Bobby Pierce

First-Place Winner: TMA Excellence in Science Teaching Awards

Bobby Pierce
Biology/AP Biology
Whitney High School
Whitney, TX

Lab Dissection Autopsy Style

• Grade level - high school biology, advance placement (AP) biology, anatomy and physiology
• Number of classes - four

Sample Lesson Plan               

Lesson Overview

Most people know you save the best for last. This lesson is just that! To cap off a great teaching year, this lesson is the one students can't wait to do.  To promote student interest in science, I have included forensic science in the biology curriculum.  With the popularity of the television show CSI , students have a high level of curiosity about the world of forensic science.  For each unit a particular CSI -style lab is implemented to help students learn the necessary biology Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and improve problem solving and critical thinking skills. 

After our unit on human anatomy and physiology is concluded, students participate in the final dissection of the year. We use fetal pigs.  To supplement the traditional dissection of each body system, I order extra specimens for the autopsy project.  Students turn themselves into county coroners and perform a mock autopsy on their lab specimen.  Well, it is not just an ordinary lab specimen.  Prior to the lab, each pig was shot with a .22 caliber bullet, simulating a murder.  Six different lab specimens are shot in one of the four abdominopelvic quadrants at distances that range from point blank to 50 yards. (If using a gunshot is too aggressive for teachers and students, different depths of stab wounds can be inflicted with various types of knives.)  Students have to determine the correct abdominopelvic quadrant that the bullet entered and exited and if the entrance was ventral or dorsal; measure the size of the bullet hole and determine the caliber of bullet used; determine the distance at which the shot was taken; and perform an autopsy, listing each organ that was damaged by the bullet.

This project is the pinnacle of the year.  Toward the end of the school year, when students tend to slack off and focus on summer break, this project is something for the students to look forward to, and they can demonstrate what they have learned in the anatomy and physiology units.  Students will use all of the forensic science skills they learned throughout the year on this final lab project. 

To help keep grades high, only students who are passing with no discipline problems are eligible for this simulated autopsy project; students failing receive an alternative assignment.  Because of the popularity of all of the CSI labs we have done, students are very eager to work on this project.  At the start of the year, I motivate students by going over all of the interesting labs and projects we will do throughout the year. 

This is the first year of this autopsy project; I am trying something new, and I don't know of any other teacher who has done this specific type of project.  When I explained it to the students, the positive response was overwhelming.  I say " CSI autopsy lab" and they start drooling like Pavlov's dogs!  This project definitely gets their attention.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this project the student will be able to:

• Measure using the metric system with precision the diameter of a bullet wound to determine the caliber of bullet used,
• Calculate the distance the bullet was fired by analyzing gun powder stippling and a ballistics chart,
• Identify entrance and exit wounds of a bullet,
• Explain the location of the bullet wound using medical terminology,
• Identify internal organs damaged by the bullet,
• Demonstrate proper and safe dissection techniques,
• Research and explain the education and job of a county coroner, and
• Write a professional coroners report.

These objectives correlate with TEKS for biology:

• Objective 1A - demonstrate safe practices during lab investigations,
• Objective 2A - implement investigative procedures,
• Objective 2B - collect data and make measurements with precision,
• Objective 2D - communicate valid conclusions,
• Objective 3D - describe the connection between biology and future careers, and
• Objective 10B - compare the interrelationships of organ systems.

Materials Used

Each lab group of four students will use:

• Prepared lab specimen (bullets shot at point blank, 10 yards, 50 yards) in one of the four abdominopelvic quadrants;
• Dissecting equipment (scalpel, forceps, scissors, probes);
• Dissecting pan;
• Surgical gowns, masks, gloves (ask a local hospital to donate items);
• Metric ruler;
• Ballistics chart;
• Pig anatomy guide;
• Poster board, and
• Color markers.

Methods of Implementation

• What is pathology?
• What type of education is required for a pathologist or medical examiner?
• What are the job responsibilities for a medical examiner?
• What is the average salary for a medical examiner?
• What are the average hours worked per week for a medical examiner?

