Mrs. Tweedie
September 2010
Part 1A: Introducing Carbon Printing
Run your fingers across the palm of your hand.
How does it feel?
Part 1A
Even though your hands feel smooth, they have
texture. High and low places on a surface give it
texture.
Part 1A
The difference between
the high and low places
on the skin of the palm
of the hand is very
slight. Consequently
we do not often see
them. We need special
techniques to help us
see things such as skin
texture.
Part 1A
How can we look for patterns on finely
textured objects like fingers?
Part 1A
Carbon Printing Demonstration
Part 1A
Your Turn:
Materials:
• Tape
• Pencil
• 2 Small Post it Notes
• Magnifying Glass
Part 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbon Printing Directions:
Get a small piece of scratch paper.
Scribble on it with a pencil.
Rub (don’t roll) the scribble mark on your
thumb. Make sure to cover the whole pad
(center) of the thumb to the first bend.
Stick a piece of tape onto the thumb the long
way so the tape is running along the thumb
rather than across it.
Part 1A
Introducing the Three Basic Patterns
Fingerprint investigators have discovered that there
are three basic patterns for most fingerprints-arch,
loop, and whorl.
Part 1
Arch fingerprints are characterized by lines that
start on one side of the print, rise, fall, and exit on
the opposite side of the print.
Part 1
Loop fingerprints are characterized by lines that
start on one side of the print, rise, and then turn
around and exit on the same side.
Part 1
Whorl fingerprints are characterized by lines
that go in circles. All lines come back to the place
where they started.
Part 1A
Which one is your thumb print?
Part 1A
Making a Bar
Graph
Today we are going to make a carbon printing of
all of our fingers and thumb. You will need:
Materials:
• Tape (5 pieces)
• Pencil
• 1 Large Post it Note
• Magnifying Glass
• Carbon Printing Student Sheet #5
Part 1B
Make a carbon print of each of your fingers
and thumb. Identify each finger/thumb as an
arch, loop, or whorl.
Part 1 Vocabulary
The process of transferring ink from the
high points of a textured surface to paper
to produce an image is printing.
Basic fingerprint patterns
are whorl, arch, and
loop.
A bar graph is a way of
organizing the results of an
investigation to compare different
things.
Content/Inquiry Entry
• How can the carbon-printing technique help us
learn more about fingerprints?
• How are fingerprints the same and different?
(Teacher Reads: Fingerprints)
Fingerprints are
unique to each
person, they are a
clue to a person’s
identity. How could
you tell who was the
last person to pick up
an apple?
Someone has been
bringing presents to
the teacher. Last
week a candy bar,
this week an apple.
In order to thank the
gift giver, the teacher
would like to find out
who it is.
You will be the detectives on the case. The apple had a
nice fingerprint on it. The print has been lifted from the
apple and is stuck her to this card labeled “Mystery
Person.” Your job is to compare the prints of four
students in a group who were seen in the room and
determine which student left the apple.
Materials:
• Pencils
• Roll of tape
• Hand lenses
• Large post-it note
• 5 index cards
• Moist paper towels
• Student Sheet #7: Solving a Mystery
Directions
1. Get 5 index cards and a roll of tape.
2. Each person uses the carbon technique
3. to make a suspect card with two prints.
A.
B.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
One index finger
One thumb print
Stick the two prints on an index card.
Write your name on the card. This is now a suspect card.
Decide who in your group is the mystery person giving
presents to the teacher. Keep it a secret from the other
groups.
Make a carbon print of the mystery person’s index finger or
thumb print, but not both.
Stick the mystery print on an index card and label it
“Mystery Person.”
Switch cards with another group. Solve the mystery.
You can now use imagination and creativity to make
inventions with carbon printing. You could:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Invent a fingerprint detective game.
Invent a carbon-printing art project.
Invent a toe-print project.
Invent a different way to make
fingerprints.
(Teacher read Covering Up Her Mistakes and An Inventive
Farmer?)