When Could Mateo's Cleft Have Happened?
Take the reading one piece at a time. For each piece: read it once, underline the sentence that says what happens, then look up any word in the list. Tap a word to see its definition.
Piece 1 of 2
Read the timeline like a calendar of construction. In week 4 special migrating cells arrive and pile up into five small swellings (prominences) around the future mouth, and two pits that become the nostrils split the top swelling. During weeks 4 to 6 the upper lip closes as the swellings grow toward each other and join. The small front triangle of the roof of the mouth forms in weeks 5 to 6.
Piece 2 of 2
The rest of the roof of the mouth comes from two shelves that start to grow downward beside the tongue at about week 6. By week 8 those shelves lift up to horizontal above the tongue, in weeks 8 to 9 they meet in the middle and begin to join, and by week 12 the roof of the mouth is fully fused and closed. The lab keeps a mouse timeline too, because most experiments use mice, but for Mateo we use the human weeks.
Reading the Research
- Skim the title and abstract first to get the gist.
- Circle the one sentence that states the main claim.
- Box the evidence the authors give for that claim.
- Mark one sentence that confuses you, and move on.
Now put it together: In one or two sentences, say what this whole reading is telling you about Mateo. Then go back to the lesson and fill in the guided notes.