Written in Ink!

In Mrs. Johnson’s science classroom, an awful crime has taken place: someone has broken her cookie jar! In an effort to solve the mystery of “whodunit,” Mrs. Johnson has decided to involve her students. 

“We’re not detectives,” began Ashley, shaking her ponytail doubtfully. “How can we solve the mystery?” 

“Well, this IS a science class,” said Mrs. Johnson. “We know how to do experiments. Investigating a crime is usually done by a team of technicians who’ve been trained in forensic science. 􏰁Forensic science uses scientific tools and skills and e􏰂xperiments to solve crime􏰃related puzzles.” 

“You know, just like they do on TV,” interjected Jack. “It’s just like CSI!” 

“You’re right, Jack. Forensic science is very popular right now, in television, books, and in movies. But it’s not entirely new! Some people think forensic science is new, but scientists have been using special techniques to solve crimes for hundreds of years.” 

“In our last class, we examined the scene of the crime and took statements from our suspects, but we weren’t able to determine who broke the cookie jar,” said Mark to his classmates. “What else can we do?” 

“Well, there was a note!” exclaimed Ashley. “That must be a clue!” 

Mrs. Johnson motioned for her students to take their seats. She crossed her arms in front of her and thought for a moment. “Ashley suggested that the note might be a clue, a kind of evidence. But evidence of what?” 

􏰄George, a normally q􏰅uiet boy, spoke up. “􏰆ell, the note is evidence if it helps us figure out the truth.” 

“What do you think the note can tell us, George?” asked Mrs. Johnson. “Yeah,” said Mark. “It’s not like the criminal signed it!” 

“If the paper was a special paper, too, like a certain colour paper or graph paper, we might be able to connect it to a particular person.” 

“But this paper’s not special,” offered Jack glumly. “The note’s just on regular school paper, the same kind we all use.” 

“Well, maybe there’s something in the handwriting,” said George. “We don’t all write alike, so maybe we can figure out who the author is.” 

“Good, good thinking,” nodded Mrs. Johnson. “You’re on the right track. I’ve got two ex􏰂periments for us today.  􏰁First—as G􏰄eorge suggested􏰃􏰃 we’ll tackle handwriting analysis. Then, we’ll use a special process called ink chromatography to see if we can match the ink on the paper to a particular pen.” 

Jack rubbed his hands together. “We’re hot on the criminal’s trail, Mrs. J!” Mrs. Johnson laughed. “Let’s get started.” 

The way we learn to write in school stays with us for a very long time. We learn to hold the pen in a particular way, to shape the letters in a certain fashion and how to space words and lines. These are all things used in analyzing 

a document. Forensic handwriting specialists study suspicious documents for the printing or writing style, the paper and the ink. 

The study of handwriting in forensic science involves comparing written documents
such as ransom notes or forged contracts
with “known” handwriting samples, or already existing samples of a suspect’s handwriting. Investigators look closely at many characteristics when they are examining handwriting, such as: 

Form is the shape of the letters and their slant, how the letters are connected and the use of curves. 

Line quality is the thickness of the line caused by the type of writing tool used and the amount of pressure used while writing. 

Arrangement is how the letters and words are placed on the page. This includes spacing and how things are lined up. 

Content includes the spelling, phrasing, punctuation, and grammar of the document. 

In 1922, a few scraps of paper helped capture the Yule Bomb Killer. On December 27th, Clementine Chapman opened a package
that she thought was a late Christmas gift. It exploded. The packaging was pieced back together and from just a few words recovered from the address label, the police were able to trace the bomber. 

The misspelling of words, in an area of Wisconsin with a high illiteracy rate, pointed to someone who did not speak English well. The community was small and only one person had been feuding with Chapman over land boundaries. This gave this person a motive for the crime, and made him a suspect. A handwriting sample, as well as ink and bomb-making materials, were found in the suspect’s home. They led to the arrest of John Magnuson, who had been born in Sweden. 

“Expert” witnesses are not the only witnesses who can testify about the genuineness of handwriting. People who are familiar with
a person’s handwriting can also testify if the handwriting really belongs to someone. Their opinions are considered by the court along with the opinions of the experts. For example, if throughout her life a daughter received many letters from her mother, she would be an excellent witness to determine if a letter was written by her mother’s hand. 

At first, comparisons are done with the naked eye or with a hand-held lens. For further investigation, special lighting can help to reveal small details about how a document was changed or created. Angled lights can show indents on the paper that might suggest a signature was traced. Backlighting shows eraser use and makes correction fluids look dark. 

Forensic handwriting specialists can match a suspect’s sample or “known” handwriting with a note left at the crime scene. 

Our Suspects and Their Statements

Spaceship Cookies! (This is technically not part of the course but it’s too cool not to share!)

