Activity
1. As students enter the classroom, overhead
1 is already up, displaying headlines relating to GMF.
The sensationalist
approach to headlines avails itself to prompting student
questions. Media created terms such as ‘Frankenfoods’ have
a negative connotation, but also offer a great starting
point for asking students what they think ‘Frankenfoods/
GMFs’ are. Elicit from your students their opinions
on GMFs. Ask how many of them are eating ‘Frankenfoods.’
2. Ask the class: ‘What did you eat for dinner last night?’ As
students recall their dinners, write 4 or 5 of these as examples on the board.
Using overhead 2, (main crops used in US proportions of each that are GM) ask
students to identify which students’ dinners may have included GMFs.
Be sure to pick out dinners that have a high likelihood of containing GMF,
such as meals that include corn, tomatoes, soy, canola or potatoes. Ask students
why the agriculture community might want to use genetically modified plants.
All answers are reasonable at this point. Let the students know that over this
quarter they will be finding out more about what GMFs are used for.
3. Should they be worried? Tally class opinion on GMFs
4. Think-Pair- Share
Divide the class into 8 groups. Give each group 4 copies of different opinion
pieces. Students should read the piece to themselves. After reading it students
return to their group and share one statement that stood out to them and tells
the reader a pro or a con to GMFs. Each person must identify a different statement.
Students as a group decide whether this particular piece is pro or con overall.
5. How do they feel now about GMFs? Tell the students to be prepared to defend
their view using evidence from their piece. Students write the information
first shared among their group down on easel paper and then share this with
the entire class.
After hearing all this information what do students now feel?
Closure
Overhead
3 with the Zimbabwe headline/Green Revolution is projected. Just what is genetically
modified food? We’re going to be looking at
the biology behind genetically modified food and
what is the impetus behind
development of GMF?
Homework
Students need to document their dinners and identify the foods that could be
GMF. |
Embedded
Assessment |
