======Handwriting Analysis======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Forensic Handwriting Comparison
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====Summary====                   
{{$demo.summary}}



====Procedure====  
  -Prepare copies of a crime scene note and handwriting samples from three suspects.
  -Provide each student with a case book and pencil for recording observations.
  -Have students study the crime scene handwriting closely, looking for unique traits such as slant, angles, loops, and spacing.
  -Give students the suspect handwriting samples, all of which contain the same phrase as the graffiti.
  -Instruct them to compare features including line thickness, writing pressure, word arrangement, and grammar/spelling consistency.
  -Have students record their reasoning for which suspect’s writing most closely matches the note.




====Links==== 
Crime Scene Detectives: Handwriting Analysis - Chatty Zebra Curriculum: 
{{youtube>5lE9qkKmTR0?}}\\

📄 Handwriting Analysis - Science World: [[https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/handwriting-analysis-crime-fighters-station-3/]]\\

====Variations====
  *Create a disguised handwriting sample from one suspect and see if students can still identify consistent features.
  *Use different writing instruments (pen, pencil, marker) and have students compare how tools affect line quality.
  *Ask students to write the same phrase with their non-dominant hand and compare the disguised version to their usual handwriting.



====Safety Precautions====
  *No special safety equipment is needed, but students should handle scissors or other cutting tools carefully if trimming samples.




====Questions to Consider====
  *Which handwriting characteristics are most reliable when comparing samples? (Form, slant, spacing, and line quality tend to remain consistent.)
  *Can handwriting be perfectly disguised? (It can be altered, but unique traits often still appear.)
  *What clues besides handwriting could link graffiti to a suspect? (Ink type, spelling/grammar habits, writing instrument, or paper.)
  *Why should multiple characteristics be considered rather than just one? (A single trait may be coincidental, but several together make a stronger case.)