It’s always fun to learn new things in more creative ways and setting up a crime scene classroom is an effective way to reach your students’ interests.
Crime scene investigation is said to be an English language activity that targets collaborative work development and critical thinking skills.
Although, there are various activities such as language writing, performing plays, and the like. Setting up a classroom crime scene is another way to encourage students to enjoy and create a memorable experience as well.
Here are a few guidelines to have a thriving classroom crime scene.
- Deciding where and how much is the right amount of space that you will need to create a classroom crime scene is a must. You will need to plan carefully where it should be set up. Of course, this may not be the same case if you are sharing a classroom with someone else, so it is better to talk about it first and inform the other teacher what your lesson plans are.
- Choose the appropriate crime. You have to consider who will be involved in your crime scene. Your crime should also be applicable to your students’ ages.
- Decide where you are placing all your clues. It will test your creativity on how to set up clues in your crime scene.
- Put in some restricted signs. It is realistic and brings realistic feel to the crime scene they are solving. The best way here is to rope around some caution tapes that give your students an idea that they should not go beyond that area since it’s a crime scene!
- Let them wander. Although, this was a plan and set up as your activity. It is best to let them walk through the crime scene and investigate it on their own.
Generally, we can use all kinds of language activities here such as prepositions, using passive voice, narrations, question and answers, and even role-playing. You can also encourage your students to share their ideas, suggestions by using conditionals, modal verbs, and progressive tenses.
Here are some great ideas in setting up your classroom into a crime scene.
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Table of Contents
Ice Breaker: Missing Muffin (Teachers Pay Teachers)
Link: Mystery Game – Missing Muffins – Great Ice Breaker Activity!
This is a great fun mystery game. It encourages students to critical thinking, finding reasoning, and team building skills. Best suited from 3rd to 8th-grade levels.
Case of the Missing Test (TPT)
Link: The Case of the Missing Test
For 3rd to 7th-grade levels, this one is so easy to use and you can use it to engage the whole class.
Critical Thinking: Library Mystery Game (TPT)
Kids love to solve mysteries and this game is very exciting.
Drawing Conclusions: Kidnapped Principal (TPT)
Link: Drawing Conclusions Crime Scene Investigation
Students will definitely love this. Students analyze suspects by highlighting what connects them to the crime scene.
Real Life Forensic Science Activities (Amazon)
Link: Crime Scene Investigations: Real-Life Science Activities for the Elementary Grades 1st Edition
A unique classroom science investigation activity with 60 exciting lessons and activity sheets.
Master Detective Toolkit (Amazon)
Link: Thames & Kosmos Master Detective Toolkit | Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner
Learn how to be detectives that use forensic science to gather evidence, answer questions, and solve crime scenes.
Crime Catchers Spy Kit (Amazon)
Scientific Explorer Crime Catchers Spy Science Kit
A fun and safe educational science kit that lets you solve crime scenes.
Young Detectives: Crazy Scientist Kit (Amazon)
This science experiment kit is a great starter kit, especially for kids.
Forensic Investigations: Reproducible Activity Book (Amazon)
Link: Carson-Dellosa Forensic Investigations Resource Book Paperback
4th graders to 8th grades will surely enjoy this, enhance your students deductive-reasoning skills and crime-solving hidden talents.
CSI in the Classroom Book
Give your students the best motivation in learning with excitements going into your class.
Classroom Stations: Case of the Vandalized Wall (TPT)
Link: FORENSIC SCIENCE – Case of Vandalized Wall
This is the best time to catch your students’ interests in science by investigating and solving a crime scene.
Elementary Classroom: Cookie Jar Mystery (TPT)
Forensic Science: The Cookie Jar Mystery and Mock Trial Complete Set
This mystery game “The Cookie Jar Mystery” is great for upper elementary school students to unleash their detective skills within.
Critical Thinking: Missing Crown (TPT)
The Case of the Missing Crown – A Mystery Game -Critical Thinking and Inferences
Another fun mystery game! Definitely, your students will love to solve mysteries with this game. Let your students solve “The Case of the Missing Crown”.
Making Inferences: Hands-on Crime Scene Activities (TPT)
A HANDS-ON Crime Scene Investigation: An Activity in Making Inferences
With this CSI activity, your students will enhance their critical thinking skills as they journey to solve the crime.
With all of these CSI activities, your students will have the chance to work together in examining the crime scene, find clues, and take down notes. They will also have to interact with the witnesses to ask questions and have the time to collaborate with each other as they share the gathered evidence and theories they have in mind.
Aside from collaborative work development, your students will also develop their language writing and speaking skills. You can give your students a homework case study about the crime they had investigated, or a newspaper project is a great project for your students. This method will enhance your students’ writing skills. If possible, let them speak out their thoughts and theories about the case they had investigated. Which would encourage your students to speak freely and at the same time develop their speaking skills.
A Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) activity is a favorite class activity that can be done every year and kids love it. Your students will never forget this memorable experience!
Visit our Crime Scene Kits page to order science lab materials for your classroom.
