Courageous Conversations

Some students approached me with concerns and questions about a passage in our text that they considered to be "racist." While it turned out to be a misunderstanding, I did feel that this was an opportunity to explore our understanding of race. 

My main intention was to give students an opportunity and a safe place to speak their thoughts.  Many students  shared their perceptions and personal experiences and brought up helpful insights and questions. One student pointed out that we all have different backgrounds and perceptions that shape our understanding of people; this is just human nature. Some of the conversations became emotional, and as one insightful student pointed out, "conversations about race are always emotional."   Important issues are not always easy to discuss.

We will continue to have conversations such as this as much as we can integrate them into the curriculum.  I hope all students do feel safe and comfortable talking about these issues because these conversations are important and necessary in order for us to learn and grow every day. 

Here are some resources that are helpful for children and adults in having conversations related to race:

What is Race?

Race Reconciled De-bunks Race

Talking to Children about Race

Talking about Race in the Classroom

WriteLike Assignment

Here is the WriteLike assignment that I gave out in class today:

WriteLike Assignment
Rubric
Forensic Anthropology Vocabulary Words (You may have more)
Citing Images (this is required if you use pictures)

Teacher-Made Example (Just an example - Do not copy this one)

Text Structures and Text Features

This week we talked about text structures and text features, which are authors' methods used in non-fiction texts when the author is trying to teach the reader something.  Here are some helpful presentations about text structures and text features. Try the practice exercises to make sure you understand what they are:

Text Structures

Text Features

In-Class Assignment for October 9

Here are the instructions and the links to the "Written in Bone" assignment:

Written in Bone website

Video

Watch the video and navigate through the site to answer the following questions. Use the page names in parentheses and hints as  starting points to help you find the answers. Answer these questions in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

1. What can forensic anthropologists learn by analyzing bones that we cannot learn from other kinds of historical sources?  (Skeleton Keys)

2. Many of the 17th-century graves unearthed in the Chesapeake reveal clues into how and why someone died. If a grave or coffin was clearly too small for the individual who was buried within, what might that reveal about the circumstances under which they had died?

Hint

What differences would you expect to find between the burials and bones of two men of the same age, one the wealthy governor of Jamestown and the other an indentured servant?

3. Forensic anthropologists closely examine the DNA evidence from bones and other artifacts to learn more about how people lived in the 17th century. What are the various methods and tools forensic anthropologists use to examine and collect information from bones?  (Video)

4. What does this exhibition reveal about the lives of Africans in the 17th-century Chesapeake? What are some of the ways forensic anthropologists determine the ancestry of the people whose bones they discover?

Hint

5. Life in the 17th-century Chesapeake was extremely difficult and mortality rates were very high. What are some of the insights we can draw about the challenges they faced from examining their bones?  (Unearthing the 17th Century Chesapeake: The First Colonists, The First Fatalities, Harsh Realities, and Struggling to Survive)

6. How would a forensic anthropologist determine whether a skeleton was buried 400 years ago or four years ago?

Bone Biography: A “bone biography” tells the story of a person from the past by analyzing their bones and burial. It includes information about who they were, how they lived, and possibly reveals how they died.

Create a bone biography of one of the individuals explored in the exhibition (Forensic Case Files). Details to include, if possible are: Identity (Where was he/she from), Age, Gender, Cause of Death, and Occupation. If you can’t find all the details, they can make hypotheses based on the evidence found from the bones, or based on what they have learned through research or prior knowledge.

Copy of Instructions (in case you want to print a paper copy.)

ACES Essays Past Due

Please turn in your ACES Essay if you have not already done so. These were due last Wednesday.  Check your grades on PowerSchool and check your Google Classroom account to make sure your essay has been turned in. 

Also, Reading Logs were sent home today. They are to be completed and turned in next Monday, October 12.  Here's a copy in case you lost yours:

Reading Log - Fiction

Reading Log Fiction - modified version

More Forensic Anthropology Resources

I have enjoyed our discussions this week about Forensic Pathology. Here are some resources that you might enjoy viewing:

3-D Digitizers in Forensics
Forensic Engineers Show How Plane Crashes are Investigated
TED Talk: A Forensic Pathologist Brings Closure for the Disappeared
Video - What Role do Anthropologists Play in Solving Crimes?

Flight MH370: forensic engineering expert on the significance of debris

Let me know if you come across other videos or articles that the class would enjoy.