The Living Environment
Ms. Jamin
Introduction:
You have been living in NYC for
the past ten years with your Partner.
The two of you would like to have a baby. Unfortunately, you have early-onset
Alzheimer’s. This disease causes
Alzheimer’s to start earlier than usual (before age 60 and sometimes as early
as 30). Scientists have found 3 genes
that when mutated are linked to early-onset Alzheimer’s. You are afraid that you are going to pass
this debilitating disease on to your child.
You worry about having a baby who is going to have his or her normal
life cut short.
Your Task:
As a small group you must look at
what your options are and determine what you believe is the right choice for
you. Your options include (but are not
limited to) in-vitro fertilization where the embryos are screened for the genes
that cause early-onset Alzheimer’s.
During your quest to make a decision you should examine the current
legal policies in the
Process:
Here are the steps you should
follow to guide you to completion of the project.
1. Break into Groups
of three or four
2. Go to the Public Policy Analysis web page. This web page talks you through the steps of
looking at a problem and the policies that surround it. Read through the steps.
3. Look through the
links below under “Resources” to familiarize yourself with the topic. You will be using these resources to complete
the project and the following worksheets.
4. Complete Worksheet 1 to identify the problem
5. Discuss the
problem as a group. Think about your
options. Write a one-page paper on how
you would feel if you had early-onset Alzheimer’s
6. Complete Worksheet 2 and work to gather evidence on
your problem
7. Discuss the
evidence you found on the problem. Write
a one-page paper on the evidence you collected.
You are trying to convince the audience that early-onset Alzheimer’s is
an issue that must be addressed.
8. Complete Worksheet 3 Worksheet 4 and Worksheet 6 on identifying causes,
brainstorming solutions, and selecting the best solution for the problem
9. Write a two page
paper on the options you listed and which option you believe is the best
10. Complete Worksheet 7 and Worksheet 8 to analyze the costs and benefits
to the solution you chose
11. REPEAT Worksheet 7 and Worksheet 8 for the options you did NOT
choose.
12. Use the
worksheets you have completed to write a final 3-5-page paper on the topic and
the decision you have made. Be sure to
evaluate each option and analyze the current
13. While you
complete your report you should be thinking about how you are going to present
your information to the class. Remember creativity is encouraged.
Resources:
Background on
early-onset Alzheimer’s and its genetic basis:
Alzheimer's
Foundation of America
ABC News Article on early-onset Alzheimer's
Stanford University Health Library with Information on
Alzheimer's
Background on
screening embryos:
Public Agenda Article on a Recent Use of Embryo Screening
Article by Jan Park a Gerontology Specialist on Screening
Adults for Alzheimer's
MSNBC
News Article on Stem Cells
MSNBC
News Article on Designer Babies
Biotechnology
on Designer Babies
Background on
Policies in the
Policy of
Health Issues Concerning Genetics
Social,
Cultural, and Religious Issues with Genetics
A
Couple in England Engineers a Son to Save Their Other Son
A
Couple in England Fights to Be Able to Choose the Sex of Their Child
*If you find another site that you
believe is useful please let me know. I
will be happy to review it and let you know if it is appropriate to use in this
research report. REMEMBER: Not
everything you read on the Internet is true.
You should be careful about what resources you believe. I am here to help you with that screening.
Evaluation:
Below you with find a Rubric for
this assignment. This Rubric will be
used to grade your final project and should be used by you to guide your
work. If you have any questions feel
free to ask.
