This week we discussed DNA, which of all the topics in biology, I believe, DNA
gets the most on-screen time. How many spin-offs of the original C.S.I. are there
now? Think about TV shows or movies that involve biology. How could you use
this in your classroom? Where in your lesson plan would it fit? Which science
standards (eligible content) or BIG ideas would it address? Think beyond the writing prompts I
shared with you in class.
CSI, NCIS, Law and Order could be used in a biology classroom to show students how DNA technology can be applied to everyday situations. I have actually played episodes of CSI in my forensic science class and had students rate the accuracy of the DNA information presented on the show versus what they actually know. Crime shows could address Big Idea #8 which states that hereditary information in genes is transmitted across generations via DNA. If I were to include a writing prompt with the crime shows, I would have my students put themselves in the place of a crime scene investigator and write up a police report that could be used by a prosecuting attorney. The report would require explaining different types of evidence found at the scene and which of those types of evidence could contain DNA samples. For example, if there was a cup or a cigarette butt left at the scene they may contain saliva. I would also have students explain the accuracy of DNA evidence found at a crime scene and some issues with DNA evidence. In addition the crime scene background they would also have to describe how the DNA evidence would be processed in the lab.
ReplyDeleteBIO.B.1.2.2: Explain the functional relationships among DNA, genes, alleles, and chromosomes and their roles in inheritance.
ReplyDeleteBIO.B.2.1.1: Describe and/or predict observed patterns of inheritance (i.e., dominant, recessive, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, sex-linked, polygenic, and multiple alleles).
BIO.B.2.4.1: Explain how genetic engineering has impacted the fields of medicine, forensics, and agriculture (e.g., selective breeding, gene splicing, cloning, genetically modified organisms, gene therapy).
BIO.A.2.3.2: Explain how factors such as pH, temperature, and concentration levels can affect enzyme function.
Above are some of the standards that I think would fit in with some of these tv shows. I thought of a few ideas. My first idea is using some of these paternity court shows. These is a new one called Paternity Court which is less vulgar then Maury or Jerry Springer that you could show a clip from. You could use these after learning about blood types. You could have them watch a beginning clip presenting the family drama. You could then pause the clip and assign the members of the show pretend blood types. You should then have them based on the blood types decide who the father of the child is. Then after every child has their answer, play the end of the clip to show them if they are right. You could just kind of work these clips into practice questions to add some excitement to it. You would need to watch the clips ahead of time to sensor language and to know who to assign the correct blood types to.
In my forensic science class I would have students create and film an episode of a crime show. I would have the students provide their peers with evidence relating to each suspect including blood types, fingerprints, and DNA profiles for all of the characters in the episode. Students would then have to create and act out their solution to the crime. This activity could still be related to big idea #8 because students would have to recognize that DNA evidence is individual evidence.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really fun. I think its good to because it can really pull in students of all interests. Even if your students aren't super into science they would still get drawn into this activity. Its hands on but still very content based. They will be learning and they won't even know it. It also goes beyond your typical worksheet type activities which are nice to get away from sometimes. Very cool idea!
DeleteRebecca, I really enjoy your idea of having the students actually create and film an episode of a crime show. It forces the students to really understand and learn the content. I know this would probably be a ton of preparation, but you could assign each group a different crime. After each group creates their episode, the class could watch each one and critique each other. Then, the students would be able to view and learn from multiple scenarios involving the topics that you mentioned (blood types, fingerprints, and DNA profiles). Also, this activity holds each group member accountable for some type of role in the assignment.
DeleteI think there are only three shows called CSI, but there are others like law in order as well. I also believe that all of these shows focus on a different aspect of the crime scene investigation process, the CSI franchise focusing more on the drama and scientific vocabulary aspect, and I also believe that most, if not all, people have heard of these shows if they have not seen them. In a classroom, I would start out by asking who all has seen CSI, ER, Law and Order, etc. In a classroom, I would show a few clips of one of these shows that show a certain aspect of what I want the students to be learning in class. For example, all of these shows show blood splatters and how forensics can be used to prove that someone was at a location during a specific time. They show that DNA is one of the most powerful devices that we have to prove the innocence of a person. I would then ask my class something like "how can people use DNA to tell who was at a crime scene?" I would then give the students an activity that walks them through why DNA is different for every living thing. We might share 99.9% of our DNA sequence with our friends and neighbors, but that 0.1% of the genome is what makes us different. The students will "create" a sequence of DNA for themselves through the different traits that they have - like ear lobes being attached vs unattached, height, eye color, nose size, etc. They will then compare their DNA with classmates and will begin to see that they are unique!
ReplyDeleteAnna, I like how you apply the biology standards before actually talking about what you would do with anything. It actually helped me think of a lot more ideas after reading that! I also like how you would be using the blood types to determine the father with the class!
Rob I love your idea! I would love to try that activity if I teach bio again or I may adapt it to forensic science since I spend a great deal of time focusing on the Innocence Project which exonerates wrongfully convicted people based on DNA.
ReplyDeleteI would use an episode of Law and Order to further discuss the topic of DNA. After discussing the structure and function of DNA and introducing that it is the code for making all proteins, I would play the first five minutes of one of the episodes. Usually, the first couple minutes of each episode shows the “hook” to peak the viewer’s interest. One of the citizens comes across a crime scene or a call comes in that someone was murdered. After showing my class the “hook,” I would then stop the episode and move into an activity. The activity would be based off of the episode and I would turn it into a case study. This would involve a decent amount of preparation on the teacher’s end. The teacher would have to watch the episode and break it up into key sections. The case studies that I have used in the past are broken up into sections and each one provides additional pieces of evidence and significant information. The students would be placed into groups of four and would work through each section of the case study, essentially getting closer and closer to solving the crime. Once the students completed the last section of the case study and based their conclusion off of DNA evidence and information given throughout the activity, we would watch the rest of the episode. The students would then be able to compare and contrast their thought process for each section to the actual outcome of the episode. At the end of the episode, I would have a class discussion of each group’s conclusion with their supporting evidence as well as any discrepancies or aspects of the episode that were questionable. This activity would address the following standards (eligible content) and Big Ideas:
ReplyDeleteBIO.B.1.2.1: Describe how the process of DNA replication results in the transmission and/or conservation of genetic information.
BIO.B.1.2.2: Explain the functional relationships among DNA, genes, alleles, and chromosomes and their roles in inheritance.
Big Idea #8 – Hereditary information in genes is transmitted across generations via DNA.
Big Idea #9 – DNA segments contain information for the production of proteins necessary for growth and function of cells.
All of the ideas given so far have been great! I think it is important to address TV shows that involve DNA usage, because they can often be misleading in the science, but it is relevant in understanding that everyone has a unique DNA and that with proper evidence a "bad guy" could be caught.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to discuss DNA in my classroom I would use an episode of CSI, NCIS, or Law and Order. I would try to pick a unique episode that DNA was extracted from. I think that DNA is very closely associated with blood and that is what students most often associate it with. It is important that they know that DNA is in all cells of the body and this would be a key point I make. Whether I find one unique episode or have a few different clips of different cells that DNA was found in to figure out "who done it."
BIO.B.1.2.2: Explain the functional relationships among DNA, genes, alleles, and chromosomes and their roles in inheritance.
Big Idea #8 – Hereditary information in genes is transmitted across generations via DNA.
Big Idea #9 – DNA segments contain information for the production of proteins necessary for growth and function of cells.