How Do We Inherit Our Biological Characteristics?
Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

http://www.district205.net/projects/inherit/

by Shelly Peretz

Instructional Technology Specialist
Thornton Township High School District 205
South Holland, IL

Office Phone: 708-225-4849
speretz@interaccess.com

You are visitor

Photograph taken from Sperm and Egg Visual by www.PDImages.com

Be sure to submit the OnLine Sign-Off each day.


Introduction

Individuals, families, health care providers and policymakers face important health care decisions every day. Today, with the growing awareness of the role that genetics plays in our society, decision-making requires more information than ever before. This project uses principles of biology to examine human genetics disorders. You will work in small groups (2-3) on projects which will give you the opportunity to understand human genetic diseases, collect data from remote sources, and process that data to arrive at conceptual models of how human traits are inherited. Since the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, provides up-to-the-minute information about our world, it is only natural that this resource be effectively utilized, hence the design of this project.

This home page is intended to serve as a starting point for your exploration of human genetic disease. In effect, this is "command central" for the project. Your assignments, in-class exercises, and in some cases, your project reports will be found through links from this springboard. You will also find forums (support groups, newsgroups, and listservs) for the exchange of information on the condition and the experience of living with it for patients and their families.

To learn more about how to make the most of your communications on the Internet, I strongly suggest that you read Arlene Rinaldi's The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette.


The Task

Your assignment for the next three weeks will be to investigate an inherited genetic disease and prepare a presentation about the disease. The genetics counseling community ascribes to a belief in non-directive counseling. That is, they feel that it is their duty to provide all of the information that is available and desired by a family so that they can make the decisions that are appropriate to them based on their own cultural, moral, religious, etc. beliefs.

Your investigation should include medical information important for people with this disease so that they can live a healthy and prolonged life. This might include:

Each image must have a caption. The presentation will be given using ClarisWorks® or Microsoft PowerPoint® presentation software. It should be written such that someone else could view the presentation and understand the key points without an accompanying verbal explanation.

You may not violate copyright laws. Any images or other resources retrieved from the internet and used in your presentation must be accompanied by a reference telling where it was obtained.


Resources

Netscape Basics
Here you can find a wealth of helpful information about your Netscape software and how to overcome any problems you might encounter with it.
Finding Information
Finding what you want on the Internet can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Online search tools help you track down whatever it is you're looking for.
Case Studies
Your team may choose from the following human genetic disorders, or you may choose to write your own case study.
 
Relevant Links
These resources were selected to help you understand human genetic diseases, including the medical facts, diagnosis, probable course of the disorder, and the available management.


The Process

  1. First you'll be assigned to a team of 2-3 students.
  2. Choose a case study of a human genetic disorder, or you may choose to write your own case study.
  3. Once you've choosen a human genetic disorder, you will have to decide on what information is needed for the family, so that they can make the decisions that are appropriate to them based on their own cultural, moral, religious, etc. beliefs.
  4. Gather the information. Your investigation should include medical information important for people with this disease so that they can live a healthy and prolonged life, as well as for the families impacted by this disease.
  5. Organize the information gathered. You might consider using flowcharts, summary tables, concept maps, or other organizing structures. You might develop a checklist of questions to analyze the information with, or things to notice or think about.
  6. Prepare a presentation for the family. The presentation will be given using ClarisWorks® or Microsoft PowerPoint® presentation software. It should be written such that someone else could view the presentation and understand the key points without an accompanying verbal explanation. This might include:

Project Team Member Roles

Internet Navigation Specialist
This team member is in charge of using the web browser and other computer programs to navigate the Internet in order to gather information.
Information Processing Specialist
This team member is responsible for determining which data or information need gathering, processing those data, assuring accuracy of calculations, and making certain that the other team members understand the evidence that leads to their recommendations.
Communications Specialist
This team member oversees the process of constructing the PowerPoint® presentation that communicates the team's evidence and conclusions.

There are documents on the Web that cover specific skills needed for this lesson (e.g. how to brainstorm, how to prepare to interview an expert, Guidelines for Reporting and Writing About People with Disabilities). To learn more about how to make the most of your communications on the Internet, I strongly suggest that you read, Working with the Usenet Community or The PolitenessMan's Guide to Netiquette.


Evaluation

Be sure to submit the OnLine Sign-Off each day.

Know/Need to Know Form - Tuesdays

Weekly Status Report - Fridays

Presentation Rubric

In the process of this investigation, it is useful to periodically take some time to review the status of your work. At any point during your work, there are some things that you can confidently(?) declare as facts, and there are other things that you cannot claim to know without further information. This process of articulating what you know and what you need to know serves several purposes, in that it allows the work of each group to inform others and it helps to keep your own work focused. The Know/Need to Know Form is to be submitted each Tuesday during this project. You should occasionally examine this page to help guide your investigation.

Be sure to submit the Weekly Status Report on Friday.

You will be evaluated on both your presentation and your contribution. See the Presentation Rubric.


Conclusion

You should be able to:

  1. discuss examples of inherited disorders, their symptoms, and their causes.
  2. demonstrate how modern knowledge and techniques have led to understanding the cause of genetic disorders. (If known, show the location of the defective allele).
  3. relate genes and protein synthesis to the expression of phenotypes.
  4. describe techniques that permit diagnosis of a genetic disorder.
  5. demonstrate how increased knowledge and advances in medicine have improved the quality of life for people with the disorder.
  6. use a Punnett square and a pedigree as a tool to provide parents with information about the possibility of having a child with a genetic disorder.
  7. discuss the impact of the disease on the victim, their family, and society.
  8. access, use and manage information from the Internet effectively (using links provided as well as locating other relevant links using search engines).
  9. communicate and collaborate with other people in other locations. (using e-mail, newsgroup, e-mail, snail mail, and/or telephone).
  10. follow the Acceptable Use Guidelines which both you and your parents signed.

Last updated March 6, 1999

Based on a template from The Webquest Page.