Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts
Do now
Debate whether 3D-printed and donor bone implants should be prioritized by ability to pay, then post a CER.
- Hand in
- One-paragraph CER defending a specific allocation principle for scarce bone-graft material.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
One donor bone graft, three patients who need it (a teen with osteosarcoma, a grandmother with an osteoporotic hip , a construction worker with avascular necrosis). Should the 3D-printed and donor implants go to whoever can pay, or should something else decide?
Debate whether 3D-printed and donor bone implants should be prioritized by ability to pay, then post a CER.
- • You can propose and defend an allocation rule for scarce grafts.
- • You can respond to a fairness counter-argument.
- Name one thing that makes a medical resource 'scarce,' and give a real example (organ, blood type, hospital bed).
- If a hospital had one graft and two patients, write one rule for deciding who gets it that is NOT 'whoever pays first.'
- 1Read the prompt: when bone-graft material is scarce, who should receive it first?
- 2List two fair allocation rules and one risk of each.
- 3Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning.
- 4Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and record the strongest counterpoint.
- 5Post a CER response defending your allocation principle.
What did this day actually feel like?
Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts
ETHICS DAY When bone graft material is scarce, who gets it first? We had to name an actual allocation rule and then defend it, which is harder than saying it should be fair.
Sickest first, most likely to benefit, first come first served, youngest first. Every one of them sounds reasonable until you follow it to the case where it produces something you cannot accept. That is the point of making us pick one.
AT HOME, THE NIGHT BEFORE WED FEB 17 Bone cells and bone structure Osteoblasts build, osteoclasts break down, osteocytes maintain. Bone is not a rock, it is a tissue being continuously demolished and rebuilt by three cell types that have to stay in balance.
Then compact bone with its osteons against spongy bone with its trabeculae, in a two-column chart. The structure matches the mechanical demand, which is a theme I am starting to notice everywhere in this class.
Turned in: bone cell summary and comparison chart → recorded in Class Records
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.
The same day, drawn.
When bone graft material is scarce, who gets it first? We had to name an actual allocation rule and then defend it, which is harder than saying it should be fair.
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.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: Because grafts are scarce, society must pick an allocation principle, and each principle helps one group of patients only by moving another group further back in line.
- 0-5Intro: graft types and scarcity framing
- 5-20Independent reading and two fair-rule list with risks
- 20-40John Carroll bioethics debate
- 40-55Draft claim and strongest evidence
- 55-75Write and post CER
- 75-80Class share: which allocation principle came up most?
- • This week we go deep into the skeletal system: bone cells, fractures, and how bone heals.
- • Before we do that, here is the ethical puzzle this technology creates. Bone grafts are not unlimited. When supply runs short, who decides who gets one?
- • Today you build a principled argument for one allocation rule. Your CER must name a specific rule and defend it against the best objection.
- • This is also vocabulary building day. Listen for the terms autograft, allograft, and alloplast. They will appear on the WebXam.
- • Bone grafts can come from the patient (autograft), a donor (allograft), or synthetic/3D-printed materials (alloplast).
- • Allocation ethics asks whether decisions should be based on medical urgency, likelihood of benefit, or waiting-list order.
- • Pathologies like osteoporosis, osteosarcoma, and avascular necrosis may require bone grafts, making graft access a real clinical issue.
Unit 1.1 Bones: Bone structure/function, skeletal system, fractures, bone remodeling, repair technologies. · Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts
Day 1 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Lesson 1.1 Beginning with Bones in myPLTW and complete the introductory skeletal-system task; use facts from it (such as graft types) in your bone-allocation CER.
Mark the introductory task complete after posting your allocation CER.
You finished the -organization week; this begins the bone-biology content inside Lesson 1.1, and the task should be checked off today.
myPLTW completion status plus CER screenshot.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
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 through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit 1.1 Bones: Bone structure/function, skeletal system, fractures, bone remodeling, repair technologies. · Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts
Open Lesson 1.1 Beginning with Bones in myPLTW and complete the introductory skeletal-system task; use facts from it (such as graft types) in your bone-allocation CER.
You finished the -organization week; this begins the bone-biology content inside Lesson 1.1, and the task should be checked off today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Debate whether 3D-printed and donor bone implants should be prioritized by ability to pay, then post a CER.
