Crack the Code: Blood Spatter Forensics Escape Room

Crack the Code" is an escape room style activity for use as part of any forensics unit on blood evidence, serology, and DNA fingerprinting. It contains 9 puzzles (plus a handful of bonus puzzles), covering the basic concepts of blood spatter, blood typing, crime scene reconstruction and DNA fingerprinting. Students must find hidden numbers, use decoders, and discover hidden messages to "Crack the Codes" and catch the crook! The puzzles contain short readings that help students to learn a brief history of forensics as well. Descriptions and solutions are provided for each puzzle. You can use all of the puzzles or choose just a few in designing your own custom escape room to match your needs. Provided are some suggestions for how to run an escape room in your classroom- from using actual 3 or 4 digit locks with boxes to simple answer sheet style "locks" for a no-cost experience. This simple pdf download is a great way to experience your first escape room in your classroom. My students LOVE this! So will yours!

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Check out my other 2 escape rooms- Physical Evidence and Fingerprint editions.

If you liked season 1 of the Serial podcast, then you will LOVE Bear Brook, a facinating tale of a murder that would make forensic history! Check it out for free. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bear-Brook-Murders-Podcast-Interrupted-Case-Study-Worksheet-Episode-1-4788564

Listen to episode 1 and I promise you'll be hooked!!! {https://www.bearbrookpodcast.com/}.

A “Top 10 Podcast of the Year” {https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2018-in-review/the-best-podcasts-of-2018}.

Also see my video guide for the critically-acclaimed Chernobyl miniseries on HBO.

You may also be interested in my video guide for Three Identical Strangers- the fascinating account of triplets separated at birth and reunited in their 20’s.  A riveting real-life examination of the nature vs nurture debate. A must see! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Three-Identical-Strangers-Interrupted-Film-Guide-and-Worksheet-with-Answers-4338684

Another activity I love is this podcast activity (link below) that uses the popular Radiolab podcast to introduce the important but complex topic of the CRISPR gene editing technique. This question and answer worksheet has students follow along with the podcast, answering questions as they go, but "interrupts" the podcast to have students think more deeply about the ethics and implications of this powerful new technology. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/CRISPR-Interrupted-Radiolab-Podcast-printable-worksheet-4329465