Who's The Culprit?
Evelyn Williams John Hope Academy
5515 S. Lowe Ave.
Chicago IL 60621
(312) 535-3160
Objectives:
This activity is suitable for the students in grades 4th thru 12th. Students
will be able to use science process skills to:
1) Identify the pattern of each of their fingerprints;
2) Become familiar with the process of fingerprinting;
3) Formulate a hypothesis regarding the identity of a suspect based on
fingerprint information.
Materials Needed:
wide transparent tape ceramic cup
pencils magnifying glass
worksheets
Procedure:
Part 1
To get attention, make a loud sound - sirens sound.
Create a mystery - one fingerprint left as evidence.
Discuss the uniqueness of people leading to the fact that fingerprints are the
only total uniqueness that people possess. Compare and contrast pictures of
twins.
Each student will carry out the following steps to create his own fingerprint
card.
1. Use a pencil to shade in the square on a piece of scratch paper or
worksheet.
2. Rub the pad of your finger over the darkened area until it is darkened.
3. Carefully, press a piece of tape over the darkened area of your finger,
being very careful not to smudge the print.
4. Remove the tape and place it in the appropriate box on your "Unique You"
worksheet.
5. Repeat with each finger and darken the area with the pencil again between
each printing.
6. Use a magnifying glass to classify each print as a whorl, loop or arch.
______________________________________________________________________________
"UNIQUE YOU" WORKSHEET
Right Hand
1 Thumb 2 Index 3 Middle 4 Ring 5 Little
Print
Classification _________ _________ ________ ________ ________
Left Hand
10 Little 9 Ring 8 Middle 7 Index 6 Thumb
Print
Classification __________ _________ __________ _________ _________
Part 2
Divide the class into groups of four to five students each. Each group will
receive a coffee mug and a blank reference fingerprint card for each person in
the group. Each person will make a print of his/her thumb or index finger
(group decision) and place it on the reference card. One person will make and
additional print and put it on the coffee mug. Each group will trade coffee mugs
and fingerprint reference cards with another group. The groups will work
together to:
A) Classify the print on the mug as whorl, loop or arch;
B) Compare the print to those on the reference card and identify whose
print is on the mug; and
C) Report your findings to the class to see if your identification was
correct.
Part 3 Graph
Make a class profile of the right hand of each member of the class. Are there
more loops, whorls or arches? As an additional exercise, make a class profile
to compare and contrast the prints of the right and left hands.
Assessment:
Lift a fingerprint from their own finger.
Classify it as arch, whorl, or loop.
Match a mystery print with previously lifted print.
References:
Mystery At The Museum- Imaging: The Tools of Science, Museum of Science and
Industry, Chicago, IL
AIMS Activities that Integrate Math and Science, AIMS Educational Foundation
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