The students are assigned to type a report detailing their research findings about medical examiners. The report should be written with proper writing techniques learned in English and be at least one page long. Students will have one day to research at school and one week to complete their written medical examiner report.

On the second day students are ready to begin the medical examination of the murder victim. Students will work in groups of four and have the following roles:

• Head dissector (handles most of the dissection),
• Assistant dissector (assists in the dissection),
• Surgical tool handler (in charge of handing tools to dissectors and keeping them clean and organized during the autopsy), and
• Anatomy guide and recorder (in charge of handling and analyzing the anatomical chart of the fetal pig and recording the ballistic information and organs that are damaged).

To make the autopsy as real as possible, students wear full surgical gear. Most local hospitals are eager to loan or donate surgical scrubs and gloves for the project. Students dress and prepare for the autopsy. Six fetal pigs are prepared ahead of time.

• No.1 will be shot with a .22 caliber bullet in the center of the right ventral upper quadrant at point-blank range.
• No.2 will be shot with a .22 caliber bullet in the center of the left dorsal lower quadrant from a distance of 10 yards.
• No.3 will be shot with a .22 caliber bullet in the center of the right ventral lower quadrant from a distance of 50 yards.
• No.4 will be shot with a .22 caliber bullet in the center of the left dorsal upper quadrant from point blank range.
• No.5 will be shot with a .22 caliber bullet in the center of the left ventral upper quadrant from a distance of 10 yards.
• No.6 will be shot with a .22 caliber bullet in the center of the right ventral lower quadrant from a distance of 50 yards.

Students work on the autopsy project during days two and three. (Specimens will be bagged and tagged after day two and be ready to go again on day three.) After completing the autopsy, students work on the coroner's report and poster board drawings that will be presented by the lab groups after day four. 

Students already have dissected fetal pigs in previous labs, so they are be familiar with the anatomy.  Each medical examining team must complete and record the following:

• Determine if the bullet entered through the ventral or dorsal side;
• Analyze the entrance area for gun powder stippling and determine the distance of the shot as either point blank, 10 yards, or 50 yards (students will have a ballistics guide for assistance showing stippling at those distances);
• Measure the wound opening in millimeters and determine the type of bullet used (students will have a ballistics guide and actual bullets in the lab to observe and measure);
• Dissect from the entrance to the exit wound and determine in order each organ that was damaged by the bullet;
• Use a poster board and markers to draw a side view of the pig with the ventral side facing left and all the organs that the bullet passed through in order, and
• Complete the coroner's report (students will have a sample of an actual coroner's report to use a guide).

Evaluation Tool

Students receive an individual grade (up to 100 points) for their report on medical examiners done on day one:

• 50 points (10 for each medical examiner content identified) and
• 50 points (following proper grammar and writing rules).

Medical examining teams will receive a group grade (100 points) for their autopsy:

• 10 points (correct bullet entrance/exit and quadrant location),
• 10 points (correct distance bullet traveled),
• 10 points (correct measurement of wound entrance/caliber of bullet),
• 20 points (proper teamwork and following lab safety),
• 25 points (poster of pig showing organs damaged by the bullet), and
• 25 points (completed coroner's report)

Lesson Effectiveness

I have many students interested in careers in forensic science.  Some have shown interest in becoming medical examiners. This lesson will put all the knowledge learned from anatomy into action. Students will remember this activity for a long time because of its uniqueness and challenge. 

This will be the first year for the implementation of this lesson into my biology curriculum, but I know it will be a hit. Allowing students the opportunity to apply knowledge to new situations in order to prepare for college and careers is the reason I create these types of activities. Instead of students eagerly anticipating getting out of school and slacking off, they will wait enthusiastically for this final forensic science autopsy project and keep their grades and proper behavior up in order to qualify for the project. I am just as excited about this as the students. So, my excitement and enthusiasm will radiate to the students. 

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