Detective and Fingerprint Activity Packet and Worksheets

About this resource

What's inside this resource

This " Detective and Fingerprint Activity Packet and Worksheets " is no prep required - so the packet is a quick and fun way to teach about detectives and fingerprints with many printable worksheets.

There are options with these activities for kids at all levels between Grades 1 and 5. Please note that not all activities in this packet will meet your class' particular levels, but there should be enough variation in the resources from your high flyers to those that are more challenged.

What's included

Three informational reading passages (Detectives, Sherlock Holmes, Fingerprints) with matching reading-response pages
Hands-on fingerprinting lab with step-by-step instructions for transferring a graphite fingerprint
"Who Stole the Watch?" logic mystery with 4 witness interviews and an answer key
"The Missing Dog" 5-page open-ended mystery-building activity (poster, crime scene, clues, witnesses, suspect questions, solution)
Word search, acrostic poem, math-coded riddle, 5-house logic puzzle with answer key, code-name generator, maze, and coloring page
"Number Detective" math worksheet on place value and basic operations, with an example answer key
Detective "job application" reflection page and a detective vocabulary tracing page

Resource types: Worksheets, Worksheets & Printables

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Answer comprehension questions about three informational passages on detectives, Sherlock Holmes, and fingerprints.
Analyze witness statements to identify a suspect in a logic-based mystery, citing evidence for the conclusion.
Perform a hands-on fingerprinting procedure, transferring a graphite print using tape and an index card.
Apply place value, expanded form, and basic operations to a teacher-chosen number on the Number Detective worksheet.

Teaching tips

Pair the three reading passages with their matching reading-response pages as a set, working through detectives, Sherlock Holmes, and fingerprints in sequence.
Run the fingerprinting lab in student pairs at a table with good lighting, following the packet's own materials list of index cards, soft-lead pencils, and transparent tape.
Select individual pages to match different skill levels within one class, since the packet's own note says its activities suit "kids at all levels between Grades 1 and 5" rather than being uniformly graded.
Use "The Missing Dog" as an extended multi-day project, since its five pages (poster, scene, clues, witnesses, questions) build toward a student-authored solution rather than a single-sitting worksheet.

Skills covered

Informational text comprehension — students answer response questions after reading nonfiction passages on detectives, Sherlock Holmes, and fingerprints.
Deductive reasoning — the "Who Stole the Watch?" interviews and the five-house logic puzzle require eliminating suspects or possibilities from stated clues.
Scientific observation and procedure — the fingerprinting lab has students follow a multi-step physical procedure and examine the resulting print.
Open-ended narrative and problem-solving writing — "The Missing Dog" and the writing prompt page have students generate their own clues, witnesses, and story details.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

What supplies does the hands-on fingerprinting lab call for?

At least two index cards per student, soft-lead pencils, three-quarter-inch transparent tape, a magnifying glass (or phone app), and wipes to clean fingers afterward.