Manipulating Biology: Costs, Benefits and Controversies

Classroom Lessons/ Projects

No matter a students diet, we can be confident that each of our students has consumed a GMO at some point in their life. As a result of current regulations in the United States we can also be confident that our students don’t know if or when they are eating GMOs because companies that produce and sell GMOs are not required to label their products. The projects and lessons in this unit are designed in a way that allows students to gain an in depth understanding of the costs, benefits, and controversies associated with GMOs. Upon completing this unit students will not only have gained a deeper understanding of GMOs, but will also have taken a stance on one side of the GMO debate and design a method for impacting this debate in a way that reflects their stance.

This is a research-based unit. At no point in the unit will teachers directly give students information about GMOs. Students will be gathering information via science and news articles, and videos. Teachers will support the learning by giving research based assignments and facilitating discussions, and allowing students to teach each other about what they have learned. Students will be gathering and organizing information in a way that allows them to feel empowered and informed enough to decide which side of the controversy they land on.

Lesson 1: Hook

Rationale: Before we begin, it is important to generate a level of excitement for the new unit. If students are bought in early, they are more likely to remain interested in the content and activities throughout the unit. Thus, the purpose of this assignment is to develop an initial level of engagement for students.

Objectives:

1. Students will understand what a controversy is.
2. Students will understand that malnourishment is a major problem throughout the world.
3. Students will understand that GMOs have the potential to have a significant impact on world hunger.

Background:

I like to start each unit with an interesting hook that allows students to see the big picture and practical implications of the unit topic. In doing this I try to get them to think about the topic outside the classroom and begin loosely brainstorming ideas related to the topic. At the end of the hook lesson I hone in on those ideas and connect them directly to the unit topic. I also leave somewhat of a cliffhanger before we actually jump into the content during the next lesson. I have found that this strategy builds a certain level of suspense and engagement.

Procedure:

1. Begin by asking students if they know what a controversy is. Give them 1 min. to write down their definition in their science notebooks and 1 min. to discuss their definition with a partner.
2. Call a couple students to share out. List accurate answers on the board. If students are unable to accurately describe a controversy instruct students to write this definition in their science notebooks: Controversy- A prolonged public dispute or debate concerning a matter of
3. Give students an example of a controversy. One example you might want to use is the controversy involving NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Explain that this is a controversy because there are opposing views on the matter. One side believes that players are protesting racial injustice, and the other side believes that players are disrespecting the American flag. Feel free to elaborate.
4. Ask students to write down 2 other controversies they can think of. Give them 1 min. to brainstorm and write it down and then give them 1 min. to share.
5. Call on a few students to share. Confirm whether the examples given by students are controversies or not and why.
6. Show students a video that depicts the issues involving world hunger. I have included several videos in the teacher resources section.
7. After watching the video ask students “what would you say if I told you we could grow enough food in poor parts of the world to end world hunger but some people are against it?” Let students share their thoughts.
8. Explain to students that we could potentially do that with GMOs. During this unit you all will learn why GMOs are so controversial.

Lesson 2:  KWL Chart (Know, Want to know, Learned)

Rationale: It is also important to understand student’s prior knowledge base regarding genetically modified organisms. Thus, the purpose of this assignment is to provide teachers with a snapshot of student’s prior understanding of GMOs and allow students to do a self check-in regarding their own familiarity with GMOs prior to and after the lesson. This lesson will give students a solid understanding of what a GMO is.

Objectives:

1. Students will write down everything they know about GMOs.
2. Students will write everything they want to know about GMOs.
3. Students will learn what GMOs are and write everything they have learned about GMOs.

Background:

KWL Charts are a great lesson to start each unit with. They provide teachers and students an opportunity to mark and measure what they know and what they will have learned throughout the unit. KWL Charts also give students a chance to constantly check in about what they want to know about the topic throughout the unit.

Procedure:

1. Ask students to write down what they know about GMOs under the K, on the KWL chart. Give students 5-10 minutes to finish.
2. Ask students to share what they wrote. Create a poster/chart of the information students already know about GMOs.
3. Ask students what they want to know under the W, on the KWL chart. Give students 5-10 minutes to finish. Create a poster/chart of the information students want to know about GMOs.
4. Ask students to share what they wrote. Create a poster/chart of the information students want to know about GMOs.
5. Provide students with the definition of GMOs and ask them to write it in their science notebooks.
6. Show them one of the provided video clips on GMOs. Ask them to take 5-10 notes pertaining to what a GMO is.
7. Come back to the chart pertaining to what students want to know about GMOs and ask them to look at their notes to see if any of the questions students had were answered by the video.
8. Provide them with one of the provided articles and ask them to take 5 notes on the article pertaining to what a GMO is.
9. Come back to the chart pertaining to what students want to know about GMOs and ask students to look at their notes to see if any of the questions students had were answered by the article. If so, instruct students to explain in their notebooks.
10. Instruct students to complete the Learned section of their KWL Chart.