|
|
Excellent |
Good |
Satisfactory |
Needs Improvement |
|
Group Work |
-All members of the group work well together -Each group member contributes in a way that demonstrates
understanding of the project |
-Each group member can explain the final product |
-All members of the group contribute to the project |
-Participation is variable -Group members can not explain what their project
demonstrates |
|
Research and Report |
-The report is typed -The pros and cons of each option are discussed in detail -Policy is analyzed well -A recommendation for future policy is discussed -Explanations show insight into bigger
ideas than directly addressed by the project |
-The report contains all of the
required fields (introduction, body, conclusion) -The content of the report is accurate -A description of early-onset
Alzheimer’s and its effects are included -The report demonstrates understanding
of the issues with analysis and addresses pros and cons -The justification of your choice is clear and based on
research -An explanation of why the other options were unacceptable
is given -The policies that are related to the issues are discussed - There are 3 or fewer grammatical
errors -Multiple resources are used and cited
appropriately |
-One of the criteria is missing -The options you did not choose are not discussed with
great detail -The policies that are in place are a minor part of the
argument -There are 1 or 2 errors in content -There are more than 3 grammatical
errors -The report is not neatly presented -Only one or two resources are used |
-There is more than one missing
criteria -There are more than two errors in
content -Choices are not explained -There is little detail in why you chose your option and
not the others -There is no discussion of policy -There is little or no evidence of
understanding -There are a number of grammatical
errors -Resources are not cited |
|
Presentation |
-The presentation is interactive and
creative -There is a clear flow from one topic
to another and the visuals are tied in well -All members prove their understanding
of the topic |
-The presentation is clear and covers
the areas required to address your choice and the options you did not choose -There are 2 or fewer errors in the
presentation -The presenters speak clearly -All members of the group participate
in the presentation -Understanding is demonstrated through
accurate explanation and correctly answering questions asked by the audience
and teacher |
-One of the criteria is missing -There are 2-3 errors in the
presentation -Not all
of the presenters give significant contributions to the presentation |
-More than one criteria is missing -The presentation is unorganized or
messy -The presentation is predominantly the
product of only a few group members -There are a number of errors in the
presentation |
|
Visual Representation (Skit, Pamphlet, Power Point, Etc.) |
-The visual representation shows
addresses your argument in an individual way -The visual representation could stand
on its own without explanation |
-There are 2 or fewer errors in visual
representation -The visual representation aids the
presentation and increases the audiences understanding your argument -The visual representation
demonstrated understanding by addressing the choice you have made, the
choices you eliminated, and why -The visual representation is neat and
well thought out -Multiple resources are used and cited
appropriately |
-One of the criteria is missing -The visual representation is unclear
without the presentation -There are 2-3 errors in the visual
representation -Only one
or two resources are used |
-More than one criteria is missing -The visual representation is
unorganized or messy -The visual representation is
predominantly the product of only a few group members -There are a number of errors in the
visual representation -Resources are not cited |
Conclusion:
By completing
this project you should be familiar with using the Internet for research. You have explored the legal, social, ethical,
health, and scientific issues surrounding genetic engineering. Your project and presentation allowed you to
analyze a current issue through a real world scenario. Lastly, you have defended your position on
the problem in front of a group of your peers.
|
This work has complied with the
following NYC learning Standards: |
|
|
Science |
S4b Demonstrates an
understanding of the designed world S4c Demonstrates an
understanding of health S4d Demonstrates an
understanding of the impact of technology S4e Demonstrates an
understanding of the impact of science S5c Uses evidence from reliable
sources to develop descriptions, explanations, and models; and makes
appropriate adjustments and improvements S5d Proposes, recognizes,
analyzes, considers, and critiques alternative explanations; and
distinguishes between fact and opinion S5e Identifies Problems;
proposes and implements solutions; and evaluates the accuracy, design, and
outcomes of investigations S5f Works individually and in
teams to collect and share information and ideas S7b Argues from evidence S7c Critiques published
materials S7e Communicates in a form
suited to the purpose and the audience |
|
English |
E1c Read and comprehend
informational materials E2a Produce a report of
information E3b Participate in group
meetings E3c Prepare and deliver an
individual presentation |
|
Applied Learning |
A3b Use on-line sources to
exchange information for specific purposes A3c Use word-processing
software to produce a multi-page document |
All Pictures were taken from Microsoft Clip
Art