Beginning of Year Information

Welcome to Forensic Science!

Here you will find links to everything we do throughout the year.  We will begin the year with basic science lab safety, lab equipment, the scientific method, metric system and dimensional analysis (these topics should take about 1 week total).  If you ever have any questions / comments or concerns, please call (864-355-2515) or email me at dcraig@greenville.k12.sc.us.

Looking forward to a great year!

Course Description

Forensic Science is the application of scientific knowledge to questions of civil and criminal law. This course is a lab-based, hands-on course that will explore what forensic scientists do. You will learn modern forensic methods and use scientific methods to solve legal problems.  This course will focus on collection and analysis of crime scene evidence (such as serology, toxicology, entomology, odontology and trace evidence), and explore lab analysis techniques, (such as chromatography, DNA analysis, fingerprinting, and hair and footprint analysis). Forensic scientists are also required to testify in court about their methods and analysis of evidence. To make a convincing case, you need to be able to clearly and concisely explain the results of the labs and techniques you use, and explain the significance of your results in lab reports.

Instructional Philosophy

Learning activities in the classroom include: hands on learning experiences, cooperative learning, modeling, inquiry, individual work, demonstrations, teacher-led instruction, labs, videos, presentations, writing assignments, web quests, and real-world applications. The activities will vary for different types of learners as well as to achieve student autonomy.  The classroom arrangement will change according to the strategy of teaching. Some arrangements include teacher in front of students, students in front of students, or students at lab stations together, or classroom desks can be arranged to accommodate small group work.  Students should expect to begin every day with a bell ringer and participation during class will be expected at all times. This includes taking part in the class, by doing your work, paying attention, asking and answering questions.  The students can expect to have assignments every class period.  Students are expected to use time wisely in class so that should he/she have time to get started in class, he/she can acquire help. Each should review and study all material every night.  Each class is structured to allow students to gain understanding with the use of a variety of activities and literacy standards to enrich the students overall understanding of the content. 

Below you will find a copy of my Class Syllabus and the Lab Safety Contract.  All of these items need to be downloaded and you will need to click the appropriate link (Student or Parent) on each form and click submit, indicating you have read and understand the Syllabus, Procedures and the concepts of Lab Safety.

*Note: There will be a $5 Lab Fee this year to cover the cost of materials for this class.

*Please Note that some material may be sensitive in nature. If a student and / or Parent or Guardian would like to

abstain from a particular topic, please contact Mr. Craig so an alternate assignment / arrangement may be made*