Trial-access debate
Argue a position on who should get access to experimental cancer drugs through clinical trials and right-to-try laws.
One-sentence final stance plus the patient-facing reason you would give for your position.
- 1Do thisArgue a position on who should get access to experimental cancer drugs through clinical trials and right-to-try laws.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisExit ticket: One-sentence final stance plus the patient-facing reason you would give for your position.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions) › Biopsy, imaging, staging, chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, response, side effects. › Exit ticketOpen Schoology
Read to prepare for today
Vetted sources picked for today's question. Skim these before you take a position or start the work, so your argument and evidence are grounded.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: Clinical trials gate access to unproven treatments, forcing trade-offs between patient autonomy and population safety.
- 0-8Silent read of trial-access briefing; highlight one pro, one con
- 8-15Choose stakeholder role; draft opening claim sentence
- 15-30Build evidence list (2 facts using required vocabulary)
- 30-50Pair debate: swap claims, write rebuttal
- 50-65Class vote and full-group discussion of strongest arguments
- 65-80Write final stance + patient-facing reason; exit ticket
- • Every approved cancer drug began as an experiment someone had to decide was worth the risk.
- • Today you will step into that decision from four different stakeholder angles.
- • Your job is to argue a defensible position, not to find the right answer, because there may not be one.
- • By the end you will have practiced the claim-evidence-rebuttal structure you will use on the WebXam.
- 1Read the two-page trial-access briefing in the PLTW course shell and highlight one fact for and one against expanded early access.
- 2Pick a stakeholder role: patient, oncologist, drug maker, or insurer, and write your opening claim in one sentence.
- 3List two pieces of evidence that support your claim using the terms clinical trial and side effect.
- 4Trade claims with a partner role and write one respectful rebuttal to their strongest point.
- 5Vote on the class position and record your final stance plus the reason you would give a patient.
- • You'll be able to state who controls access to experimental cancer treatments and why.
- • You'll be able to defend a position using clinical-trial evidence and counterargument.
- • Clinical trials test safety and efficacy before a drug reaches the market.
- • Right-to-try laws allow terminal patients access outside normal trial pathways.
- • Expanded access decisions involve medical, ethical, and economic stakeholders.
Your PLTW work today
Biopsy, imaging, staging, chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, response, side effects. · Trial-access debate
Day 1 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open the trial-access debate activity in myPLTW for Unit 3, Lesson 3.4 Building a Better Cancer Treatment, Activity 3.4.3 Clinical Trials (open vs blind), and review the CER rubric.
Mark the trial-access debate entry complete and attach your exit ticket.
Cancer-launch morphology benchmarks should be green; this debate opens the cancer-treatment unit.
Written final stance and rebuttal visible as a tracker evidence item.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Biopsy, imaging, staging, chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, response, side effects. · Trial-access debate
Open the trial-access debate activity in myPLTW for Unit 3, Lesson 3.4 Building a Better Cancer Treatment, Activity 3.4.3 Clinical Trials (open vs blind), and review the CER rubric.
Cancer-launch morphology benchmarks should be green; this debate opens the cancer-treatment unit.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Argue a position on who should get access to experimental cancer drugs through clinical trials and right-to-try laws.
- Read the two-page trial-access briefing in the PLTW course shell and highlight one fact for and one against expanded early access.
- Pick a stakeholder role: patient, oncologist, drug maker, or insurer, and write your opening claim in one sentence.
- List two pieces of evidence that support your claim using the terms clinical trial and side effect.
- Trade claims with a partner role and write one respectful rebuttal to their strongest point.
- Vote on the class position and record your final stance plus the reason you would give a patient.
Exit ticket: One-sentence final stance plus the patient-facing reason you would give for your position.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Read the two-page trial-access briefing in the PLTW course shell and highlight one fact for and one against expanded early access. | _______ |
| Pick a stakeholder role: patient, oncologist, drug maker, or insurer, and write your opening claim in one sentence. | _______ |
| List two pieces of evidence that support your claim using the terms clinical trial and side effect. | _______ |
| Trade claims with a partner role and write one respectful rebuttal to their strongest point. | _______ |
| Vote on the class position and record your final stance plus the reason you would give a patient. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You'll be able to state who controls access to experimental cancer treatments and why.
- You'll be able to defend a position using clinical-trial evidence and counterargument.
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Cancer treatment and therapeutic choices by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/3.3_Treating-Cancer; keywords:chemotherapy, radiation, cancer. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Cancer treatment and therapeutic choices by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/3.4_Building-a-Better-Cancer-Treatment; keywords:treatment, cancer. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
WebXam practice
Cumulative WebXam review
A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.
Where this leads — careers
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
What to do if you were absent
Record a two-minute voice memo arguing your trial-access stance from one stakeholder role, then post one written rebuttal to a classmate's posted claim in the course shell discussion.
NCI: Clinical Trials BasicsThen submit your Exit ticket on Schoology.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
National Cancer Institute: Types of cancer treatmentOptional extra credit (async)
You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home (virtual labs included) for extra credit, all submitted on Schoology.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Mon, Nov 16, 2026 · Trial-access debate here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project