My Family's Heritage: An Interdisciplinary Unit

Overview: In today's society, students often feel that their education is disconnected from their everyday life and also express a belief that their learning is taught in a vacuum. As educators, we strive to make what we teach relevant to our students' lives. This unit, My Family's Heritage was taught as a 7th grade interdisciplinary unit. Students focused on many aspects of heritage in each of their core academic subjects for two weeks. This entry focuses on the science, math and technology components of the unit.

Goals and objectives:

The learner will conduct a survey to determine personal genetic traits.

The learner will sort a database.

The learner will discover the occurrence of dominant genetic traits in our sample population.

The learner will compare database research results to Mendelian genetic ratios.

The learner will construct a spreadsheet & chart that reflect the results of database research.

The learner will analyze karyotypes to determine genetic disorders in humans.

The learner will manipulate digital images to predict probable physical traits in offspring.

Prerequisite skills/knowledge:

7th grade Science:

At the beginning of the unit, students are introduced to basic genetic terminology. This includes dominant, recessive, trait, incomplete dominance, and the basic findings of Gregor Mendel. Students have basic knowledge of image processing (a computer program developed by the national institute of health) and digital images

7th grade Math:

Students have a basic knowledge of using ratios to calculate percents.

Technology Applications:

Students have a basic knowledge of printing documents and graphics.
Students have a basic working knowledge of Macintosh platform.

Materials/equipment:

Hardware

Macintosh PowerBook computer

Apple Quicktake digital camera

Macintosh LCII computer

Apple LaserWriter Pro

Software

ClarisWorks (Mac and Windows)

Image processing (Mac and Windows)

Camera access

GIF converter

  Printed Materials (available upon request)

Averaging images handout-directions to manipulate image in image processing.

Karyotypes handout-information on genetic disorders and patient diagnosis and directions for lab activity.

Database information handout-directions for lab activity.

Spreadsheet handout-directions to conduct activity and table of data to enter.

Percentages handout-table used to record data from database sort with a column to calculate percentages.

 

Instructional activities/strategies:

Science Strategies:

• In a classroom format, students received a basic overview of Mendelian genetics and how the study of genetics has progressed.
• In the computer lab, students analyzed dominant and recessive traits in the human population and answered survey questions to build the data for our database.
• In the computer lab, students analyzed banding patterns in chromosomes to complete human karyotypes. The students then assessed the karyotype to determine genetic defects in patient scenarios. This lesson incorporated the image processing software.
• In the computer lab, students took pictures of their classmates with a digital camera. These images were used in image processing for the averaging images activity. The students created new images that were an average of two images that the students had selected. The new images represented the offspring of the two individuals.

Math Strategies:

• Students received an overview on early technology and why databases were needed. A manual demonstration with hole-punched index cards and a stick showed how a database actually sorts information.
• Pursuant to discussions about genetic traits in Science class, 230 students completed a survey about themselves and 6 observable genetic traits. Each student actually completed one record in the database FILES. All of the records were merged into one file, and the students learned how to sort the records by criteria.
• The next day in the lab, students had a handout of the numbers of students with dominant and recessive genetic traits by class period. They used these numbers to build a spreadsheet and learn how to use formulas to calculate totals. After the spreadsheet was complete, they were able to experiment with electronic graphing to pictorially display the data.
• Students worked in pairs. This enabled one person to do data entry while the partner read off the numbers, collaborate on graphs, and to ensure compliance with the detailed aspects of the directions.
• Back in the classroom, the numbers from the database sort were used to see what ratios our sample population had of dominant versus recessive traits. These ratios were compared to those obtained by Mendel with his pea plants. We discussed our sample size and whether or not our numbers were adequate to obtain accurate ratios.

Information Acquisition:

Genetics overview-defined basic genetic concepts.

 

Problem Solving: Sequence of unit (math and science):

Students answered survey questions for database activity.

Students completed database sorts in the computer lab.

Students completed spreadsheet/graphing activity in the computer lab.

Students analyzed karyotypes in image processing.

Students manipulated digital images in image processing.

Students calculated percentages of traits that appeared in our class population.

Communication:

Science

For each activity, students would verbally communicate their results in a small group format. Students printed pictures of the digital images to compare their results and evaluate their ability to manipulate the image processing software. Students recorded their diagnosis of particular genetic disorders for each patient.

Math

Students recorded data and calculated percents of dominant and recessive traits, printed spreadsheet generated graphs, discussed lab, science activities daily in the classroom.

Assessment options:

7th Grade Science:

The students completed a patient scenario handout with their diagnosis of each patient. Students compared their results with other class members. Students had to be able to defend their diagnosis based on their knowledge of genetic disorders. The students turned in digital images to be posted in the classroom.

7th grade math:

The students printed out the chart that they constructed in ClarisWorks. The class spent one class period discussing the reasonability of the results and discussed reasons for a deviation from Mendel's' ratios (sample size, invalid data).

 

Contributors:

Jennifer Verdict - Science
Barbara Petry - Math
Julia Engelmann - Language Arts
Anne Cox - Texas History
Karen Turpin - Technology Coordinator
Cedar Valley Middle School

Austin
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