ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Science: 4. Life Science. 6. Science and Technology.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: 1. I want students to understand what is meant by the term biotechnology.  2. I want students to know what genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are and how these organisms are made. 3.  I want students to understand the controversies surrounding the use of biotechnology products.
Goal(s): Students will understand what biotechnology is and how it is being used in agriculture and medicine.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. What is biotechnology?  2. What are some examples of biotechnology?  3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using genetically modified organisms?  4. How is biotechnology affecting farmers in North Dakota?
Objectives: 1. Students will be able to define and describe the basic methods of biotechnology.  2. Students will be able to discuss practical applications of biotechnology. 3. Students will able to discuss social issues guiding the use of biotechnology.  4. Students will be able to describe what a genetically modified organism is and give examples.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer)will provide evidence of understanding?
1. Questions that ask for simple definitions of biotechnology and associated terms like GMO, etc. will help to determine students’ basic level of understanding. 2. Also questions that require students to list examples of different types of biotechnology could be used to assess basic understanding. 3. True and False pre and post quiz about biotechnology.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance)will provide evidence of understanding?
Open-ended questions that students will answer using the Internet at the beginning of the lesson such as: 1. What are some advantages/benefits of using biotechnology?  2. What are some disadvantages/concerns of using biotechnology?  3. How is biotechnology affecting farmers in North Dakota?
What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?
Students will create a poster that will either support the use of biotechnology or a biotechnology product or will warn the public about the concerns/dangers of biotechnology.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect?
1. Students will answers a set of questions at the beginning of the lesson.  2. Students will take a true/false quiz about biotechnology before and after the lesson(s).

Instructional Strategies

Students will be using problem-based learning when they work with a partner to investigate information about: the definition and process of biotechnology, examples of biotechnology, and advantages and disadvantages of using biotechnology to create consumer products. Students will use the Internet to investigate a set of questions. This activity helps students take control of their own learning. They must research the answers to the questions using the Internet, not the textbook. They will need to know the answers in order to create their own poster. Students will also be using project-based learning to create a poster that either supports or discourages the use of biotechnology. The posters will be displayed in the school hallway. This activity will force students to take a stand on a controversial social problem associated with science. The activity combines the learning of science with real world applications-authentic learning!