Forensic Scientists at Work | Noteworthy Nonfiction (For Older Readers)

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Just say the word “forensics” to a group of students, and you’re bound to get a reaction. The popularity of TV shows such as CSI has already brought kids into the library looking for books on the topic, and two new titles are sure to bring them back. The books point to the tantalizing clues left by ancient remains, and the painstaking work of geologists, archeologists, and physical and cultural anthropologists, as they search for and consider evidence, draw conclusions, and re-examine theories in light of new information and technologies. All valuable lessons for students.

Sally M. Walker and Douglas W. Owsley’s Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World (Carolrhoda, August, 2012; Gr 6 Up) considers the story of the 9,000-year-old remains, discovered in 1996 by two young men along the banks of the Columbia River in Kennewick, WA. The find was startling in several respects, including the number and age of the bones and bone fragments uncovered. In telling Kennewick Man’s story, the authors weave in accounts of other remarkable Paleoamerican finds and the information they have yielded about the life and culture of early North American inhabitants.

How scientists build theories based on evidence gleaned from hours of close examination, testing, and retesting, allowing that sometimes the smallest clue can present important results, is a focus of the book. At various points, the authors point out how the same evidence led different scientists to different conclusions. Consider with your students the attention devoted to the discovery of a spearpoint embedded into Kennewick Man’s ilium. At what angle did the the stone point enter his body and what did this indicate? Did the injury impact the way Kennewick Man walked? Had this injury healed at the time of his death?  What were some of the theories developed in response to those questions, and how did scientists arrive at them? What further research was conducted to test those theories?

These were just some of the questions and avenues the authors explore as they present information on how theories—and research—evolve in light of debate. Ask your students to cite other, similar examples in the book. They can begin by considering what information was provided by technology that existed in 1996 when Kennewick Man was found, and what scientists learned in 2004 using newer technology.

Walker has stated that her research tools included “primary sources and ancient bones.” What other resources did the authors use? What resources do your students use as researchers? Are there others they might consider? Owsley has commented that “the sky is the limit” when it comes to the information gleaned from human remains. Have students list what they learned about Paleoamerican culture in general, and Kennewick Man specifically, from the book. What is there still to learn?

Early on, the authors discuss the importance of cultural sensitivity. Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a Native American tribe claimed the skeletal remains of Kennewick Man, requesting to rebury them according to their traditions. Government scientists there contested the claim in court. Ultimately the judge assigned to the case decided that the evidence presented “had not led him to conclude that Kennewick Man was affiliated with a modern tribe.”

This issue of cultural sensitivity is also addressed in James M. Deem’s Faces from the Past: Forgotten People of North America (Houghton Mifflin, November 2012; Gr 7 Up). In Faces, Deem, the author of many books, including the 2009 Sibert Honor title, Bodies from the Ice (Houghton Mifflin, 2008 Gr 5-8), covers the fate of often-unknown individuals and the repatriation efforts to honor them.

Deem’s account takes readers from Spirit Cave outside of Fallon, NV, and a 17th-century French ship found at the bottom of Matagorda Bay on the Gulf coast of Texas, to a Colonial burial ground in Albany, NY, and the site of the Battle of San Jacinto near Houston, TX. As the subtitle notes, the author set out to explore the lives of the “forgotten,” often “nameless,” people of our past; a Paleoamerican man, a sailor on Le Salle’s last expedition, enslaved workers at an upstate New York farm, and massacred Mexican soldiers left unburied during the Texas War for Independence.

In detailing these discoveries, Deem discusses what their remains have taught us about these individuals: their physical appearance, the foods they ate, their labors, and the causes of their deaths, when known. He includes primary source materials—letters, family and city records, and early maps and reproductions—to reconstruct their daily lives and their histories. He documents how researchers poring over old newspapers in were able to determine that a particular Wyoming location was the likely burial site of six Chinese workers killed in a mine blast in 1881. Sidebars provide additional, related information on such topics as The Texas War of Independence, The Chinese Exclusion Act, artifacts, NAGPRA cases, and more.

The author also describes radiocarbon dating and surveys the history of facial reconstruction from late 19th-century to modern techniques, with notes on the work of anatomists and sculptors and the challenges their assignments present. He illustrates the latter with fascinating step-by-step photographs.

Encourage your students to seek other titles on these topics. Be sure to recommend Katherine Kirkpatrick’s The Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man, (Holiday House, 2011; Gr 5 Up). How does this title differ in focus and approach from the two discussed here? In illustrations and resource lists? For other titles on the work of scientists—including Marc Aronson and Lee Berger’s The Skull in the Rock (National Geographic, 2012), which covers recent finds in South Africa—read Kathy Piehl’s “A Lifetime of Study,” and “A Universe to Discover.”

How better to convince young adults that need coaxing to read nonfiction than with stories of thrilling discoveries and ongoing investigations? These new titles by seasoned writers explore the world of forensic science with stunning results, offering insight into the lives of early North Americans, the work of scientists, and the research process.

The Common Core State Standards below are a sampling of those referenced in above books and classroom suggestions.

W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection, and research.
RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually quantitatively)…to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
R1.6.9 Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another
SL 6.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions…Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to prove and reflect on ideas under discussion….
SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats…and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
RI.7.1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.7.2. Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.7.3-12. Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text.
RI 7.3-12 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Develop factual, interpretive, and evaluative questions for further exploration of the topic(s).
RI 7.3-12 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RI 7.3-12 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI 7.3-12 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
RI 7.3-12 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

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