Wed, Feb 17, 2027Spring (Semester 2) · Week 5Day 20 of 6780-min block

Controls and wet-lab plan

Today's target

Explain why positive and negative controls are essential and finalize your plan for the wet ELISA.

Due today · Pre-lab Required

Numbered wet ELISA procedure, labeled plate layout with positive and negative controls marked, and predicted control colors.

Your 4 steps today
  1. 1
    Do this
    Explain why positive and negative controls are essential and finalize your plan for the wet ELISA.
  2. 2
  3. 3
    Submit this
    Pre-lab: Numbered wet ELISA procedure, labeled plate layout with positive and negative controls marked, and predicted control colors.
  4. 4
    Submit it here
    1. 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
    2. 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
    3. 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
    4. 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) › Reading qualitative vs. quantitative color results; false positive/negative risk; control logic. › Pre-lab
    Open Schoology
Were you absent? Jump to the make-up plan
Where this fits
Tested on (Ohio WebXam)
Genetics of Disease · 072130
PLTW lesson
MI · Controls and wet-lab plan
WebXam domain
Bio-Molecular Technology
Evidence to produce
Pre-lab
Lab / skill
HHMI BioInteractive
Quick glossary
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.
Learn first

Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block

💡 Big idea: How do controls prove that a positive result is real and a negative result is not just a failed experiment?

  1. 0-10 minDefine positive and negative control in notebook; give a real example of each for an ELISA
  2. 10-25 minExplain what a positive negative-control result means: write the contamination or reagent scenario
  3. 25-45 minRead the wet ELISA procedure; number each step in order in your notebook
  4. 45-58 minDraw the plate layout; mark where positive and negative controls go; label all wells
  5. 58-70 minList safety steps and gear required for tomorrow's lab; check against the procedure
  6. 70-80 minWrite predicted colors for positive and negative controls; compare predictions with a partner
Mr. Mendoza's 5-minute intro
  • In 1998, a lab misidentified patient samples partly because controls were not run consistently; patients received wrong diagnoses.
  • Controls are not optional extras; they are what separates a valid experiment from a guess.
  • Today you design your plate layout so Wednesday's run will tell you something you can trust.
  • Exit goal: numbered procedure, labeled plate layout with controls marked, and predicted control colors all written before you leave.
Do this, step by step
  1. 1Define a positive control and a negative control in your own words.
  2. 2Explain what a result would mean if the negative control turned positive.
  3. 3Read the ELISA wet-lab procedure and number the steps in order.
  4. 4Mark where the positive and negative controls go in your plate layout.
  5. 5List the safety steps and gear you need for tomorrow's wet lab.
  6. 6Predict the expected colors for your positive and negative controls.
You'll be able to
  • You will be able to explain the purpose of positive and negative controls.
  • You will be able to lay out an ELISA plate with controls.
  • You will be able to state the expected control results.
Know by the end
  • A positive control contains the target antigen; it must produce a color signal or the test reagents are not working.
  • A negative control contains no antigen; if it turns color, there is contamination or a reagent error.
  • Controls must be run every time, in every experiment; a result without controls cannot be trusted.
📺 Tutor me: Khan Academy: Experimental controls and design
Do the work

Your PLTW work today

Open this PLTW section today

Reading qualitative vs. quantitative color results; false positive/negative risk; control logic. · Controls and wet-lab plan

Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.

Do this: Open Activity 1.1.5 ELISA (protocol and results) in myPLTW and review the wet-lab procedure, focusing on controls.

Complete

Complete the numbered procedure, labeled plate layout with controls, and predicted control colors.

How far to get

Monday CER should be posted; plate-layout plan due today.

Upload as evidence

Numbered procedure, plate layout with positive and negative controls, and predictions in notebook.

All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.

The plan

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.

Reading qualitative vs. quantitative color results; false positive/negative risk; control logic.Day 2 of this projectSee the full week plan
Today's PLTW target

Reading qualitative vs. quantitative color results; false positive/negative risk; control logic. · Controls and wet-lab plan

Open Activity 1.1.5 ELISA (protocol and results) in myPLTW and review the wet-lab procedure, focusing on controls.

Monday CER should be posted; plate-layout plan due today.

This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.

1 · What you do today

🎯 Explain why positive and negative controls are essential and finalize your plan for the wet ELISA.

