Autopsy Lab

Have fun and engage your students with this  lesson (Google and PDF versions) which serves as an introduction to dissection that will have your students in full participation mode! 

The lesson will allow students to practice with identification and safe handling of dissection tools, as well as acquainting them with anatomical terms of the body and anatomical directions.  This is accomplished in a fun forensic style lab where students investigate a comical crime scene involving pickle specimens.   They act out the scene as forensic pathologists to unravel the murder mystery.  It is also possible to do this as a dissection practice without the crime scene or forensics.  

In this autopsy lab, students will practice:

• anatomical terminology and directional terms

• the types of dissection tools and their uses

• Making  incisions

• how to make detailed drawings from an external and internal examination during a dissection

• How to use their findings to create a fictitious forensic report using CER 

The science and engineering practice of “engaging in argument from evidence” is the NGSS standard addressed in this lesson.

What does this product include?

Printable student worksheets with activity instructions and analysis questions.

Detailed teacher notes with materials and set up instructions (3 pages).

A teacher slide presentation. (11 slides)

Suggested materials needed for students:

Jumbo sized dill pickles (can be purchased at any grocery store or a Walmart)

Toothpicks

Red food coloring

Small objects to place inside pickle for autopsy (seeds, tin foil balls, broken toothpicks, tiny colored balls, etc)

Paper towels

Lab aprons and goggles

Dissecting tools: dissecting pan, scalpel, forceps,, scissors, dissecting needles