Teacher - you will need to set up the class so the students can walk a certain distance. You will also need to provide brown paper (preferably in a roll) and some homemade "mud" (water and soil) to make shoe prints.

1. In groups of 4 - 5 students, you are going to make measurements of your feet and record the results.

Look at the following diagram and work out together how you will create a table showing the results of foot measurements for each student within your group. [Will you use just one foot?] Add these results to the class table.

Various landmarks and measurements on the human foot.
(Source: Science Direct)

2. Using A4 or A3 blank paper, draw an outline of your feet [or foot - if your group has decided on one foot only to be measured, make sure it is the same foot - Left or Right].

3. Make the measurements above - pte to d5.t etc and record the measurements. Add to the class table - put your initials next to your results.

Was there a big difference in results amongst the group?

4. Most people at a crime scene have their shoes on! This measurement looks at your gait - how you walk.

Each student is to take turns to walk 10 steps across the paper provided by your teacher after you have put mud on your shoes.

Each student is to make sure their measurements are recorded accurately by monitors.

Take the following measurements:

• distance between steps [toes to heel]

• shoe width and length

• wearing out areas - where are these points?

• pressure points - can you see more pressure on the toes or heel? [evidenced by the amount of mud left on the paper]

• Was there any particular characteristic of the gait [how that person walked that showed up in their footprint?]

• a photograph of each student's steps

5. What other characteristics can you note? Record them in the class table.

6. Next lesson.

Each student, after the mud has dried, is to cut out one foot step from each of the students in their group. In pencil, put the student's initials on the back of the cutout.

Share these cutouts with another group. You all should now have a different group's set of footprints. Again take the measurements outlined above.

7. Next lesson.

Teacher post all the footprints around the classroom.

Select one footprint and photocopy it - this will become the crime scene evidence. [You can have two different footprints to add to the complication of the crime scene]

8. Crime scene evidence. There is one [or two] footprint/s left at the crime. You are to identify the person who made the footprint! How will you go about this?

9. Reflection.

Was this identification difficult? Why? Why not?

10. Create a crime story about this footprint with your group! It can be as funny as you want.

Make sure you include:

What was the crime?
How did the criminal leave this footprint at the crime scene?
How did the police discover the suspect?

Listen to Dr Paul Bennett's stories about solving criminal cases with clues left by feet. Select one story and create an infograph about that story.

Making Tracks: The Forensic Analysis of Footprints and Footwear Impressions (created by The Anatomical Record)

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher  - Original Activities at The Anatomical Record

Local Copy: Lesson Plan PDF [7pages] - "Making Tracks: The Forensic Analysis of Footprints and Footwear Impressions". 3 Activities:

• Appearance of footwear on different substrates

• Differences in prints made on different outdoor substrates and at different speeds

• Estimating height of individual making tracks