🔎 Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy students held deep human history in their hands recently as they studied a variety of skulls and what those fossils tell us about the development of our species.
In Danielle Parker’s Biology dual enrollment college course supported by A-B Tech, high school students conducted a hands-on lab that would make any college biology major envious. Armed with digital and manual calipers, students measured brow ridges, cranial capacity, jaw projection, and more on model skulls. To add to the scientific mystery, the skulls were unlabeled. Students had to rely on their observations and data to identify the specimens and map relationships across time.
“This is sort of the culminating lab for the unit,” Parker explained. “Students get to examine these skulls and use real tools to collect data, just like a paleoanthropologist would in the field.”
The lab combined academic rigor with real-world relevance. Earlier in the unit, students watched a video on forensic anthropology, a career that blends biology and investigative work, and explored how the same skills used in the classroom can help solve crimes or uncover ancient human history.
As a college-level course taken during high school, the class offers students a great opportunity to earn credits while developing college-ready skills.
“It really helps you feel more prepared,” said Kathryn, a senior. “Balancing a college class with high school life lets you step into your future with more confidence. I want to study biology in college, and this made me love learning about humans even more.”