Assessment: Teacher will read journal and KWL entries and assess them informally for their thoughtfulness and reflection on the ideas discussed. Teachers also have the option to give feed back and use student written notes to prompt class discussions.

Lesson 3: GMO Benefits

Rationale: As students begin to understand the benefits and costs associated with GMOs  it is important for them to learn about both sides of the controversy. This lesson will give students the opportunity to research the benefits of GMOs.

Objectives:

1. Students will read 2 articles and identify 5-10 benefits associated with GMOs.
2. Students will share at least 3 benefits with a partner.
3. Students will write down at least 2 questions they have about each article.

Background: Throughout the unit students will be constantly collecting and analyzing information pertaining to the costs and benefits of GMOs. After the first few lessons students will begin writing a research paper on the controversies surrounding GMOs. Although students will be expected to gather additional information regarding GMOs this lesson ensures that students have a solid base of facts pertaining to the benefits of GMOs to begin their research paper.

Procedure:

1. Give students one of the articles and instruct them to write 5-10 notes on the benefits of GMOs. Give students 20-30 minutes to complete. If they finish early give them the second article.
2. Students will share 2-3 notes with a partner and add those notes to their own. Give students 5-10 min. to finish.
3. Ask students to share their notes and start a poster/chart of 5 benefits to using GMOs. Teacher should also use this as an opportunity to discuss the various arguments presented.

Assessment: Teacher will read journal entries and assess them informally for their thoughtfulness and reflection on the ideas researched and discussed.

Lesson 4: GMO Costs

Rationale: In the previous lesson students identified the benefits associated with GMOs. This lesson will give students the opportunity to research the costs of GMOs.

Objectives:

1. Students will read 2 articles and identify 5-10 costs associated with GMOs.
2. Students will share at least 3 costs with a partner.
3. Students will write down at least 2 questions they have about each article.

Background: Throughout the unit students will be constantly collecting and analyzing information pertaining to the costs and benefits of GMOs. After the first few lessons students will begin writing a research paper on the controversies surrounding GMOs. Although students will be expected to gather additional information regarding GMOs this lesson ensures that students have a solid base of facts pertaining to the costs of GMOs to begin their research paper.

Procedure:

1. Give students one of the articles and instruct them to write 5-10 notes on the costs of GMOs. Give students 20-30 minutes to complete. Once they are finished give them the second article.
2. Students will share 2-3 notes with a partner and add those notes to their own. Give students 5-10 min. to finish.
3. Ask students to share their notes and start a poster/chart of 5 benefits to using GMOs. Teacher should also use this as an opportunity to discuss the various arguments presented.

Assessment: Teacher will read journal entries and assess them informally for their thoughtfulness and reflection on the ideas researched and discussed.

Project 1: Research Paper

Rationale: At this point in the unit students have collected 10-20 notes pertaining to the benefits and costs associated with GMOs. They will now organize those notes and write a research paper that will allow them to describe the controversies surrounding GMOs by outlining the arguments on both sides of the debate.

Objectives:

1. Students will organize their notes on GMOs.
2. Students will write at least 4 paragraphs.

Background/Procedure: This project should take 4-6 days to complete. At the beginning of each block, teachers will show students either a video on GMOs or give them an article to read before they start doing their own research. The videos and articles can be found in the teacher resource section. The idea is that teachers are providing some structure and scaffolding to students’ research process. Even if students are struggling to find information, they can at least rely on the resources provided by the teacher. There will be very little instruction given during the duration of this assignment aside from giving students instructions and setting up expectations. Although students should currently have enough information to get started, the teacher should allow them to have 20-30 minutes on their computers to continue to research the costs and benefits of GMOs. Be sure to give them time to write as well. This balance of writing and research time or combination of both will be decided by the discretion of the teacher. Students are expected to write at least 4 paragraphs in this research paper, preferably 6 and use the checklist as a guide. Feel free to adjust the assignment so that it fits your expectations and teaching style. Students should start by writing a rough draft in pencil. Once the teacher has checked the rough draft against the checklist and for spelling/grammatical errors students will then type their final draft. This paper should be complete with an introduction, 2 body paragraphs, conclusion and bibliography.

Assessment: Teacher will check and grade student’s final papers against the provided checklist. Teachers should adjust the rubric according to their standards and expectations.

Project 2: Slide Presentation

Rationale: Students will work with a partner to create a slide show to that reflects their research papers. This project should take 2-3 days to complete. Once complete the pairs will present their projects to the class.