- Read the prompt: when bone-graft material is scarce, who should receive it first?
- List two fair allocation rules and one risk of each.
- Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning.
- Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and record the strongest counterpoint.
- Post a CER response defending your allocation principle.
CER: One-paragraph CER defending a specific allocation principle for scarce bone-graft material.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Read the prompt: when bone-graft material is scarce, who should receive it first? | _______ |
| List two fair allocation rules and one risk of each. | _______ |
| Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning. | _______ |
| Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and record the strongest counterpoint. | _______ |
| Post a CER response defending your allocation principle. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You can propose and defend an allocation rule for scarce grafts.
- You can respond to a fairness counter-argument.
- 1Do thisDebate whether 3D-printed and donor bone implants should be prioritized by ability to pay, then post a CER.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisCER: One-paragraph CER defending a specific allocation principle for scarce bone-graft material.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Human Anatomy & Physiology (Human Body Systems) › Unit 1.1 Bones: Bone structure/function, skeletal system, fractures, bone remodeling, repair technologies. › CEROpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Applying region, , plane, and terms to a specific patient turns a vague complaint into an actionable location, so anatomical vocabulary is the bridge between textbook knowledge and real clinical reasoning.
Because grafts are scarce, society must pick an allocation principle, and each principle helps one group of patients only by moving another group further back in line.
A mechanic studies a tool whose shape allows one job but limits another.
- Which feature makes the tool work?
- What changes if that feature bends or breaks?
- Which observation shows function rather than appearance?
Structure creates possibilities and limits for function.
Living tissues adapt and interact with other systems; a metal tool does not.
- • Tool shape maps to .
- • The job maps to physiological function.
- • Damage maps to a predicted functional change.
Driving question: One donor bone graft, three patients who need it (a teen with osteosarcoma, a grandmother with an osteoporotic hip , a construction worker with avascular necrosis). Should the 3D-printed and donor implants go to whoever can pay, or should something else decide?
What you already know: Applying region, , plane, and terms to a specific patient turns a vague complaint into an actionable location, so anatomical vocabulary is the bridge between textbook knowledge and real clinical reasoning.
New idea: Because grafts are scarce, society must pick an allocation principle, and each principle helps one group of patients only by moving another group further back in line.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled structure, movement, or system relationship that connects form to function.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: Structure creates possibilities and limits for function.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: One donor bone graft, three patients who need it (a teen with osteosarcoma, a grandmother with an osteoporotic hip , a construction worker with avascular necrosis). Should the 3D-printed and donor implants go to whoever can pay, or should something else decide?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : A bone-building cell that produces and lays down new bone matrix, helping bones grow, heal, and stay strong.
- • : A large bone cell that breaks down and removes old bone , helping the body remodel bone and release stored calcium.
- • : The dense, hard outer layer of bone, built from tightly packed cylindrical units, that gives the skeleton most of its strength and protection.
- • : The lightweight inner bone made of a lattice of bony struts called trabeculae, often filled with marrow and found at the ends of long bones.
- • : A break or crack in a bone, ranging from a thin hairline crack to a complete break into separate pieces.
- • : The place where two or more bones meet, often allowing movement, with and ligaments holding the bones together.
- • : A tough band of that connects bone to bone, holding joints together and keeping them stable.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
Bone grafts can come from the patient (autograft), a donor (allograft), or synthetic/3D-printed materials (alloplast).
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
Because grafts are scarce, society must pick an allocation principle, and each principle helps one group of patients only by moving another group further back in line.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
You can propose and defend an allocation rule for scarce grafts.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-HAP-2027-02-11 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: anatomy and physiology consultant
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts supports before submitting the claim-evidence-reasoning response named on the lesson page.
- • Select the option best supported by E1-E3.
- • Select a reasonable alternative and name the evidence it would require.
- • Delay the claim because the evidence does not distinguish the options.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the claim-evidence-reasoning response.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts supports before submitting the claim-evidence-reasoning response named on the lesson page.
Context: Scarcity forces a choice of allocation principle, and every principle helps some patients by putting others further back in line, so the ethics live in the tradeoff, not in one 'fair' answer.
