Use the science to investigate a real source, explain the evidence, and communicate a defensible conclusion. The guide supplies the actual reading, data, task, and chosen level before the unit begins.
| Strand | Required evidence |
|---|---|
| History, Reading, Writing | Use an approved source in context and a student-authored response. Separate the original evidence from later explanations; do not force a single-hero story. |
| Geography and ethics | Include location, social context, or ethical trade-offs where they genuinely support the scientific question. |
| Elective extensions | Choose additional depth in data, technology, economics, or art. Extensions do not replace the core work. |
| Quantitative science | Use the unit's mathematical lane at the agreed level. Supply units, denominators, and model conditions; required science is assessed as science. |
Integration is reported separately and cannot lower the science grade or block a science demonstration pass. Science and practical criteria determine that pass.
Use the same approved task in both formats. The web guide explains the source, data, assumptions, student work, and evidence checklist; this packet is its portable summary, not a different assignment.
Use the web guide's approved unit assignment.
| Unit | Dissection big idea | Integration anchor |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Tools, Safety & the Ethics of Dissection | Approved route, safety, SDS/allergen checks, respectful specimen use. | NLM Historical Anatomies: Andreas Vesalius. Vesalius; responsibility. |
| 02 The Earthworm | Segmentation, orientation, variation, and preservation artifacts. | Darwin Online: Vegetable Mould and Worms. Darwin; soil. |
| 03 The Grasshopper | Arthropod exoskeleton, appendages, asymmetry, and artifact notes. | Project Gutenberg: Fabre, The Life of the Grasshopper. Fabre; external structures and functions. |
| 04 The Clam or Squid | Mollusk anatomy; homologous, analogous, and unresolved comparisons. | Understanding Evolution: Homology and analogy teaching resource. Convergence; structural level. |
| 05 The Perch | Ray-finned vertebrate structures without living-ancestor language. | Cuvier, Animal Kingdom vol. 2 (Pisces). Circulation; not a living ancestor. |
| 06 The Frog | Frog systems and comparative physiology with artifact limits. | Galvani, De viribus electricitatis. Galvani; specimen ethics. |
| 07 The Fetal Pig | Fetal mammalian model with developmental and adult-body limits. | NLM Historical Anatomies: William Hunter. Pig-human shared descent with fetal limits. |
| 08 Comparative Anatomy & the Dissection Defense | Cross-specimen defense: homology, analogy, unresolved evidence. | On the Origin of Species. Cuvier, Owen, Darwin; tetrapod forelimb. |
Compare frog, pig, and human forelimbs using specimens or labeled references. Record fused or reduced bones; distinguish observation from reference evidence. A ray-finned perch does not show the full tetrapod limb pattern. Use a branching tree to contrast Owen’s homology with Darwin’s shared-ancestry explanation.
Math never drives a unit, but dissection uses it constantly — always anchored to the specimen and the measurement at the tray. Here is the quantitative skill each unit actually uses, done inside the lab context rather than as a parallel curriculum.
| Unit | Applied math at the agreed level |
|---|---|
| 01 Tools, Safety & the Ethics of Dissection | Route counts: observed practical evidence versus conceptual-equivalent evidence. |
| 02 The Earthworm | Segments per centimeter from synthetic preserved-worm measurements. |
| 03 The Grasshopper | Mean left-right appendage asymmetry with damage notes. |
| 04 The Clam or Squid | Separate clam and squid mantle proportions from labeled mollusk models; no cross-species mean. |
| 05 The Perch | Caudal-to-body proportion plus chamber-count comparison; fixed gill-arch counts are not normalized by length. |
| 06 The Frog | Ventricle-to-atrium ratio with collapsed-organ artifact notes. |
| 07 The Fetal Pig | Organ length as percent of crown-rump length; fetal context retained. |
| 08 Comparative Anatomy & the Dissection Defense | Percent of comparisons classified without forcing unresolved evidence. |
Students count the segments while opening the earthworm, measure the limb bones while comparing the frog and the pig, tally the crown-rump length while staging the fetal pig. The number always means something because it is attached to a specimen they measured — never a worksheet detached from the tray.
Integration is its own strand. Track each unit’s integration level across the year — Developing, Proficient, or Mastery — separate from the technique-mastery rubric. Record the evidence reference and date in the final column.
| Unit | Developing | Proficient | Mastery | Evidence / date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Tools, Safety & Ethics | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 02 Earthworm | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 03 Grasshopper | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 04 Clam or Squid | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 05 Perch | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 06 Frog | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 07 Fetal Pig | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
| 08 Comparative Anatomy | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ______ |
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.
A student who walks through all eight anchors finishes with a branching-tree framework: homologous structures, analogous similarities, unresolved comparisons, and the evidence that can strengthen or limit each claim.