Semester 1 (Fall) · Week 11 (teaching week 11 of 17)Nov 4–6

Gene therapy, viral vectors, somatic vs. germline editing, CRISPR basics, reproductive screening.

Your PLTW coursework: Medical InterventionsUnit 2: How to Screen What is In Your Genes ▸ Lesson 2.2 Our Genetic Future ▸ "Activity 2.2.1 Gene Therapy"

What to do if absent
Color keyLearn firstGet orientedDo the workLab daySafety netCheck yourself
Portal terms
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. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Learn first

Week overview - Editing the Code: Gene Therapy and Its Ethics

Nov 4–6

Use a article to build a claim-evidence-reasoning argument about whether or should be allowed for a given case.

Week arc
  1. 1Open the article in the PLTW course shell and annotate where it explains vectors and Cas9.
  2. 2In your notes, define versus in one sentence each.
  3. 3Circle one place in the article that mentions effects and note why that worries scientists.
  4. 4Write a claim stating whether the case should use or .
  5. 5Add two pieces of evidence from the article that support your claim, including .
  6. 6Finish your CER with reasoning that connects the evidence to your claim in two sentences.
By week end
  • You'll be able to tell from .
  • You'll be able to explain what a viral vector and do.
  • You'll be able to write a CER argument grounded in an article.
The plan

Daily lessons this week

Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.

WednesdayWed, Nov 4
Viral vector chart

Viral vector delivery diagram with labeled components, vs. distinction, two-vector comparison row, and one sentence on vector-cell targeting.

ThursdayThu, Nov 5
JCU bioethics 7: Two videos: controlling genetics, and what gives life meaning

Your worksheet: the side you argued, your three strongest arguments, the opposing point you had to answer, and where you actually stand now.

FridayFri, Nov 6
CRISPR and reproductive screening

Annotated article (guide RNA, Cas9 cut, repair step marked; defined) plus a CER on using CRISPR in the reproductive screening case.

Get oriented

Quick intro to the week

  • Today matters because is moving from science fiction to clinics, and you get to weigh in.
  • Goal for today: read a article closely and turn it into a clear claim-evidence-reasoning argument.
  • Monday's debate is : should we make changes that pass to a person's children and beyond?
  • Your annotations and CER are graded from what you turn in, so submit them on the class site.
Do the work

Your PLTW coursework this week

Do this: Advance the Unit 2 gene-therapy benchmark by submitting your -article CER on the class site.

Know when done
  • delivers corrected genes, often using a viral vector.
  • edits affect one patient while edits pass to descendants.
  • can cut DNA at a target, but effects are a real risk.
Be able to do
  • Distinguish from .
  • Build a CER argument from an article with evidence and reasoning.

📋 Tracker evidence due this week: your annotated article and completed CER argument uploaded to the class site.

All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment: this page only gives direction.

The plan

This week's PLTW tracker

Use this chart to keep your place. Nothing on it is turned in through the portal.

DayWorkTurn in
Wednesday · Wed, Nov 4Viral vector chartViral vector delivery diagram with labeled components, somatic vs. germline distinction, two-vector comparison row, and one sentence on vector-cell targeting.
Thursday · Thu, Nov 5JCU bioethics 7: Two videos: controlling genetics, and what gives life meaningYour worksheet: the side you argued, your three strongest arguments, the opposing point you had to answer, and where you actually stand now.
Friday · Fri, Nov 6CRISPR and reproductive screeningAnnotated CRISPR article (guide RNA, Cas9 cut, repair step marked; off-target defined) plus a CER on using CRISPR in the reproductive screening case.
  • Th: reproductive screening case
  • F: ethics CER

Turn in: Gene therapy, viral vectors, somatic vs. germline editing, CRISPR basics, reproductive screening. weekly work due Gene therapy ethics CER.

Go to Schoology to turn this in.

Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf.

Open Schoology PDF upload help

If you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.

The week, drawn

2 panels from the illustrated semester.

Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.

Safety net

What to do when absent

If YOU are absent

Most days, this class is your PLTW coursework: and PLTW is online and individual. So being out usually just means doing exactly what we did in class, from home.

Open Clever, then myPLTW

Sign in to Clever with your district Microsoft account to open Schoology or myPLTW. Follow today's posted steps. If myPLTW will not open, use the posted alternative and tell Mr. Mendoza. Turn in your completed work through the Schoology assignment.

Was today a lab or a group activity?

You can't do those from home: do this instead: article annotation and CER.

If MR. MENDOZA is absent

Class still runs. A substitute will post today's plan: complete the online activity above; it's built to be self-guided. Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:

MedlinePlus: What is gene therapy?
Words

Vocabulary

(CRISPR-associated protein 9 gene-editing system)/JURM-line/
Explore

Teacher-posted resources

Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.

Catch-up / reteachFor: Need extra support
Lesson 2.2 Our Genetic Future (preface/overview)
worksheet/handoutPosted in Schoology
Open in Schoology

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

Placement rationale

Matched , , reproductive ethics by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes/2.2_Our-Genetic-Future; keywords:gene therapy, reproductive. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Use during lessonFor: Everyone
Activity 2.2.2 Reproductive Technology
worksheet/handoutPosted in Schoology
Open in Schoology

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

Placement rationale

Matched , , reproductive ethics by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes/2.2_Our-Genetic-Future; keywords:ethics, reproductive. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Extension / challengeFor: Ready to go deeper
Gene Therapy Sickle Cell POGIL Activity
activity/labPosted in Schoology
Open in Schoology

Use this after the required lesson work when you are ready for a harder application or a deeper connection.

Placement rationale

Matched , , reproductive ethics by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes/00_Unit-Overview; keywords:gene therapy, crispr. Score 134. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Sign in to Clever with your district Microsoft account to open Schoology or myPLTW. Follow today's posted steps. If myPLTW will not open, use the posted alternative and tell Mr. Mendoza. Turn in your completed work through the Schoology assignment.

Aligned to

Standards this week

Genetics of Disease 072130 · 5.4 Molecular and Genetic Technology
NGSS argumentation from evidence
Check yourself

WebXam practice

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
Gene therapy is best defined as a type of disease treatment in which
Many vectors used to deliver healthy genes in gene therapy are viruses. Why are viruses a logical choice?
A plasmid that artificially carries foreign genetic material into another cell is called a
One major challenge that keeps gene therapy from being perfect is complete integration, which means