Every person's genes are written down in one long code, and scientists decided to read all of it. Knowing what it says turns out to be the easy part.
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Students will describe what the Human Genome Project set out to do, explain the railroad-map comparison, give one benefit and one risk of knowing a person's genes, and write a reasoned answer to the You Decide question.
A genome is the full set of genes and the DNA around them, and a gene map shows where each gene sits on each chromosome, the way a railroad map shows where each station sits on each line.
The book is from 1994 and said people had about 100,000 genes. The project finished in 2003 and found about 20,000, and the lesson tells the student so, because a good scientific map gets corrected when the real count comes in.
Let the student argue both sides out loud before writing. The written answer is marked on whether it takes a clear position and supports it, not on which position it takes.
Handle this with care. A genetic condition is described here the way the unit has described them all, as part of a person and not as a flaw, and the student shouldn't walk away thinking a gene decides who someone is.
The finish dates, the finished gene count and the 2008 law (GINA) are added from the historical record because the book predates all of them. The book's own points are the map comparison, the benefits, the concerns and its view that most scientists think the benefits outweigh the costs.
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Before You Start
The words this lesson uses. Tap a card to see what it means, then come back to them whenever a question uses one.
Part One
Questions about the story you just read. Pick your answer straight off, or press Find it in the story if you would rather hunt for the sentence first.
Part Two
The word cards are at the top of this page. Look back at them as often as you need, then answer.