Genetic+Disease

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Introduction
At the last doctor’s appointment, a child in your family was diagnosed with a debilitating genetic disease. Genetic diseases are often caused by errors or mutations in DNA, making it difficult to cure to the disease. As a result, only the symptoms can be treated.

Your family physician will work with your family to help you better understand the disease and choose a method of care. Together, you will research the disease, focusing on the hereditary link, symptoms of the disease, and the impact this disease will have on the affected child and the family as a whole. Using the information you gather, you will write journal entries and present a mini-lesson to the class.

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Task
The members of the group will collectively choose a genetic disease to study. There are a number of genetic diseases listed below to choose from. You may choose a genetic disease that is not listed, but the genetic component must be known. You must have your topic approved by your teacher before you may proceed in your research.

The physician has diagnosed your child with this debilitating disease. Together, you must research the disease, focusing on the hereditary link, symptoms of the disease, the impact this disease will have on the affected child and family members, as well as any options you, the family, may have. Using the information you gather, you will present a mini-lesson to the class to raise awareness about the disease and promote funding for research.

Because genetic diseases cannot typically be cured, physicians can only treat the symptoms. As a group, the family and doctor will have to choose a method of care for the sick child. Those in the roles of the family members will write journal entries providing their role’s unique perspective on the choice of care. The doctor’s role will be to write from their professional perspective on the family’s choice.

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(1) Form groups
For the purposes of this exercise, you will form groups of 3-4 students. As a group, you will assign individuals to the following roles: a. Physician b. Mother c. Father d. Sibling (if there is a fourth group member)

(2) Select a disease to research
The members of the group will collectively choose a genetic disease to study. There are a number of genetic diseases from which to choose. Please select from the list provided.You may choose a genetic disease that is not listed, but the genetic component must be known and you must have your topic __approved by your teacher__ before you may proceed in your research.

(3) Research the genetic disease
You will use both print resources from the SIS LMC and non-print (Internet, interview, video, etc.) to research the disease, focusing on the following aspects:

i. How is the disease inherited? (i.e. Is it dominant or recessive?) ii. What are the possible genotypes and phenotypes of the parents? Or describe the chromosomal abnormality.
 * A. The Genetic Component**

i. How is the disease diagnosed? ii. What are the indications of the disease?
 * B. Symptoms**

i. What is the prognosis (or the outcomes of the disease)? What is the life expectancy of affected individuals? ii. What is the quality of life? What difficulties will the affected child face? iii. What difficulties will the family face? iv. What is the prevalence of the disease in the US population?
 * C. The Impact of the Disease**

i. How are patients with the disease treated? ii. How much does the care cost? iii. Where can affected individuals be treated? Who performs the treatment? iv. What organizations support people with this disease and provide help to them and their families?
 * D. Options for Care**

Be sure to take notes along the way and brainstorm ideas for the final presentation.

(4) Write journal entries
Those group members in the roles of the family members will each write 2 journal entries (1 per week) providing their role’s unique perspective on the choice of care. The doctor’s role will be to write 2 journal entries (1 per week) from their professional perspective on the family’s choice. At the end of the first week, the group will meet to compare journal entries to provide more insight on the disease and aid in the second week’s journal entry. Listed below are a number of questions to get each person started in writing your journal entries:

i. What difficulties will the family face? ii. How will we afford the care for our child? iii. What is the chance of another child in our family getting the disease? iv. As parents, you hope for the best for your children. How has this affected you emotionally? v. What have you learned about the genetic disorder? vi. Where can you find out more information about the genetic disorder?
 * A. Mother/Father**

i. What are your chances of passing this genetic disease on to your future children? ii. Where can you find out more about the genetic disease? iii. How will you help your parents take care of your affected sibling? iv. What have you learned about the genetic disorder? v. How will this disease affect your daily interactions with your sibling?
 * B. Sibling**

i. What can you do to provide support to this family? ii. Which organizations could you recommend to help this family? iii. What signs/symptoms did the affected child exhibit that led you to this diagnosis? iv. What should the family know about the disorder? v. What should the family be looking out for?
 * C. Physician**

(5) Create a presentation
Using the information you have found, you will create a mini-lesson that addresses the research questions. Using the information you have found in your research, you will build a PowerPoint, VoiceThread, or Glog presentation to inform your classmates about the disease. Your teacher will review how to use these tools. As a group, you should first outline the slides you wish to include before building your presentation. You can include text, pictures, audio and video in your presentation. Divide the presentation up into sections, so that each member of the group will have a chance to speak. Be sure to include a credit to your sources in MLA format using NoodleBib.