First chocolate cookies baked in outer space!

spaceship cookies

Did you know it takes over 2 hours to bake cookies in outer space?!!!

I wonder what happens to forensic evidence in outer space?!!

That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles

It was just after 9 a.m. when Mrs. Johnson, a popular science teacher at Crooked Creek Middle School, made her way to her 9:15 science class. She’d spent her first period of the day in the Teachers’ Lounge, correcting papers and drinking coffee.
Outside the classroom door, she looked briefly at her watch, and shifted her clumsy armload of student folders and papers. “The students will be here in ten minutes,” she muttered as she nudged at the partially open door. Strange, she thought to herself, the classroom door is usually closed. She located the light switch and flipped it on.
“Oh-oh!” began the teacher. “This does not look good!”
The broken glass scattered in front of her desk surprised Mrs. Johnson. Not only was the glass dangerous, she wondered immediately if anyone had been hurt. She set her pile of books down on a nearby student desk and approached the mess on the floor, careful not to touch anything.
Sadly, Mrs. Johnson recognized the broken glass as fragments from the cookie jar that normally was stored in a locked cabinet. Scattered among the broken glass, Mrs. Johnson could see remnants of the two dozen chocolate chip cookies she’d brought in the day before. There were only a few cookies left; clearly someone (or something!) had been interrupted in the act of stealing the cookies, and had broken the cookie jar in the process.
Who could have done such a thing?
The school bell signaled that her next class was about to start. Within a minute, several students entered the science classroom. Immediately, they began to talk about the disarray. As they moved towards Mrs. Johnson’s desk, she cautioned them sternly: “Let’s not disturb anything here. Please, be careful!”
“Mrs. Johnson, what happened? Did you knock your cookie jar off the desk?” asked Jack, one her brightest students.
“No, I didn’t. But I can see why you might think so!” answered the teacher.
Ashley, another student, let her backpack slip to the floor. “Are you going to call the police?”
“She doesn’t just need the police,” interrupted Mark, a tall 8th-grader with a keen sense of humor. “Mrs. Johnson needs a detective!”
An idea suddenly popped into Mrs. Johnson’s head. “You’re right, Mark! I do need a detective! Luckily, I’ve got a whole classroom full! I don’t know what happened here, but I bet we can figure that out! Quickly, everyone, get your notebooks and pens—be careful not to disturb our little ‘crime scene’ here—and let’s get to work!”
“What are we going to do, Mrs. Johnson?” asked Ashley.
Mrs. Johnson smiled. “We...” she began slowly, with a twinkle in her eye, “are going to solve The Cookie Jar Mystery.”




Steps in the Investigation

One of the most important skills of a crime scene investigator is observation. As you saw when you came in, I have simulated the crime scene that Mrs. Johnson encountered in her classroom. When you first spotted the yellow tape, you began your observation process.
Careful observation and adherence to procedures allows crime scene technicians to properly process a crime scene. This process is commonly referred to as “Steps in the Investigation.” If these steps are followed closely and correctly, mistakes are avoided and critical evidence will not be overlooked, contaminated or disqualified.
The steps of a crime scene investigation, according to the FBI’s Handbook of Forensic Services, are summarized as:

• Secure the crime scene
• Be alert to the presence of any suspects
• Conduct preliminary survey – observe all the physical evidence
• Photograph the crime scene
• Develop a general theory or narrative of the crime
• Sketch the crime scene
• Record and collect all physical evidence
  
  
  In our case, Mrs. Johnson and her principal have identified a number of suspects and instead of photographing the crime scene, we will be sketching it. We’ll be working on what we think happened here and later formulate our “theory of the case” in our Case Notes as we summarize the entire module.

• 
  

  Eye Witnesses 

  
  

  0. We are often in a hurry. Many situations occur around us daily that we do not notice. Much of what we think about a person is based on appearance and gestures— how a person looks, walks, stands, positions his or her head and moves his or her hands. With just a quick glance at a stranger, how much do we notice? How well do we really observe events?

  
  
  One tool in crime investigation is the statement of an eyewitness. An eyewitness is someone who was at or near a crime and saw something happen that may have to do with the crime. Perhaps the witness saw someone running from a crime scene. Perhaps a witness who got a license plate number is the actual crime victim. Normally, investigators try to talk to all kinds of witnesses to begin to understand what happened.
  
  
  Layout of the Crime Scene  and Suspect Statements 
  
  
  

  0. Next you will study your layout of the crime scene, review the suspect statements, and analyze the data you can extract from each interview.
     Suspect statements can often provide vital information when determining who committed a crime. Interviews can also help reveal a sense of innocence or guilt. We have gathered statements from our four suspects in The Cookie Jar Mystery. After reviewing the full statements of each suspect, what conclusions can you draw about the guilt or innocence of each suspect?
     Find areas in which the suspects deviate from the “norm” and areas in which they might be detracting attention from their own actions by changing their pronouns or simply being evasive. Do any of the suspects appear to have a motive?
     