- • T1: Read the prompt: when bone-graft material is scarce, who should receive it first?
- • T2: List two fair allocation rules and one risk of each.
- • T3: Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning.
- • T4: Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and record the strongest counterpoint.
- • T5: Post a CER response defending your allocation principle.
- • E1: Bone grafts can come from the patient (autograft), a donor (allograft), or synthetic/3D-printed materials (alloplast).
- • E2: Because grafts are scarce, society must pick an allocation principle, and each principle helps one group of patients only by moving another group further back in line.
- • E3: You can propose and defend an allocation rule for scarce grafts.
Measurements: Use only the measurements, units, graph, or counts supplied in today's task. No additional patient measurement is implied.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts. Trace the labeled structure, movement, or system relationship that connects form to function. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
Mean = sum of values / number of values. Median = middle ordered value. Range = maximum - minimum.
For 2, 4, 4, and 10: mean = 20 / 4 = 5, median = 4, and range = 10 - 2 = 8.
Mean, median, and range keep the measurement unit. Order the values before finding the median.
Calculate the requested summary for today's supplied values, then write what it reveals and what it hides.
Students often think Students assume 'fair' means treating everyone identically, so a first-come-first-served waiting list must be the fair rule.. The trap: A pure waiting list ignores medical urgency and likelihood of benefit, so it can hand the graft to a stable patient while someone who would benefit far more waits, because identical treatment of unequal cases is not the same as a just outcome. That is the trap: 'equal' and 'fair' are not synonyms.
Parallel case (not today's prompt): One donor kidney becomes available, and several patients on dialysis are waiting for it. Should the kidney go to whoever can pay the most, or should something else decide?\n\nClaim: When a donor kidney is scarce, it should be allocated by a combination of medical need and likelihood of a successful transplant, not by ability to pay.\nEvidence: Kidneys for transplant can come from a living donor or a deceased donor, and many people with end-stage kidney disease depend on dialysis while they wait. Waiting lists are long because demand for donor kidneys is much greater than supply. Matching factors such as blood type, tissue compatibility, and how long a patient has waited affect whether a transplant is likely to work.\nReasoning: Allocating by medical need and likelihood of success sends the scarce kidney to a patient who both needs it and is likely to keep it working, which produces the most benefit from one organ. Allocating by ability to pay would let wealth decide who gets off dialysis, which is unfair because it ignores medical need and treats healing as something only the rich can buy.\nCounter-argument I heard and my response: A classmate said the youngest patient should always go first, since they have the most years of life ahead. That is a fair concern, but age alone can overlook a young patient who is a poor tissue match and an older patient who is a strong match. A better rule weighs need and likelihood of success together, and can consider age as one factor among several rather than as the only rule.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A short claim-evidence-reasoning post that proposes and defends a principle for allocating a scarce medical resource, shown on a parallel case (donor kidney allocation) so it models the format and depth without answering the bone-graft prompt.
- Write one defensible claim.
- Choose specific evidence that supports the claim.
- Explain the scientific rule that connects the evidence to the claim.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Post to the class board and screenshot for your evidence packet.
- 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.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Hand-picked readings, videos, and interactives for this lesson, all free and from authoritative open organizations (NIH, CDC, OpenStax, Khan Academy, PhET, HHMI, and more).
A fillable, Cornell-style notebook for Unit 1: Road to Rehabilitation. Type your notes, cues, and summaries right in the PDF, or print it and write by hand. Each lesson page has a cue column, a notes column, and a summary box, plus dated lab-record pages you can turn in.
HBS Unit 1 notebook: Road to Rehabilitation Fillable PDFCornell notes + lab recordsOpenVetted readings and references for this unit. Use them to prepare, to catch up if you were absent, or to go deeper on today's target.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
A committee decides bone grafts strictly by 'likelihood of medical benefit.' Name one patient group this rule could systematically push to the back of the line, and why.
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
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.
Read the linked overview on bone health, then post a written CER on how scarce bone-graft material should be allocated, citing one fact from the resource.
MedlinePlus: Bone diseasesThen submit your CER. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
MedlinePlus: Bone Diseases and Fractures- 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, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.