Assign partners or allow students to pick their own partner. Decide who will go first. Gently rub each of this person's fingers on the ink pad. Be sure to gently roll the entire finger on the ink pad so it is all covered.
Place the person's fingers one at a time on a piece of white paper and gently roll each finger onto the paper using light pressure. Repeat for each finger and label them. Redo a print if it smudges or does not turn out.
Use hand sanitizer squirted on cotton balls to remove the ink from the fingers. Switch roles with the partner.
Wash hands with soap and water to be sure that all ink has been completely removed from the hands. Observe the fingerprints using a magnifying glass and decide if the prints have a loop, whorl or arch pattern.
Record what type of pattern is present in the fingerprints and write it at the bottom of your fingerprint paper. Find another person with the same pattern of fingerprints and compare the prints to find out what makes the fingerprints different.