     Most investigators, detectives and police officers believe that in order to arrest a person for a crime, the investigation must prove that the suspect had:
     

     • a way to commit the crime (means)
     • a reason to commit the crime (motive)
     • a chance to commit the crime
       (opportunity)
       A person’s statement at a crime scene is usually enough to convince the police to arrest someone for a crime, especially if a person confesses in his or her statement. Sometimes, however, a person confesses to something when in fact the person never committed the crime at all.
       Now it is time to examine the full statements from all of our cookie jar suspects. These statements help to establish background information and the relationships between the suspects and the victim, Mrs. Johnson. Investigators study suspects’ statements to prepare for suspect interviews. They attempt to look at the suspects’ words and behavior, putting aside the forensic evidence.
       There are certain ways that people write and speak when they are being honest. Generally, they:
       • Describe events in the order they
       happened
       • Consistently use the correct pronouns
       • Don’t give a lot of extra information about
       things that have nothing to do with the
       case
       • Stick to the facts and don’t omit important
       ones
       This way of writing statements is called “the norm.”
       When investigators review suspect statements, they are looking for ways of writing that are “out of the norm.” These “out of the norm” ways of writing might suggest that the writer is NOT telling the truth.
     • 
       
     • 
       
     • 
       
       
       
       
       
       Glossary
       Eyewitness: a person who was at or near a crime scene when the crime took place and tells investigators what he/she saw.
       FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
       Forensic evidence: any physical thing that may be used in a criminal court to convict or clear a
       person.
       Means: a resource to do something. A suspect has a gun therefore he has the means to kill some- one.
       Motive: an inner drive or reason that causes a suspect to commit a crime. For example, a man felt his neighbor was always raking leaves on to his property, therefore he cut down all his neigh- bor’s trees in the middle of the night.
       Observation: the act of perceiving the environment through one or more of your senses.
       Opportunity: a combination of circumstances that are favorable for a purpose. For example, freshly baked brownies were left on the counter when the boy came home from school and no one was around to tell him not to eat them, so he did.

       Suspect: one who authorities think may have committed a crime.

Introduction

Welcome to The Cookie Jar Mystery 

In Mrs. Johnson’s classroom, a curious crime has taken place: her favorite cookie jar has been broken and not surprisingly, some of her delicious, homemade cookies have been eaten! As a scientist and teacher, Mrs. Johnson realizes that this unfortunate incident provides a “teachable moment”—an opportunity to teach students how to use the tools of forensic science, understand the crime, and find the guilty party!

In The Cookie Jar Mystery, we will participate in the investigation, aided by the clues and developments in the case revealed in the ongoing story of Mrs. Johnson’s classroom. Although every module moves students closer to a final conclusion and the guilty suspect, each module is fully self- contained, providing a complete science module/lab, all of the activities and assessments to support student understanding, and an engaging chapter in the story of the crime.

The Cookie Jar Mystery Consists of Six Essential Modules— 

Module 1: The Crime Scenario
To kick off the series, students are introduced to the classroom caper through discovery of clues at the re-created crime scene. Students learn about the steps of the investigation, observation, and the identities of the four suspects in question.

Module 2: Always Leave a Note—Handwriting and Ink Analysis
Students examine the most obvious clue: the note left behind at the crime scene. They explore handwriting analysis by comparing the note to suspects’ writing samples and then conduct chromatography tests on the ink in the pens found on each suspect.

Module 3: Without A Trace—Examining Hair and Fiber Evidence
Students learn about the famous French scientist, Edmond Locard, often referred to as the grandfather of forensic science who believed “every contact leaves a trace.” Students will examine and compare both hair and fiber samples found at the crime scene to those of the suspects.

Module 4: First Impressions—Fingerprints and Shoeprints
Upon further examination of the evidence, it’s discovered that there were fingerprints and a shoeprint found at the crime scene. Students will study fingerprint patterns, make matches and analyze samples taken from the suspects.

Module 5: One of a Kind—Blood Typing and DNA
This activity furthers the students’ case by looking at unique evidence pieces covering blood types and DNA from blood samples. Students will conduct blood typing and DNA experiments to look for possible matches to the suspect samples.

Module 6: Law and Order—Conclusion and Mock Trial
In the final module, your students will create cases to prosecute or defend their leading suspect in a role-play mock trial. The roles will be developed by students with a close association to an actual courtroom, with a strong emphasis on evidence and expert testimony by student forensic scientists.
Students will consult all the data and present who they believe to be guilty based on their new knowledge of forensic science and the evidence discovered. Students will prepare a case for either the prosecution or the defense in a mock courtroom complete with judge and jury!