene sketching lesson with elements of mathematical measurement and forensic science. Students work through one step-by-step crime scene sketching activity with digital measurement tools before creating their own crime scenes based on what they’ve learned.

Triangulate the crime scene

One of the first things crime scene investigators do with a crime scene sketch is to triangulate it between two reference points and a piece of evidence. Show students how to perform this straightforward and important task with the math skills they’re learning now, along with thought-provoking crime scene sketch lessons.

Sketching the Crime Scene: Lesson Plan Bundle
By The Trendy Science Teacher
Grades: 8th-12th
Subjects: Criminal Justice, Law, Forensics, Science

A lesson plan, editable option notes, practice worksheet, and sketching activity take students through the basic steps of sketching and triangulating a crime scene the way forensic scientists do.

Compelling Crime Scene Activities for Art Class

Forensic science doesn’t just belong in science and math classes. Allow art students to hone their skills while practicing the different types of crime scenes, including rough sketches, finished sketches, overview and bird’s eye sketches, and exploited view sketches.

• Attention to Detail: Encourage art students to take more basic crime scene instructions and add artistic details, such as shading and perspective.
• Rough to Polished: Practice the art of quick sketches by giving art students a limited time to create their rough draft, while still providing enough context to make a later polished draft possible.
• Composite Sketches: Given the detail they discover and analyze in an interdisciplinary crime scene lesson, such as a suspect’s height and witness accounts, have students take turns playing “witness” (the person describing the subject) and the artist following their instructions.

Tips for Teaching Forensic Science

Follow these tips to set up the strongest forensic science unit possible, including practical crime scene setups and sketch-the-scene lessons.

• Include a variety of science skills that connect to National Institute of Standards and Technology forensic science standards, such as trace evidence lessons in chemistry or pattern interpretation in physics.
• Frontload the instruction before having a crime scene day, and try to keep the day itself mostly student-led. They should practice making their own inferences rather than filling in the blanks.
• Bring in experts to talk about the ways they use these skills every day, including forensic scientists or crime scene investigators.
• Focus on the crime scene analysis rather than the violence of the crime. Most high-school level forensic science lessons reduce the amount of violence in the description or images, so they rely on those materials.
• Have necessary tools on hand, such as magnifying glasses, dusting powder, microscopes, and anything you need for different types of evidence.
• Get involved with your school’s mock trial team as a joint project for your young scientists to analyze and report to the team as evidence.

💡Pro Tip: “As the teacher, you help to bring the excitement, but also act as a guide. I like to be a part of the process just as much as they do! Planning is also key. I need to think through all materials, the time it will take, and any possible obstacles we may encounter, before we even jump into the assignment. Do I need to reserve a room or location for a crime scene? Do I need to notify the administration or put up signs for the janitorial staff to make sure the scene does not get disturbed?”
— Linda M., NYS Master Teacher Emeritus, from Small Town Science

Practice inquiry-based learning with forensic science

Crime scene analysis is a practical and engaging way for students to apply the science, math, and artistic skills they’ve learned in class. Whether they’re working on sketch-the-scene forensic science activities or constructing a real-life crime scene in the classroom, they’ll follow their own curiosity to solve the crime (which is an excellent way to practice inquiry-based learning in any high school classroom). 
Use these activity ideas and more high school forensic science resources to get students thinking, working, and learning. They may even begin pursuing a career opportunity they’d never considered before!