Chapter 13
Soil Evidence
Embedded Files
End of Chapter Activities
End of Chapter Activities
Below you will find case studies and case file activities students may complete at the end of the chapter. I have included the "Scenario" statements provided in the student textbook for each activity. For cases that do not list a "Scenario" or for scenarios that are extensive, I have provided a description of objectives instead. These "Case Files" will be used to guide each chapter.
Students will engage in many other activities provided by the textbook resource and they will access all activities through the Schoology platform.
Case Studies
Case Studies
Japanese Fire Balloons—First Intercontinental Weapon (1944–1945)
Japanese Fire Balloons—First Intercontinental Weapon (1944–1945)
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena (1985)
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena (1985)
Janice Dodson (1995)
Janice Dodson (1995)
Matthew Holding, South Australia (2000)
Matthew Holding, South Australia (2000)
Case Files
Case Files
Forensic Science Investigation Activities
Sand Observation
Sand Observation
By the end of this activity, you will be able to:
Prepare a petri dish containing four different sand samples from four suspects.
Prepare one small petri dish containing sand evidence from a crime scene.
Compare and contrast different samples of sand.
Describe at least three physical characteristics of sand that can be used to distinguish one sand sample from another.
Argue your claim using scientific evidence as to why the crime-scene sand evidence is consistent or inconsistent with the suspect.
Sorting of Sand Using Sieve Plates
Sorting of Sand Using Sieve Plates
By the end of this activity, you will be able to:
Compare and contrast different samples of sand.
Determine the mass of sand grains.
Determine the percentage of different sized sand grains.
Describe each of the sorted layers of sand.
Determine the percentage of the three soil textures.
Sorting of Sand by Size and Shape
Sorting of Sand by Size and Shape
By the end of this activity, you will be able to:
Compare and contrast sand samples using photographs of sand.
Estimate the size of sand grains.
Identify different shapes of sand grains.
Determine how well a sand sample is sorted.
Examination of Sand and Mineral Percentages
Examination of Sand and Mineral Percentages
Five suspects were identified in a theft of property from a beach house. The suspects’ shoes were examined, and the sand found in their shoes was compared with the sand found at the beachfront property. Microscopic examination, acid tests, analyses of mineral compositions, and determinations of size and texture are used to compare sand samples.
Chemical and Physical Analysis of Sand
Chemical and Physical Analysis of Sand
Customs officials from New York City noted the presence of sand in a crate containing narcotics. The sand was analyzed and found to be composed of quartz, feldspar, and shell fragments from a high-energy beach (a beach with powerful wave action). Sand samples from each of the four possible ports were compared with the sand sample found on the crate containing the narcotics in an attempt to trace the drugs back to their origin.
Soil Evidence Examination
Soil Evidence Examination
Police recovered a kidnapped child who was taken from his home and hidden in an abandoned barn. Witnesses reported the license plates of four different vehicles seen at the abandoned barn over the past week. The four vehicles were found, and the suspects were questioned. Soil samples were recovered from the wheel wells of each of the suspects’ vehicles. Determine whether any of the soil samples taken from the suspects’ cars’ wheel wells are consistent with the soil found at the crime scene.
Bertino, A. J., & Bertino, P. (2020). Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations (Forensic Science, Fundamentals and Investigations) (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning.
Possible Teacher Resources
Possible Teacher Resources
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