Understanding the Importance of Genetic Diversity Teacher(s): Subject: Science Grade: 7th Lesson Title Understanding the Importance of Genetic Diversity Featured Newsela Article DNA from Neanderthal ancestors gives us immunity, allergies, studies find​ (1030L) Scientists look at woolly mammoth genes to see why they died out​ (1040L) Text Set: ​Life Science: Biodiversity & Humans Newsela Reading Standards Anchor 1: What the text says Anchor 2: Central idea Learning Objective Example statements about what students will learn from this particular activity. Today I am learning​ … ​what genetic diversity means, why it is important, and the impact it has on the survival of a species. I know I understand when​ … ​I am able to describe about how genetic diversity helps a species survive in a changing environment. Students will be able to​ … ​write about the importance of genetic diversity and critically analyze the role it plays in survival of a species. Learning Standard Include the standard that this activity helps teach. CCSS.ELA­LITERACY.RST.6­8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. CCSS.ELA­LITERACY.RST.6­8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. Lesson Content How will you introduce the lesson to your students? How will you teach them the skills they need to be successful? How will you allow students to practice the skills they learned with Newsela’s Write + Quiz feature? How will you assess mastery? Do now activity: Students will come into the classroom. Have them respond to this question in their journals: ● What environmental factors can you think of that make life difficult on Earth? How do various species adapt to these factors? Allow students 5 minutes to respond. Students should be prepared to share their ideas with the class. After do now activity, teacher will continue to direct instruction. Teacher should ask students to take notes, and project the following information on the projector: ● Explain what DNA and genes are. ● Explain how DNA and genes make up who we are give us our physical traits. ● Describe what genetic diversity means and how genes from parents are combined and passed to offspring. ● Explain what immunity is and that it protects us from pathogens like bacteria and viruses. ● Detail how genes are able to protect a species from environmental conditions like heat waves, dehydration, extreme cold. Teacher will continue to introduce the genetic diversity activity: Teacher will need the following worksheets for this activity. ● Genetic Diversity Simulation Worksheet (1) ● Genetic Diversity Simulation Worksheet (2) For the first part of this activity, students will work in pairs to read the Newsela articles and complete a worksheet with questions from the articles. ● Teacher will assign students to pairs. Each student will be given one of the articles to read and student pairs will work through the worksheet together. ● Teacher should provide copies of the Newsela articles to students, or make the links available if students have access to electronics. ● Teacher should remind and encourage students to use Newsela Annotations to track their ideas in GREEN and take notes as they read the articles. ● Teacher should provide a copy of the Genetic Diversity Worksheet to each student pair. The worksheet can be found ​here​. ● Allow students 30 minutes to complete this activity. ● After reading, students should take the Quiz for each article. Teachers should collect the worksheets and bring students back to their seats. For the second part of the activity, students will participate in a game that shows how genetic diversity increases the survival of a species. ● Teacher will describe that each student will be given two genetic traits to protect them from various environmental disasters. ● Teacher will print the worksheet ​here​, cut it into squares, and give each student a square. ○ If there are more students that sets of traits, multiple students may be given the same set of genetic traits. ● Teacher will describe that for the first simulation, there will be no genetic diversity and that each student will only be able to keep the traits they are originally given. ● Teacher will explain that all students will stand. Teacher will then read environmental disasters to the class. ○ If the student has a genetic trait on their card that provides them immunity to the disaster, the student will remain standing. If they do not have the trait they will take a seat. ● Continue reading environmental disasters until all students are seated. ● For the second simulation, students will be able to share genetic traits on their cards with other students. ● Students will stand again. ● Allow students to talk to 2 other students. For each classmate they talk to they can share one trait, so after each interaction a student gains one genetic trait. Students should write new traits on their cards. ○ If both students have the same set of traits, neither will gain anything new from that interaction. ○ It may be possible for only one student to gain a trait if the other student already has all the traits of the first student. ● After students have met with 2 other classmates, teacher will read an environmental disaster. Students that do not have an trait protecting them from that disaster will sit down. ● Students will talk to 2 different classmates to gain additional traits. ● Teacher will again read an environmental disaster, students without that trait will sit. ● Repeat until no more students are standing or until after reading multiple disasters no further students take a seat. ● Have all students return to their seats. Assessment: Ask students to reflect on the Newsela articles and genetic diversity simulation in their journals. Ask them to compare the length of time it took for all students to be seated in the first simulation as opposed to the second. Using ideas from the Newsela article and comparisons from the simulation, students should write 2­3 paragraphs about how genetic diversity has allowed species to survive in changing environments. Accommodations What scaffolds can be included to support learners? Can you anticipate different reading levels for students? Extensions How can you support high level learners? Can you anticipate reading levels and Writing Prompt to challenge? ●
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Varying the reading levels of the article to meet student needs and abilities based on student progress in the Teacher Binder. Offering students the opportunity to work with a partner in answering the additional writing assignment. Reading the article out loud as a class. Going over challenging vocabulary together as the students read. Provide additional definitions as Annotations on lower article levels. Students who wish to challenge themselves can do the following assignment extension: Pick a genetic trait from any species, research the evolution of that trait ­ where is it thought to have come from, how has it been passed down, why is it relevant? Students should write 3 paragraphs outlining the importance of the gene and how it has increased survival or benefited a species.