Lesson Plan: Life: Diversity to DNA

LIFE: From Diversity to DNA is a project that includes four middle school life science units designed by Jan Schuettpelz, Tracy Voreis, and Pat Shane. The project has been presented at the North Carolina Science Teachers’ Association Conference and the National Science Teachers’ Association Conference. The project units were designed with a threefold emphasis: incorporating literacy into science, providing real world applications for science knowledge, and using inquiry investigations and projects. Projects and investigations are assessed through rubrics designed for the units.

• Learning Outcomes
• Lessons
• Assessment
• Resources
• About the Authors

Learning Outcomes

Lessons

CELL LESSONS

The cell unit teaches the students basic cellular theory. Before the students begin learning about the cell however, they are taken through a series of lessons to help them understand perspective. How small is microscopic? We then have the students engage in several projects and labs to understand the organelles of the cell and cellular processes. Please see the cell overview for more description on each of the individual lessons.

DISEASE

The Microbes unit begins very broadly focusing on the spread of disease. The unit then narrows its focus to specifically examine protists, bacteria, and viruses individually. It can be taught in its entirety or broken down into individual lessons. Please see the Disease overview for more description about each lesson.

GENETICS LESSONS

In this unit, students learn basic genetics concepts, discuss genetic engineering controversies, and explore the science of science fiction literature and movies. Students explore how chromosomes are passed from parents to children by doing a role play. They use FACES software to explore the complexity of human genetics. They watch movie clips from Gattaca and Multiplicity. As an interdisciplinary project, students participate in literature circle discussions around the books House of the Scorpion, Dr. Franklin’s Island, The Last Book in the Universe, and Ender’s Game. Students also grow Wisconsin Fastplants, explore the most effective ways of pollinating their plants, and selectively breed their plants for certain traits. Finally, they design a project during which they collect data and research about any human trait to try to determine whether or not it is a genetic trait.

HUMAN BODY LESSONS

This unit progresses from teacher-led activities that explore the nervous system to student-led projects and presentations that teach the class about the other body systems. Students act as neurons in a role play demonstrating how a message travels through the nervous system. They explore the different types of memory and design investigations to explore human memory and responses to stimuli. They research and create interactive group presentations to teach the class about a body system.

Assessment

LIFE Units

The project focuses on literacy through science notebooks, film clips, creative writing assignments, foldables, trade books, picture books, science fiction, and novels. In the units, student scientists use science notebooks to record their investigations, just as real scientists do. Literature is used as a reference tool for projects and investigations, a lesson “hook” during whole class read-alouds, and a discussion generator during literature circle groups.

The units show students how the science they learn is relevant to their lives. The students are exposed to bioethical issues related to each unit, and they have opportunities to express their own informed opinions about the issues through Paideia Seminars and writing assignments. From investigating genetic traits or diseases that affect their lives to reflecting on how their science knowledge can help them make choices that improve their personal health, application of content is a valuable part of each unit.

Students are encouraged to become lifelong seekers of knowledge through the project’s emphasis on inquiry. Students design questions to investigate and to research, and they solve medical and forensic mysteries. They create interactive presentations, giant models, and documentaries to teach their classmates and visiting students what they have learned.

The project includes four units: human body systems, genetics, cells, and microbes and disease designed to meet North Carolina Standard Course of Study Objectives for seventh and eighth grades. Each lesson plan includes how the lesson is linked to both state and national standards. The units cover the following content from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study Competency Goals for Science:

• 7th grade Competency Goal 4: The learner will conduct investigations, use models, simulations, and appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of the complementary nature of the human body system.
• 7th Grade Competency Goal 5: The learner will conduct investigations and utilize appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of heredity and genetics.
• 8th Grade Competency Goal 6: The learner will conduct investigations, use models, simulations, and appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of cell theory.
• 8th Grade Competency Goal 7: The learner will conduct investigations, use models, simulations, and appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of microbiology.

Resources

You may also find additional resource information included with each lesson.

About the Authors

These authors below have contributed significantly to the creation of these units and activities for all teachers to employ.

Below are introductions and achievements as well as a way to contact them.

Tracy Voreis
Tracy Voreis is a National Board Certified Teacher who has been teaching seventh grade science at Durham School of the Arts (DSA) in Durham, North Carolina since 2000. She is certified to teach middle grades science and language arts. Teaching middle school students at a Breakthrough program called Summerbridge Fort Worth during the summers of 1996-1998 inspired her to become a middle school science teacher. As a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she had the opportunity to attend the North Carolina Outward Bound School, to work at Summerbridge Fort Worth, and to observe in Japanese schools for five weeks as a part of the scholarship’s summer experiences. After graduating from UNC with a B.A. in Education in 1999, she spent one year working with her former summer students at Summerbridge Fort Worth full-time as the Dean of Faculty and Alumni Coordinator. Since beginning her teaching career, she has earned over $18,000 in grants including grants from the Durham Public Education Network, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Toshiba America Foundation, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. She was selected as DSA’s Teacher of the Year in 2001-2002, and she was named a Kenan Fellow in 2003. She was a co-instructor for a university life science course through UNC for Durham Public School teachers in 2005 as part of a subcontract from the State Department of Education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband who is a physics teacher at DSA, playing with her golden retriever puppy, mentoring two girls through the Big Sib program, coaching and playing softball, and skiing.

Contact: tvoreis@gmail.com

Jan Schuettpelz
Jan Schuettpelz has been teaching seventh grade science at Durham School of the Arts in Durham, North Carolina since 2002. Prior to that she taught elementary school in Durham and in Milwaukee, WI. She is certified to teach 1st through 8th grades. Her undergraduate degree is in urban elementary education and was earned at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jan recently earned her master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in middle grades science teaching. In 2001 she developed inquiry curriculum kits for fourth grade teachers. At Durham School of the Arts, Jan has coached the Science Olympiad team since 2003, run the Environmental Club since 2002, and taught a Math and Science enrichment class since 2002. Since her time in North Carolina, Jan has earned over $15,000 in grants including Toyota Tapestry for science in literacy, grants from the Durham Public Education Network, and North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. She was selected as DSA’s Teacher of the Year in 2003-2004, and was named a Kenan Fellow in 2003. She was a co-instructor for a university life science course through UNC for Durham Public School teachers in 2005 as part of a subcontract from the State Department of Education. In her free time she enjoys rock climbing and swimming with her master’s swim team.

Contact: jschuettpelz@me.com

Dr. Pat Shane
Dr. Pat Shane is the Associate Director of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMSE) and a Clinical Associate Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a past president of the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) and the North Carolina Science Leadership Association (NCSLA), and she continues to be very active in those organizations as well as the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) and North Carolina Science Teachers’ Association (NCSTA). She is a GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) site director. In addition to working with Tracy Voreis and Jan Shuettpelz as their Kenan Fellows mentor, she has also worked with them through the Life Science Course of the Middle Grades Math and Science Partnership for Durham Public Schools.

Contact: pshane@unc.edu