Learning About Forensics

There is a lot to learn about forensics, and for new members, it can feel pretty overwhelming! While it is important to learn about the different events, rules for competition, etc., having fun activities that talk about the intricacies of forensics is a great way to team-build while introducing the forensics world to new members. Here are a few activities to consider:

Jeopardy: A jeopardy game is a great way to teach students forensics rules or see how much information they retained. You can use different categories for different subjects, or you can even play more than one jeopardy game throughout the season depending on the team's needs. Topics for jeopardy categories include: rules about events, specific tournaments/dates of tournaments the team is attending, rules about tournaments, fun facts about the coaches, etc.

What to bring to a tournament: New students often forget that tournaments last the whole day, and there are important items to bring other than your phone. For this activity, include various items that students may or may not need for a tournament. On a scale of 1-3, assign each item a point depending on importance (e.g. a book to read would be a 1 while money would be a 3). Make sure you include a brief explanation for why each item ranks a certain way, keeping in mind that the goal isn't to create a solid argument for the points system but rather to remind students of what types of things they need to bring to a tournament. In the actual activity, split students into teams and have a few people (coaches or co-captains) go through the items. Teams get 2 points if they correctly guess the right number, 1 point if they are off by 1, and no points if they are off by 2. Whichever team has the most at the end wins. A few items that could be used for the activity are: water, money, phone charger, writing utensil, a book to read, black book, notecards, tennis shoes, lipstick, etc.