  • Define a positive control and a negative control in your own words.
  • Explain what a result would mean if the negative control turned positive.
  • Read the ELISA wet-lab procedure and number the steps in order.
  • Mark where the positive and negative controls go in your plate layout.
  • List the safety steps and gear you need for tomorrow's wet lab.
  • Predict the expected colors for your positive and negative controls.
2 · Turn in today

Pre-lab: Numbered wet ELISA procedure, labeled plate layout with positive and negative controls marked, and predicted control colors.

Submit on Schoology

Upload by 11:29 PM for full credit.

3 · Who's doing what (team)
TaskWho
Define a positive control and a negative control in your own words._______
Explain what a result would mean if the negative control turned positive._______
Read the ELISA wet-lab procedure and number the steps in order._______
Mark where the positive and negative controls go in your plate layout._______
List the safety steps and gear you need for tomorrow's wet lab._______
Predict the expected colors for your positive and negative controls._______

Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.

4 · Words I can use correctly
5 · I'm successful today when I can…
  • You will be able to explain the purpose of positive and negative controls.
  • You will be able to lay out an ELISA plate with controls.
  • You will be able to state the expected control results.
6 · Reflection & next steps
Where are you today?0/9 checked
Pick your period and code first.
Explore

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.

Use during lessonFor: Everyone
MI 1.1.5 ELISA
worksheet/handoutOpens here
Open the file

Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.

Placement rationale

Matched ELISA lab, controls, diagnosis limits by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.1_The-Mystery-Infection; keywords:elisa, lab. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Catch-up / reteachFor: Need extra support
MI 1.1.5 ELISA Lab Results (Distance Learning)
worksheet/handoutOpens here
Open the file

Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.

Placement rationale

Matched ELISA lab, controls, diagnosis limits by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.1_The-Mystery-Infection; keywords:elisa, lab. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Use during lessonFor: Everyone
Activity 1.1.5 ELISA (Bio-Rad version)
worksheet/handoutOpens here
Open the file

Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.

Placement rationale

Matched ELISA lab, controls, diagnosis limits by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.1_The-Mystery-Infection; keywords:elisa, lab. Score 138. 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.

Lab day

Lab & supplies

Bring / set up
Pre-coated ELISA microplatePrimary antibody solutionSecondary antibody solutionSubstrate solutionWash buffer and squirt bottleMicropipettes and tipsPositive and negative control samples
HHMI BioInteractive
Words

This unit's vocabulary

positive controlnegative controlspecificitysensitivityprimary antibodysecondary antibody

Tap the speaker to hear a term. Weekly vocabulary task: add two of these terms to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.

Check yourself

WebXam practice

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
Why is a no-inoculum (no-template) negative control critical when running a panel of assays or cultures?
In an ELISA, what is added after the primary antibody binds the antigen so that a visible result can develop?
A diagnostic test gives a color change only when the target antigen is truly present and not when it is absent. This property is best described as the test's what?
An ELISA result is read simply as a color change with no number attached. This kind of observed, non-measurable result is called what?
Check yourself

Cumulative WebXam review

A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
[Review: Framing an Outbreak Investigation] Which microbiology principle states that one specific organism causes a specific disease and can be isolated from a host who has that disease?
[Review: Who is the culprit? Identifying a pathogen with DNA and BLAST] What was the landmark international collaboration that identified the nucleotide base pairs of humans?
[Review: Getting ready to test: serial dilutions and the ELISA setup] A technician makes a serial dilution starting with 100 ng/mL of antigen, transferring equal parts antigen and water at each step. What is the concentration after the first two dilutions?
Why is a no-inoculum (no-template) negative control critical when running a panel of assays or cultures?
Explore

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.

Safety net

What to do if you were absent

If YOU are absent

Today is individual PLTW work, so do exactly what we did in class, from home: complete the same PLTW target above, then submit your Pre-lab.

Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep going

How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.

If MR. MENDOZA is absent

Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:

HHMI BioInteractive
How this is graded
For: Pre-lab — Numbered wet ELISA procedure, labeled plate layout with positive and negative controls marked, and predicted control colors.
  • Complete
    Every required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
  • Accurate
    The science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
  • Scientific reasoning
    You explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
  • Professional communication
    Clear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
  • Submitted
    Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Submission Zone

Drop your Wed, Feb 17, 2027 · Controls and wet-lab plan here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).

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