(6) Present to the Class
When you present to the class, each member of the group should have a chance to speak. Following your presentation, your classmates and teacher will have the opportunity to ask questions.

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Resources

 * [|Presentation Tips]
 * [|PowerPoint Presentation Tips]
 * [|PowerPoint Storyboard]
 * [|Poster Making Tips]
 * [|Media Storyboard for VoiceThread]

Non-Print

 * Specific Genetic Diseases Links from the list provided.
 * SIS LMC Databases
 * **Facts on File** **Science Online** article that is a good place for info is:
 * //research on disease genes and gene therapy//
 * **Grolier Multimedia** use search term genetic diseases, a good article is:
 * //genetic diseases//
 * If you click on the Web Links Tab, additional sources are provided.
 * [|Centers for Disease Control] (CDC)
 * [|Genes and Disease]
 * [|Genetic Home Reference]
 * [|Learn Genetics]
 * [|Mayo Clinic]
 * [|Medline Plus]
 * [|National Institutes of Health]
 * [|NOAH] (New York Online Access to Health)
 * Search Engines
 * [|Talking Library of Genetic Terms] (Genome.gov)

**Multimedia**

 * [|One Wrong Letter] QuickTime Video
 * [|A Mutation Story] QuickTime Video
 * [|Double Immunity] QuickTime Video
 * [|How Genetic Disorders Are Inherited] PDF Document
 * [|How Cells Divide: Mitosis vs. Meiosis] Flash Interactive
 * [|Genetic Drift and the Founder Effect] JPEG Image
 * [|Chromosome Viewer] Flash Interactive
 * Nova's //[|Cracking the Code of Life]// QuickTime / Real Video; 16 segments

Print Sources

 * REF - Diseases 3rd Edition Encyclopedia
 * REF - Diseases and Disorders Encyclopedia
 * REF - DK American College of Physicians Complete Home Medicine Guide
 * [|Destiny] - keyword search a specific disease name or "genetic disease"

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Evaluation
You will receive a grade based on a combination of: your individual journal entries score, the score you receive for your group’s presentation, your peer evaluations, and your group self-evaluations.

[|Journal Response Evaluation]
Your teacher will use the evaluation form provided to grade your individual journal entries.

[|Presentation Evaluation]
Your teacher will use the evaluation form provided to grade your group’s presentation.

Peer Evaluation
You will review the other groups’ presentation using the following questions as a guideline. Your teacher will provide you with a handout listing these questions with space provided for answers.


 * Name of group being reviewed:**
 * Project title:**
 * Reviewed by:**

1. What did you learn about this topic that you did not know before? 2. In terms of content, what are the strengths of the project? 3. How might the presentation of information be improved?
 * Content:**

1. What are the strengths in the design of this project? 2. What improvements in the design would you suggest?
 * Design:**


 * Rating:** On a scale of 0 to 3 (3 being the highest), how would you rate this project?

This peer evaluation was reproduced with permission from Karen S. Ivers and Ann E. Barron, Multimedia Projects in Education. 3d ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. © 2006.

**Group Self-Evaluation**
You will evaluate your own group using the following questions as a guideline. Your teacher will provide you with a handout listing these questions with space provided for answers.


 * Name of group being reviewed:**
 * Project title:**
 * Group member:**

1. What were your group’s strengths? 2. What were your group’s weaknesses? 3. What are some of the things that you learned about working with others? 4. What would you do better the next time your group works together? 5. Rate yourself and each of your group members’ level of participation in the project. 0=not enough, 1=fair, 2=a lot, 3=did most of the work. Explain your ratings.

This group self-evaluation was reproduced with permission from Karen S. Ivers and Ann E. Barron, Multimedia Projects in Education. 3d ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. © 2006.

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Conclusion
At the completion of this project, you should be able to: • **Apply** the principles of genetics to inheritance and principles of heredity. • **Explain** how certain human traits are transmitted from parent to offspring. • **Define** the meaning of genetic disorders and how specific genetic disorders are inherited. • **Describe** the difficulties children with these specific genetic disorders and their families face. • **Evaluate** the options that families of children with specific genetic disorders have.
 * Objectives**:

=For the Teacher=

Background Knowledge
Before beginning this project, students should have **background knowledge** of the following topics: • The principles of __genetics__ and __heredity__. • The meaning of __genetic disorders__. • How specific __genetic disorders are inherited__.

Formative Assessment Options

 * Reflection(s)
 * Learning Logs
 * Exit Tickets

Summative Assessment Options

 * [|PowerPoint Presentation]
 * [|Performance Task Assessment VoiceThread / Glogster]
 * [|VoiceThread Rubric]

Credits

 * Adapted with permission from Jennifer L. Hillemann

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