KWL and WORKSHEET DNA & Bioethics
KWL and WORKSHEET DNA & Bioethics
KWL and WORKSHEET DNA & Bioethics
Activity I.
Read what Ms. Cramer is telling her students. Answer the questions below.
Do you know what helps you to grow? Why do you have a different hair color or a different shoe size
to your friends? Some students in this classroom are tall and others are short. Someone´s hair grows
faster than yours. All these things make you unique. Human bodies are made up of cells and DNA.
DNA makes your body and hair a certain color. It even determines how intelligent you are. There is a
map of how we´re going to turn out even before we´re born. This map comes in the form of DNA. The
DNA that we receive from our parents contributes to how we become as a person. Almost everything
about us is determined based on the structure of our DNA. There is information in every cell that you
have stored in your DNA. There are billions of DNA strands in every person. A strand contains genes.
DNA is encoded within four interchangeable blocks called “bases”. Forensic scientists can use DNA
located in blood, or hair left at a crime scene to identify a possible suspect. The genetic code is a set
of rules which maps DNA sequences in the living cell. The knowledge that DNA was the carrier of
genetic information was a process which required many earlier discoveries. The existence of DNA was
discovered in the mid 19TH century. However, it was only in the early 20 th century that researchers
began suggesting that it might store genetic information.
Activity II.
Use your QR codes App. and find the definitions for these words and write them down.
• DNA ______________________________________________________.
• Molecule ______________________________________________________.
• Genome ______________________________________________________.
• Genetic Code ______________________________________________________.
• Bioethics ______________________________________________________.
• Gene ______________________________________________________.
Activity III
Read about “Bioethics” and complete the sentences.
Host: Today, we have Dr. Hans Christensen. Dr. Christensen is an assistant professor of bioethics at
Medical College. Dr. Christensen is here to answer some questions from our listeners.
Dr. Christensen: Thank you for inviting me to your radio program.
Host: Alex Chase form Chicago is asking: “How do you protect patient privacy?”
Dr. Christensen: Genome sequencing allows us to collect so much information that makes any
individual easily identified. Because of the individualized nature of the information collected, we need
to take extra precautions to make sure that someone can´t be identified if they´ve participated in
research.
Host: Rose, from New York, is asking: “Who else can find out about my genome sequencing if I
participate in this research”?
Dr. Christensen: your genes aren´t just your own, which is why we should consider what impacts this
information could have other family members. It isn´t just about the individual, but it has potential
implications for anyone who´s genetically related to the person. We follow ethical guidelines.
Anonymizing specimens is a standard practice when looking at tissue samples, interviews, and even
survey results.
Host: Thank you very much, Dr. Christensen.
Activity IV
Use the information from activity 3 and write a short Reported Speech using what you learned
in the class.