Unit 2.2 to 2.3: Chromosomal abnormalities, genetic risk, family evidence, diagnosis from mixed data.
Your PLTW coursework: Principles of Biomedical Science ▸ Unit 2: Clinical Care ▸ Lesson 2.3 New to the Practice ▸ "Problem 2.3.1 A New Patient"
What to do if absent- 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.
Week overview - Genetic Risk: karyotypes, pedigrees, and diagnosing from mixed evidence
Use a , a pedigree, and a family history to reason about inheritance and propose a likely diagnosis for a patient with a chromosomal abnormality.
- 1Define , phenotype, and in your own words, then label each in a short example.
- 2Read the for your case patient and note any missing, extra, or rearranged chromosomes.
- 3Build a three-generation pedigree from the family history, marking affected and individuals.
- 4Compare the and the pedigree and write what each piece of evidence tells you that the other does not.
- 5State the most likely diagnosis and the for the next child, citing your two strongest pieces of evidence.
- 6Write one sentence on what additional test you would order before confirming the diagnosis.
- • You will be able to read a and identify a chromosomal abnormality.
- • You will be able to trace an inheritance pattern through a pedigree.
- • You will be able to combine mixed evidence into a justified diagnosis and risk estimate.
Daily lessons this week
Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.
Two-sentence written reflection naming the strongest opposing argument encountered during the debate.
Annotated notes on structure, aneuploidy, and inheritance patterns with a labeled karyotype diagram.
Completed template with labeled pairs, identified abnormality, and one stated procedural limitation.
Written CER with a quantitative genetic-risk claim, pedigree and Punnett square evidence, and at least one stated limitation.
Updated project tracker with unit status, self-assessed confidence rating, and one reflective note on remaining limitations.
Quick intro to the week
- Hook: a family wants to know the odds for their next child, and the answer is written in chromosomes and a family tree.
- Today's goal: learn to weigh a against a pedigree so your diagnosis rests on evidence, not a guess.
- Monday bioethics debate ties in: should parents be told the of a condition that has no cure?
- Reminder: your graded pedigree and diagnosis write-up are submitted on the class site.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Advance your PLTW PBS genetics benchmark by completing the genetic-risk case analysis and diagnosis worksheet in the online course shell.
- • A displays the number and structure of chromosomes and can reveal abnormalities.
- • A pedigree maps inheritance across generations to show carriers and affected individuals.
- • estimates the probability that a trait passes to the next generation.
- • Distinguish from phenotype when reading a case.
- • Synthesize a and a pedigree into one diagnosis.
📋 PLTW evidence due: the completed pedigree and genetic-risk diagnosis write-up in the course shell.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment: this page only gives direction.
This week's PLTW tracker
Your week at a glance. Check off each deliverable as you finish it, then submit so Mr. Mendoza can see how the class is pacing.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
| Day | Date | Focus | Key deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Mon, Oct 26 | Genetic testing ethics debate | Two-sentence written reflection naming the strongest opposing argument encountered during the debate. |
| Tuesday | Tue, Oct 27 | Karyotype and inheritance notes | Annotated notes on karyotype structure, aneuploidy, and inheritance patterns with a labeled karyotype diagram. |
| Wednesday | Wed, Oct 28 | Karyotype case analysis | Completed karyotype template with labeled chromosome pairs, identified abnormality, and one stated procedural limitation. |
| Thursday | - | Pedigree and risk CER | Written CER with a quantitative genetic-risk claim, pedigree and Punnett square evidence, and at least one stated limitation. |
| Friday | - | Submit tracker and evidence | Updated project tracker with unit status, self-assessed confidence rating, and one reflective note on remaining limitations. |
- M: Philosophy for Kids / John Carroll bioethical debate
- T: teacher background notes + PLTW launch task
- W: lab / data or model work
- Th: analysis / CER or design revision
- F: submit tracker + weekly evidence
Due by week's end: Genetic-risk explanation.
4 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.
What to do when 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 myPLTWHow to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
You can't do those from home: do this instead: Teacher-posted data/model packet, same objective. Supplemental: Khan: chromosomes and inheritance; MedlinePlus Genetics.
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:
NHGRI: how to read a pedigreeVocabulary
Resources & readings
Hand-picked readings and interactives for this lesson, from authoritative open organizations and PLTW's own public course outline.