Bioethics: who owns a body?
Debate whether studying human anatomy on real specimens is ethical, and defend your stance with a claim-evidence-reasoning post.
One-paragraph CER posted to the class board taking a position on anatomical donation for education.
- 1Do thisDebate whether studying human anatomy on real specimens is ethical, and defend your stance with a claim-evidence-reasoning post.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisCER: One-paragraph CER posted to the class board taking a position on anatomical donation for education.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Human Anatomy & Physiology (Human Body Systems) › Course Launch: PLTW access, BioDigital/Maniken routines, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, anatomy language, measurement norms. › CEROpen Schoology
A logical claim vs. an opinion
What makes a statement a claim you can defend, instead of just an opinion?
A claim is a statement that answers a question and can be supported or challenged with evidence. “This water sample is unsafe to drink” is a claim: we can test it. An opinion is a personal preference that does not have to be defended. “Tap water tastes better than bottled” is an opinion: it is true for you and that is fine.
Science runs on claims, not opinions. A good claim is specific (it says exactly what you think is true), it answers the actual question, and it is testable (there is some evidence that could prove it right or wrong).
The same sentence can hide either one. “Vaccines are good” is vague. “The MMR vaccine reduces measles cases in a community” is a claim, because we can go look at the data.
- • Specific: it states exactly what you think is true.
- • On-target: it answers the question that was asked.
- • Testable: some evidence could support it or prove it wrong.
- • Honest: you would change it if the evidence pointed the other way.
- • “Best / worst / prettiest” usually signals an opinion, not a claim.
- • If no possible evidence could change your mind, it is probably an opinion or a belief, not a scientific claim.
Write one claim and one opinion about a topic in this course. For your claim, name one piece of evidence that could prove it wrong.
Read to prepare for today
Vetted sources picked for today's question. Skim these before you take a position or start the work, so your argument and evidence are grounded.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: Medical knowledge advances through the study of real human bodies, which raises genuine ethical questions about consent and respect.
- 0-5Intro and framing of the bioethics prompt
- 5-20Independent reading and two-column reason list
- 20-35John Carroll bioethics group debate
- 35-50Draft one-sentence claim and strongest evidence
- 50-70Write and post CER to class board
- 70-80Whole-class share-out of best counter-arguments heard
- • Good morning. This week we launch Human Body Systems, a course that covers anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology.
- • Today is not a vocabulary day. It is a thinking day. We are going to wrestle with a real question: who has the right to study a human body after death?
- • Before we argue, I want you to notice that this question has no clean answer. Your job is to build the strongest case you can for one side.
- • By the end of class you will have posted a CER. That is a claim, a piece of evidence, and your reasoning. That format will follow us all year.
- 1Read the Philosophy-for-Kids prompt: should medical students learn anatomy on donated human bodies, or only on models?
- 2List two reasons a person might donate their body and two reasons a family might object.
- 3Take a side and write a one-sentence claim with your strongest reason.
- 4Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group, recording the best counter-argument you heard.
- 5Post a short CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) response to the class board.
- • You can state a clear ethical claim about anatomical donation.
- • You can name a counter-argument and respond to it.
- • Anatomical donation requires informed consent and serves educational and research purposes.
- • Bioethics weighs benefits to society against individual rights and dignity.
- • A CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) is the standard scientific argument format used throughout HBS.
Your PLTW work today
Course Launch: PLTW access, BioDigital/Maniken routines, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, anatomy language, measurement norms. · Bioethics: who owns a body?
Day 1 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Lesson 1.1 Beginning with Bones in myPLTW and complete the introductory online activity for the course launch; use it to ground a fact in your bioethics CER about anatomical donation.
Mark the course-launch activity complete in myPLTW after posting your CER to the class board.
You have not yet started Lesson 1.1; by the end of today you should have the course-launch task checked off and your CER posted.
Screenshot of myPLTW completion status attached to your tracker entry.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Course Launch: PLTW access, BioDigital/Maniken routines, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, anatomy language, measurement norms. · Bioethics: who owns a body?
Open Lesson 1.1 Beginning with Bones in myPLTW and complete the introductory online activity for the course launch; use it to ground a fact in your bioethics CER about anatomical donation.
You have not yet started Lesson 1.1; by the end of today you should have the course-launch task checked off and your CER posted.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Debate whether studying human anatomy on real specimens is ethical, and defend your stance with a claim-evidence-reasoning post.
- Read the Philosophy-for-Kids prompt: should medical students learn anatomy on donated human bodies, or only on models?
- List two reasons a person might donate their body and two reasons a family might object.
- Take a side and write a one-sentence claim with your strongest reason.
- Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group, recording the best counter-argument you heard.
- Post a short CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) response to the class board.
CER: One-paragraph CER posted to the class board taking a position on anatomical donation for education.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Read the Philosophy-for-Kids prompt: should medical students learn anatomy on donated human bodies, or only on models? | _______ |
| List two reasons a person might donate their body and two reasons a family might object. | _______ |
| Take a side and write a one-sentence claim with your strongest reason. | _______ |
| Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group, recording the best counter-argument you heard. | _______ |
| Post a short CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) response to the class board. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You can state a clear ethical claim about anatomical donation.
- You can name a counter-argument and respond to it.
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Use this as the classroom resource for HBS launch and body systems overview.
Placement rationale
Matched HBS launch and body systems overview by path:Human-Body-Systems/00-Course-Planning; keywords:body systems. Score 130. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Lab & supplies
WebXam practice
Where this leads — careers
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
What to do if you were absent
Read the linked sources on body donation, consent, and cadaver-vs-model anatomy education, then post a written CER taking a side on whether real-specimen study is justified, citing one fact from a source.
UCSF Willed Body ProgramThen submit your CER on Schoology.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
CDC Laboratory Safety- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Mon, Aug 24, 2026 · Bioethics: who owns a body? here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project