National Geographic/Cegage’s Forensic Science Fundamentals and Investigations (National Geographic Forensic Science) is a comprehensive science curriculum for high school Forensic Science courses. The program introduces students to science and investigations behind the world of careers in forensic science. The materials are available in print and digital format. Digital components are accessible to students and teachers from National Geographic Learning/Cengage’s interactive MindTap platform.
Learning List has reviewed the version of the material submitted for state adoption in Texas under Proclamation 2024. While the Texas version contains some content specifically tailored to meet the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards, the material’s organization, features, and functionality are consistent with the national version, which according to the publisher’s website provides content “aligned to the NGSS Next Generation Science Standards.” Thus, the information contained in our editorial review (i.e., instructional quality review) will be helpful to districts in most states.
National Geographic Forensic Science organizes learning in chapters based on major concepts of forensic science. Two introductory chapters titled (1) Forensic Science and Observation, and (2) Crime-Scene Investigations and Evidence provide background information and an explanation of what forensic scientists do, including how they use observation to draw conclusions. All subsequent chapters begin with a real-world scenario to demonstrate key concepts.
Chapters are divided into four sections. Students begin each chapter by reading the material and studying a variety of figures and images. They read case studies, answer discussion questions, and learn about careers in forensic science. The ebook references practice activities and labs to help students review the chapter content, though Learning List’s reviewers noted that these were not evident on the MindTap platform at the time of our review (September 2023). Chapters end with a multiple-choice quiz.
The teacher edition mirrors the student edition, but all student resources are provided on the MindTap platform and teacher resources are linked on a companion site, nglsync. The material is provided in English only without translation. Learn more about the material’s resources for students, assessments, and monitoring tools by reading Learning List’s editorial reviews.
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About National Geographic/Cengage*
National Geographic Learning, a part of Cengage Learning, is a leading educational publisher of PreK–12 School and English Language Teaching. At National Geographic Learning, we believe that an engaged and motivated learner will be a successful one, and we design our materials with a highly interactive storytelling approach which is a great way to invoke these connections.
*Content in this section is adapted from National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning