Biology Commonwealth of Virginia
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- Name: Date
- Bioethics and Unsent Letters
- Observations and Conclusions
- Sample assessment Use the attached rubrics to assess the letters. Follow-up/extension
- 1. Letter to your new employee
- 2. Response letter to your new boss
Sample assessmentUse objective questions and/or a more thorough assessment, such as an Illustrated 3-Dimensional Flow Chart of DNA Replication and Protein Synthesis, for assessments. Follow-up/extensionOnce students have mastered the concepts related to the sequence of events in replication and protein synthesis, you may wish to begin a unit on Mendelian genetics or a unit on cellular division. This will depend on your chosen course sequence. ResourcesVacca, J., and R. Vacca. Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning across the Curriculum, 6th ed. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 1999. 339–341. DNA Replication & Protein Synthesis Student Activity Sheet Name: Date:
Reinforcing Vocabulary with Semantic Feature Analysis DIRECTIONS 1. Read each of the following process descriptions, and decide whether it fits the process of replication, transcription, or translation. 2. Place a check () under the process(es) to which you think each description applies. Some descriptions may fit more than one process. 3. When you are finished, compare your table with that of the student next to you.
Bioethics and Unsent LettersOrganizing Topic Genetics Overview Students role play the writing of letters in response to a specific issue, namely, the ethics of employers demanding genetic information about employees. Related Standards of Learning BIO.6h, i ObjectivesThe students will explain that DNA technologies allow scientists to identify, study, and modify genes. Forensic identification is one example of the application of DNA technology; recognize that genetic engineering techniques provide great potential for useful products; discuss the Human Genome Project as a collaborative effort to map the entire gene sequence. This information will be useful in detection, prevention, and treatment of many genetic diseases. It also raises practical and ethical questions. Materials neededCopies of the attached directions and letter templates for letters to and from an employee Copies of the attached rubrics for the letters Instructional activityContent/Teacher NotesThis is a good lesson to use as a synthesis of a human heredity / DNA technology unit or as a wrap-up of a larger genetics or DNA technology unit. The unsent letters demand that the students incorporate both their understanding of the content and their attitudes toward the content in an evaluative and imaginative fashion. (Vacca & Vacca, 263–264). The recommended time frame is one-half to a full block class. The attached rubrics elucidate what information the students should include in the letters — i.e., the information students have learned from the chapter on human genetics, including the methods for DNA fingerprinting and the determination of genetic disorders. This activity allows the students to reflect upon the implications of these genetic tools in a real-life situation — one that is a bit more realistic than those typically portrayed by the media. The activity includes two letters because it is important for students to use simple critical frameworks to grasp opposing opinions and points-of-view. Introduction1. Students would benefit from a brief introduction to one or more frameworks for evaluating a situation involving an ethical dilemma. A recommended framework might be one that asks students to consider the Values of each party, the Right and Responsibilities of each party, and the Consequences of Decisions/Actions made by each party. This method does not require extensive teaching of ethics per se, but is based on a more pragmatic approach. 2. Ask the class whether they know what the word ethics means? (Study of morality, meaning right and wrong) Brainstorm as a class about situations that they believe could be categorized as an ethical dilemma or quandary. 3. Next, brainstorm a list of all of the DNA technologies and DNA technology applications that they can think of. 4. Explain to the students that they will be using what they know about DNA technologies and applications and what they subjectively can argue about ethics in order to take part in a lesson about the genetic information an employer can demand from an employee. Procedure1. Introduce the Unsent Letters Strategy, and explain to the students that there are portions of the assignment that are based solely on their imagination and other portions that focus on specific concepts from the content. You may wish to show students a sample unsent letter and discuss why it is a successful example (optional, but recommended for certain populations of learners). 2. Hand out the Unsent Letters directions and related letter templates, and go over the directions with the students. 3. Hand out and review the rubrics for the Unsent Letters assignment. 4. Have students work independently on writing their letters. 5. Have students share their letters with a partner. Then, ask for volunteer pairs to share their letters, having the students read the letters aloud. 6. Have an informal class discussion about the various letters and responses. Observations and Conclusions1. When writing as Ms. Wish, students will most likely take the stance that the information is absolutely necessary for maintaining high productivity, security, etc. for the company. Additionally, they may have Ms. Wish make some other demands of Mr. Dinson. The response letter will most likely represent the students’ true opinions about the questions at hand: Do employers have the right to demand certain “private” information from their employees? How private should such information be? Should employers be able to use the new and highly informative method, genetic fingerprinting? Sample assessmentUse the attached rubrics to assess the letters. Follow-up/extensionUse this activity as a way to review before a unit test on a larger genetics unit. It may be used in lieu of a traditional test if the teacher prefers to use a more performance-based assessment tool. ResourcesVacca, J., and R. Vacca. Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning across the Curriculum, 6th ed. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 1999. Unsent Letters DIRECTIONSIn this activity, you will play the roles of two people — 1) the owner of a company and 2) a new employee at that company. Read the two descriptions below, and as each person, write a letter as directed. Be sure to include all the information asked for, and feel free to use your imagination. Use the handout sheets for your letters. 1. Letter to your new employeeYou are Ms. Wish, owner of Globex, a Fortune-500 company. You have just completed the hiring process for the spring. Write a letter to a new employee, Mr. Dinson, explaining that you need to have access to all of his medical records and that he must have a DNA fingerprint done to keep on file. Explain to Mr. Dinson the reasons why you feel this information is necessary for the company to have. Be sure to make it clear what kind of company you run and what position Mr. Dinson will have at the company. 2. Response letter to your new bossYou are Mr. Dinson, a new employee at the company. Before your first day at work, you receive the above letter from the owner of the company. Write a response letter back to Ms. Wish, explaining whether or not you agree with the company having access to your medical records and whether you agree that they have the right to a genetic screening before you go to work for them. Explain your reasoning as it applies to the company and your job description, and be sure to let Ms. Wish know whether you will be staying with the company or not. G 
L O B E X, I N C. Danielle Wish, President Globex, Inc. 777 World Ave. Big City, US 10001 Mr. Michael Dinson 332 Newman Rd. Small City, US 10002
332 Newman Rd. Small City, US 10002 Ms. Danielle Wish, President Globex, Inc. 777 World Ave. Big City, US 10001
2. Response Letter from Mr. Dinson
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