2. choose a spot of soil that is nearby your home, school, or another area you frequent. if a crime were committed there, what types of materials do you think you'd find in your investigation of the soil? do you think you would find materials that would be considered individual characteristics?

It depends on the nature of the crime. There could be foot marks there, or a certain of material found that is usually not found. There could be blood stains, or some genetic samples that could provide for DNA testing. There could be certain chemicals that could lead to identification of the substance used in the crime.

You could find any number of things...shoe prints and maybe some tire marks.  You might find shell casings, blood, broken glass, dropped items, etc.  Some of these could be individual characteristics like the shoe prints, blood, or tire marks.