Pirates are always a popular theme with my students. And that’s why I was so excited to put together a pirate classroom crime scene. We decided to make the whole day a pirate day and everyone came dressed as pirates. It was SO much fun. But the crime scene was definitely the highlight of the day – and I’m so excited to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of what that looked like!
So for our pirate classroom crime we decided to go with..
Who Pushed the Pirate Overboard?
Please note: These crime scenes comes in both spelling options (colour/color, favourite/favorite)
STUDENT OBJECTIVE:
Use the clues provided to investigate who pushed the pirated overboard.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDED / CLUES TO SOLVE
Taste
Something has been left behind for students to taste! (Seaweed) Students have to taste the item, decide what it is and then match it to the suspect who likes to eat it.
Smell
Something has been left behind for students to smell! (Salt) Students have to smell the item, decide what it is and then match it to the suspect who likes to smell this.
Comparing Ships
Hide the pieces of the puzzle in a sand tray – or around the crime scene. Students have to find the pieces of the puzzle and put it together. Once put together it is a picture of a ship. Students then need to match it to the ships of the 4 possible suspects to see if anyone has the same ship.
Matching Footprints
Footprints have been left behind at the scene! Students need to look at the footprints and try and match them to the suspects footprints.
Clue Book
Students put their clues into the clue book as they go along. This way they are able to keep track of all the clues they have found. This will help them when they need to make a decision on who they think has pushed the pirate overboard.
Wanted Poster
Once students have decided who they think the criminal is – they need to make the wanted poster to capture them! Students can either draw and write the criminal’s face and name onto the wanted poster or use the pictures and names we have included to cut and stick onto the wanted poster instead.
Your students will love taking part in this fun and interactive crime scene, especially during a busy time of year when it can be hard to keep them engaged. A teachers walkthrough is also included in the pack to help you put together the crime scene and use it to the best of its ability. I would also recommend trying out the crime scene before giving it to your students so that you are able to familiarize yourself with the way that it works.
Almost everything that you need to complete this crime scene is included in this pack. However, you will need access to seaweed and salt for students to taste/smell.
Have you tried crime scenes with your students? What do you think about our pirate classroom crime scene? Let me know in the comments below.
Don’t forget you can grab your own copy of this crime scene here.
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