Skip to product information
1 of 2

Institute for Learning

Forensic Anthropology and the Science of Solving Crime (Grades 7-8)

Forensic Anthropology and the Science of Solving Crime (Grades 7-8)

Regular price $6.25 USD
Regular price Sale price $6.25 USD
Sale Sold out
Options
In this unit, students learn about the field of forensic anthropology and develop their understanding of methods for reading complex informational texts. Through their readings, writings, and discussions of the four unit's texts, students learn to discern central ideas from supporting ones. They also learn how to analyze the methods writers use to teach readers about unfamiliar topics and domains.
  • Four informational texts
  • 4-6 weeks instruction
  • Explanation writing

 

What is this unit about?

As part of this unit, students read four informational texts on the subject of forensic anthropology and complete three assessment tasks. The assessment tasks build in complexity and are sequenced to scaffold student learning. They provide an opportunity for teachers (and students) to formatively assess students’ understanding of the content they have read before being presented with a major writing task in the final assessment.

A primary focus of this unit is learning how to determine central ideas in complex informational text and use evidence from those texts to develop an explanatory essay. Through engaging in this unit, students learn how to discern central from supporting ideas and how to analyze the methods professional writers use to teach readers about topics and content domains, including how writers support their explanations by their choice of words and phrases.

Through the course of this unit, students deepen their understanding of the role of forensic anthropologists and the various problem-solving approaches these professionals use to solve crimes.

Finally, this unit is about writing effective essays to explain the significant ideas of authors related to a larger question. The focus is on explanations that are clear and coherent, and supported with relevant, credible, and sufficient textual evidence.

In this unit, students read, write about, and discuss four texts to deepen their understanding of the following overarching questions:

  • What role does a forensic anthropologist play in the science of solving crimes?
  • What methods do writers of informative text use to convey complex ideas and information?

What content will students learn?

Students will expand their knowledge base about:

  • the role of forensic anthropologists;
  • distinguishing central ideas from supporting ideas;
  • writing methods that offer explanations to readers;
  • uses of literal and figurative meanings;
  • what it means for evidence to be relevant, credible, and sufficient; and
  • characteristics of effective explanatory essays
        View full details