Everything you need to run the course.
A course pack is more than a syllabus. It contains the full set of materials a guide, parent, or micro-school operator uses to teach Dissections well. Print the checklists, lean on the rubrics to keep the bar consistent, and never let a student near a scalpel or a specimen without running the safety list first.
Student lessons, datasets, and public practice answers (not assessment keys)
Each existing unit now includes assigned public source sections, teaching explanations, labeled synthetic data, foundation/core/honors routes, checked public practice answers (not assessment keys), and a transfer question. Choose the route before instruction. Use the web unit for student lessons and the separate printable packet for assessment.
- Unit 01: Tools, Safety & the Ethics of Dissection
- Unit 02: The Earthworm
- Unit 03: The Grasshopper
- Unit 04: The Clam or Squid
- Unit 05: The Perch
- Unit 06: The Frog
- Unit 07: The Fetal Pig
- Unit 08: Comparative Anatomy & the Dissection Defense
Every dataset declares its model or synthetic provenance. Complete practical observation requirements with approved supervision or stated alternatives; learning pages do not certify laboratory safety or course credit.
For the student
Retrieval, spaced practice, and the non-negotiable habit of doing the dissection yourself, not rewatching a demonstration.
A one-page planner that schedules retrieval and daily technique practice around the two-day Concept Day / Experiment Day rhythm.
Scalpel, scissors, probe & forceps, gloves, goggles, tray & pins — the safety, setup, and readiness list every student runs before an Experiment Day.
How to structure a dissection entry — labeled anatomy drawings with orientation and scale, technique notes, and structure identification. The artifact students defend all semester.
For the guide & parent
A no-sign-up walk through a real week of Tools, Safety & Ethics, a rubric, a notebook page, and a demonstration — the actual materials in this pack.
A plain-language walkthrough for students and parents: the rhythm, the three demonstrations, and how mastery works.
Running more than one cohort: pacing, shared lab days, specimen prep, and keeping dissection defenses manageable.
Dissection kits, trays & pins, preserved specimens, gloves, and eye protection — what to buy and roughly what it costs.
All print-ready packets are arranged in binder order, ready to print for a three-ring binder.
Reference
The vocabulary and directional terms that unlock the whole course — from anterior to dorsal to homology.
Common misconceptions (that dissection is about cutting rather than careful observation, that every animal is built completely differently, that faster is better) and how to address each one.
Where the reading lives: Cuvier's comparative anatomy, Owen on homology, Darwin, and books worth owning. The text sits underneath the bench.
The method, made operable
Mastery, not points: the three levels, why "not yet" recovers, and how it becomes a grade.
Mastery and integration tell a student they can and where it connects. Wonder tells them why they'd bother.
A loop, not a line: falsification, the "No" branch, and recording what you measure. Learn why these practices matter in a real lab.
One per unit, plus the three demonstration rubrics. The shared bar for "mastered."
Encouraged vs. off-limits, plus a curated prompt library for studying dissections with AI honestly.
The cross-domain playbook, connecting comparative anatomy, homology, and common descent into one worked example.
Open the eight student learning pathways and review the source-linked investigation inventory. Equivalent non-dissection routes meet the conceptual standard; practical skill is credited only when observed.