Exhibition Guide for Putting DNA to Work
HOW IS THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE CORRELATED WITH THE NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS?
Fieldtrips to the Koshland Science Museum are modeled on recommendations made in the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). Through the information presented and opportunities to interact with hands-on displays, the Putting DNA to Work exhibition meets the following Inquiry and Science Content standards.
For Middle School Students
Content Standard A – Science as Inquiry
“All students should develop understandings about scientific inquiry.”
“Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations”
Students have an opportunity to think critically and logically about DNA, the information carried in DNA sequences, and how scientists have used that information to solve problems and answer questions. Students also think about the relationships between evidence and explanations, the nature of science, and how new knowledge is generated. In addition, they experience peer teaching and consider how science makes use of logical analysis and problem solving.
Content Standard C - Life Science
“All students should develop understanding of structure and function in living systems and of reproduction and heredity.”
Students enhance their understanding of how the structure of DNA enables it to perform its main functions of information storage and inheritance between generations. In station 1, students have an opportunity to develop a better understanding of inheritance patterns. In stations 2 and 3, students explore genetic diseases, modes of inheritance, and the use of DNA sequences in forensics. Stations 4 and 5 provide ways to think about how knowledge of DNA sequences is applied to such problems as increasing crop yields and identifying unknown disease-causing agents.
Content Standard E – Science and Technology
“All students should develop understandings about science and technology.”
Students enhance their understanding of how science and technology work together in generating new knowledge. In stations 2 and 3, students use their understanding of DNA sequences to probe genetic disorders and identify criminals. In station 5, they identify infectious agents using DNA sequencing technology. The interactive displays allow students to manipulate sequences and better understand how DNA can be similar among people yet very different in specific ways. Students come to understand that DNA sequences are vast sources of information and knowledge.
Content Standard F - Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
“All students should develop understanding of personal health, populations, resources, and environments.”
Using the microarray technology described in station 5, students are encouraged to think about the application of DNA sequence information to health-related issue. They also consider, in station 2, the appropriate uses of genetic testing to diagnose or predict disease.
Content Standard G – History and the Nature of Science
“All students should develop understanding of science as a human endeavor and of the nature of science.”
All of the stations demonstrate that DNA sequencing can be used to pursue a wide range of goals such as increasing food production, identifying disease-causing agents, or finding new drugs to treat illnesses.
For High School Students
Content Standard A – Science as Inquiry
“All students should develop understandings about scientific inquiry.”
“Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations”
Using evidence and logical thinking, students develop an understanding of the DNA sequence as the universal language of all living systems. This commonality allows for the use of model organisms in scientific inquiry to gain knowledge about how life works. Students see how DNA sequence technology will affect their lives, both as individuals susceptible to genetic diseases and infectious agents and as members of populations in need of greater food supplies. Students are asked about the need for and implications of greater public understanding of DNA sequences.
Content Standard B – Physical Science
“All students should develop an understanding of chemical reactions.”
In station 1, students enhance their understanding of chemical reactions and atomic structure by looking more deeply at the structure and function of DNA. In Station 3, students see how chemical reactions enable forensic scientists to use DNA sequences as a tool to identify criminals and to exonerate individuals who are falsely accused. Similarly, students can apply their understanding of DNA sequences while learning about the genetic modification of agricultural crops in Station 4 and about the identification of new infectious agents in Station 5.
Content Standard C – Life Science
“All students should develop an understanding of the cell and of the molecular basis of heredity.”
Students strengthen their understanding of the molecular basis of heredity, the chemical basis of life, and the impact of mutations on living systems. All of the exhibits provide an opportunity to study ways in which scientists have used an understanding of DNA sequences to solve problems: the identification of unknown infectious agents in station 5, the improvement of agricultural crops in station 4, the identification of criminals in station 3, and the diagnosis of genetic disease in station 2.
Content Standard E – Science and Technology
“All students should develop understandings about science and technology.”
Students have an opportunity to think about how technological advances have enabled the understanding of DNA sequences to move forward. As understanding advances, new technologies are developed that make use of new knowledge to solve human and societal problems. Stations 2 and 3 illuminate this interplay by reviewing the study of genetic diseases and the development of interventions to curtail resulting medical problems. Station 5 shows how the new microarray technology has made possible the rapid identification of infectious agents, and station 4 demonstrates how DNA sequences from different organisms can be used to give plants new and desired traits.
Content Standard F - Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
“All students should develop an understanding of personal and community health and of population growth.”
Stations 1 and 2 allow students to think more deeply about how DNA sequences can affect their own personal health. Station 5 challenges students to think about public health issues and disease prevention issues. Challenges related to human health and global population growth are presented in station 4 as students consider the use of DNA sequences to modify crops such as corn.
Content Standard G – History and Nature of Science
“All students should develop understanding of science as a human endeavor and of the nature of scientific knowledge.”
In all of the stations, students see the many ways in which technology and science each drive the other forward in a leapfrog manner. Students discuss the application of DNA sequence technologies, share their interpretations, pose questions, and debate the significance and implications of new knowledge. Students discuss possible policies that may be needed to regulate future work and protect individual privacy. Students deliberate on why the general public may need a better understanding of DNA sequences and how that knowledge may empower then to be more proactive with respect to health issues and genetic testing.
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