A Hyperlinked Digital Station Lab on Cadavers, Body Procurement, Medical Ethics & Historical Case Studies.

(Fully Hyperlinked • Rigorous Critical Thinking • Perfect for Biology, Anatomy & Biomedical Courses)

Bring science, ethics, and history together in this powerful digital station lab that guides students through some of the most important—and controversial—moments in medical history. In Body Thieves!, students rotate through six engaging digital stations exploring the ethical issues behind cadaver use, grave robbing, Nazi medical practices, plastination, modern dissections, and the story of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells.

This resource is designed to spark deep thinking, moral reasoning, and evidence-based discussion. It integrates videos, articles, historical documents, and an NPR podcast, along with teacher-created guiding questions that push students toward meaningful reflection and real-world connections.

Whether you teach Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Living Environment, Biomedical Science, Medical Pathways, or an Ethics elective, this digital lab will become one of your most memorable and impactful lessons of the year.

⭐ What’s Included

✔ 25-slide hyperlinked Google Slides lesson with:

• Station directions & navigation

• Embedded videos and readings

• Clearly scaffolded tasks

• Critical thinking and reflection prompts

✔ 6 fully developed station activities:

1. Modern Cadaver Use in Medical Schools

2. Grave Robbing & Early Medical Training

3. The Burke and Hare murders

4. Bodies: The Exhibition & Plastination Ethics

5. Nazi Medical Atrocities & Pernkopf’s Atlas

6. Henrietta Lacks, HeLa Cells & the Question of Consent

✔ Student recording slides
✔ Teacher answer key
✔ Post-lab analysis questions for deeper discussion or assessment

⭐ Skills Students Will Develop

• Ethical reasoning and argumentation

• Source evaluation (videos, articles, podcasts)

• Application of scientific and historical evidence

• Understanding of medical consent and bioethical frameworks

• Cross-disciplinary thinking linking science, history, and society

⭐ Why Teachers Love This Lesson

✔ Completely ready to use — NO prep required
✔ Highly engaging for high school students
✔ Sensitive topics handled respectfully and academically
✔ Encourages meaningful conversations about science and ethics
✔ Works beautifully for in-person, hybrid, or remote teaching

⭐ Perfect For:

• Biology Units on Cells, Mitosis, Cancer, or DNA

• Anatomy & Physiology (ethics + cadaver work)

• Biomedical Science CTE

• Bioethics mini-units

• Substitute plans for upper high school

• End-of-unit discussions or Socratic seminars

⭐ Tech Requirements

• Works on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets, or desktops

• Uses Google Slides and linked content (YouTube, NPR, online articles)

⭐ Teacher Note (Important)

This lesson includes difficult but essential topics such as unethical medical research, historical racism, and exploitation within science. A teacher note is included to help guide safe, respectful discussion.

⭐ Your students will never forget this lab.

Get ready for one of the most thought-provoking lessons of your entire course.

Grade Recommendation

Best Fit:

• Grades 10–12

• Courses:

  • Biology

  • Anatomy & Physiology

  • Biomedical Science

  • AP Biology (ethics extension)

  • Health Science CTE courses

Rationale:
This lesson includes sensitive historical content (e.g., Nazi medicine), modern ethical issues, and complex moral reasoning aligned to high-school bioethics standards.

Cross-Curricular Connections & Extensions

✔ ELA / Argument Writing

The stations lend themselves to:

• argumentative essays on medical ethics

• structured debates

• rhetorical analysis of historical sources

✔ Social Studies / World History

Connections include:

• the history of grave robbing in Europe and the U.S.

• Nazi abuses of science and medicine

• civil rights issues raised by Henrietta Lacks

✔ Ethics / Philosophy

Extensions include discussions about:

• informed consent

• personhood

• ownership of biological materials

• scientific responsibility

✔ Forensics / Medical Pathways

Students can extend this lesson into:

• modern standards in autopsies

• tissue/organ donation ethics

• historical vs. modern medical training

Optional Projects:

• Socratic seminar

• Mini-documentary on ethical malpractice

• Compare international laws on body donation

Join the Lesson Laboratory and Teach for Tomorrow!

NGSS Alignment (DCI + SEP + CCC)

This is an ethics-driven biology lesson, so practice- and crosscutting-strand alignment is stronger than disciplinary core content. Still, several DCIs connect clearly.

NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)

HS-LS1-2 – Structure and Function

• Students investigate plastination and anatomical dissection (Stations 1 & 4).

HS-LS1-1 / LS1.B – Growth & Repair

• HeLa cells and cancer cell division (Station 6).

HS-LS3-1 / LS3.A – DNA & Mutations

• Henrietta Lacks, HPV, cancer development (Station 6).

HS-LS3-2 – Bioethics of Heredity

• Ownership and consent over genetic material (post-lab questions).

ETS1-1 (Engineering Ethics)

• Evaluating the ethics of medical technologies and body procurement.

NGSS Science & Engineering Practices (SEPs)

Analyzing & Interpreting Data

• Students analyze historical cases, medical procedures, and ethical implications across multiple stations.

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

• Debates around:

  • Should cadaver dissection still be used?

  • Are plastinated body exhibits ethical?

  • Should Pernkopf’s atlas be used today?

  • Was Henrietta Lacks treated ethically?

Obtaining, Evaluating, & Communicating Information

• Primary NGSS practice for this activity

• Students synthesize information from readings, videos, and case documents.

NGSS Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)

Cause and Effect

• Nazi medical atrocities → stricter post-war ethical frameworks

• Lack of informed consent → Lacks family lawsuit (2023)

Systems & System Models

• Medical education as a system influenced by legal, ethical, and cultural components

Stability & Change

• How ethical norms evolve over time

• Changes in legal structures around cadavers and tissue samples

Science, Technology, & Society

• Strongest alignment: the entire lesson explores the intersection of scientific discovery, ethics, and society

Common Core Standards (ELA)

This lesson contains significant reading, source evaluation, and argumentation.

Key Standards Met

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 / RI.11-12.1
Citing strong evidence from historical/scientific texts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8 / RI.11-12.8
Evaluating arguments and ethical claims.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1 / W.11-12.1
Writing argumentative responses to prompts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.7 / W.11-12.7
Conducting short research tasks (e.g., post-lab analysis).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 / SL.11-12.1
Collaborative discussions and ethical debates.