Objectives:

1. Create a slide show presentation.
2. Present the slide show.

Background/Procedure:

Students will create their slide shows on Google Slides. If the class does not have experience with Google slides, it will be important to spend 20-30 minutes showing students how to create new slides, pick backgrounds, type and upload illustrations from Google images. I teach my new classes how to use Google slides at the beginning of each school year. I typically walk them through each step by first creating mock slides on our class projector and allowing them to watch and then allowing them to use their computers as we walk through each step together. Showing students how to use Google slides will be an invaluable tool as you can use Google slides for future projects. Once students understand how to use Google slides give them the checklist of everything their projects need to include. The checklist will include 10 slides. Within these 10 slides students need to introduce GMOs and the controversies surrounding them (costs benefits). Students need to include at least 8 illustrations and 8 backgrounds. There also needs to be at least 2 sentences on each slide. Finally the project needs to have a conclusion.

Assessment:

Teachers will check and grade student’s final projects against the provided checklist. Teachers should adjust the rubric according to their standards and expectations.

Project 3: Debate

Rationale: Students will be placed in pairs in order to have a team debate against other teams in the class. Students will take a stance of being either for or against the consumption, research, and manipulation of GMOs.

Objective:

1. Students will collect and organize all of their notes regarding the benefits and costs associated with GMOs.
2. Students will develop an opening statement and closing argument for both sides of the debate.
3. Students will outline their top 6 arguments for each side of the debate.
4. Students will create a potential counter argument for each of their arguments.
5. Students will present their arguments and be able to rebuttal arguments presented during the debate.

Background/Procedure: Debating is an effective method for demonstrating what a student has learned throughout a unit. Students have an opportunity to practice researching, organizing data, creating arguments, critical thinking, and public speaking. This debate should not require much research as students have been collecting data throughout the unit. However, be sure to promote the use of further research as students prep for their debate. The structure for the debate will be outlined in the handouts given. Nonetheless, teachers should feel free to alter the structure or any aspect of the debate as they see fit. Students should not know whether they will be arguing for the use of GMOs or against them until the day of the debate. Thus, students should complete the prep form both for and against the use of GMOs. This will ensure that students are prepared for both sides of the discussion, maximizing students understanding of the topic. Teachers should decide how to determine which pair will be arguing either side of the debate. I simply allow students to draw sides out of a cup 5 min. before their debate begins.

Students should be given 2-3 days of prep time. During this time student pairs need to write an opening statement, closing argument, and 6 arguments along with 6 potential counter arguments in order to be ready for the debates. Expectations for the opening statement and closing arguments will be included in the debate prep worksheets, however it may be useful for the teacher to take some time to explicitly teach how to write an opening statement and closing argument. The debate structure will follow the structure of the outlines given. It may be useful to show a video of students debating at the beginning of the unit so that students are familiar with what a debate looks like. The duration of each debate should be 5-10 minutes. While students are debating the rest the class should be using the provided checklist to score the quality of each pair of debater so that students are constantly aware of expectations for the debate. This checklist should also be given to the class students at the beginning of the debate prep.

Assessment: Teachers will use the provided checklist to grade each debate.

Project 4: Civil Action Assignment.

Rationale: After learning all about the costs benefits and controversies associated with GMOs, students will decide if they are for or against the consumption, research, and manipulation of GMOs and then pick a civil action assignment in order to get involved in this issue. Students will have the option of writing a letter to congress or businesses that sells GMOs, creating a YouTube video that expresses their views or give a presentation to two other classes in the school.

Objectives:

1. Students will decide if they are for or against the consumption, research, and manipulation of GMOs.
2. Students will choose and execute a civil action by writing a letter, creating a YouTube video or giving a presentation to two other classes within the school that expresses their views on the topic.

Background/Procedure:

Teachers have the choice of allowing students to complete this assignment independently, in pairs, or in groups depending on which project they choose. Students have the option of writing a letter to congress or a business that sells GMOs, creating a YouTube video that expresses their views or giving a presentation to two other classes in the school that explains their views about GMOs. Giving students choice as they choose their final project is important as it teaches them that there are many ways to be active in their communities and it will also give them more of a sense of power and ownership of their project. Students should be given 3-4 days to complete these projects. Although I have outlined and given structure to the other assignments and projects in this unit I will allow teachers to decide how to implement and structure these 3 projects as each of these projects can be structured and assessed in many different ways. It is also important for teachers to have ownership and flexibility in the units they use. With that said, teachers should feel free to add or omit civil action projects choices for this last project. For example, if a teacher would like to add a project in which students organize a rally, or if teachers would like to omit the YouTube video it should be done, as teachers understand what will work best for their particular class and their particular teaching style. This final project should be fun and empowering for students.

Assessment: Teachers will decide the assessment methods for these projects.