Rough draft.This research track is under review with Dr. Atit's lab. Content and sequence may still change.
The Baby Mateo Case
Developmental domainPrinciples of Biomedical Science (PBS)Lesson 2 of 20Your seat: Embryologist
Which Building Blocks Must Fuse to Make a Lip and Palate?
Discovery question
What are the building blocks of the face, and which ones must fuse to form a normal upper lip?
💡 The early face is built from five prominences, and the upper lip closes only when the and the meet and join on each side.
The plan
Prerequisite check
Before this page, you should know
- Human runs mostly from week 4 to week 12 of the .
- Many face structures are made by separate blocks of that grow toward each other and then fuse, and a is a that did not happen on time.
If not, review
Today's new idea is only
The early face is built from five prominences, and the upper lip closes only when the and the meet and join on each side.
Learn first
What you will learn
Goal: Name and locate the five facial prominences and explain which prominences must grow toward each other and fuse to build a normal upper lip.
Know by the end
- Five prominences surround the early mouth (the ): one , a paired , and a paired .
- Nasal pits split the into the inner medial nasal processes and the outer lateral nasal processes.
- The upper lip closes when, on each side, the fuses with the .
- The medial nasal processes also seed the front of the , which is why lip and cleft palate often travel together.
Learn first
Model: The five prominences, then the lip closes
Early in week 4, five swellings of surround the primitive mouth opening (the ). One sits above the mouth in the , a paired sits to the left and right, and a paired sits below and becomes the lower jaw. That is five blocks: one on top, two on the sides, two on the bottom.
By the end of week 4, two nasal pits form in the lower and split its edge into the inner medial nasal processes and the outer lateral nasal processes. During weeks 4 to 6 the blocks grow toward each other and fuse to close the upper lip: the two medial nasal processes merge in the middle, and on each side the fuses with the . That maxillary-to-medial-nasal is the event that closes the lip.
Do the work
Explore (work the model before reading on)
- List the five facial prominences around the .
- What event splits the into medial and lateral nasal processes?
- Which two prominences must fuse on each side to close the upper lip?
- Mateo's is on the LEFT side of the upper lip. Using the model, which single (which two blocks) most likely failed to join on his left side?
- The two medial nasal processes also give rise to the front of the . Why might a of the lip and a cleft of the front palate often show up together?
The plan
Guided notes
1
The five blocks
Model start: The early face is built from five facial prominences surrounding the : one , a paired , and a paired .
- Nasal pits split the into the inner ____ nasal processes and the outer ____ nasal processes.
- The two medial nasal processes merge to form the central block that becomes the and the front of the ____.
2
How the lip closes
- The upper lip closes when, on each side, the ____ process fuses with the .
- If that fails on one side, the result is a ____ (one-sided) lip on that side.
3
Why lip and palate travel together
- Because the medial nasal processes also seed the front of the ____, a lip-front failure can extend backward into the .
- Identifying which failed tells the team where to look, but not yet ____ it failed.
Explore
Reading the Research
What to read
Read the title and the abstract only, not the whole paper. Lan & Jiang 2015, Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Palatogenesis (Curr Top Dev Biol)
Why this source matters
This is the published evidence behind today's idea: The early face is built from five prominences, and the upper lip closes only when the and the meet and join on each side.
Words to unlock first
Reading moves
- 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.
Stop point
You do not need the methods or statistics yet. If a sentence is about lab technique or math you have not learned, mark it and skip it.
Your output
Write one claim-evidence sentence: what this source claims, and the one piece of evidence that backs it up.
Where this fits
Tested on (Ohio WebXam)
Genetics of Disease · 072130
PLTW lesson
MI · Developmental domain · Embryonic facial structures and the fusions that build the upper lip
WebXam domain
Bio-Molecular Technology
Evidence to produce
On a simple labeled diagram of the five prominences, (1) label all five blocks, (2) draw an arrow showing the fusion that closes the upper lip on each side, and (3) on the LEFT side only, mark an X where the fusion failed for Mateo, with a one-line caption naming the two blocks that did not join.
Lab / skill
Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) · Human Body Systems (HBS)
Explore
Vetted readings for this lesson
The plan
Track your progress today
Check these off as you work through the lesson, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Check off as you finish
- Read the Model and answered the Explore questions.
- Filled in the guided notes in my own words.
- Defined the new vocabulary with an example.
- Built the producible: On a simple labeled diagram of the five prominences, (1) label all five blocks, (2) draw an arrow showing the fusion that closes the upper lip on each side, and (3) on the LEFT side only, mark an X where the fusion failed for Mateo, with a one-line caption naming the two blocks that did not join.
- Wrote my Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning exit ticket.
Pick your period and code first.
Check yourself
Exit ticket (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning)
- Claim: Mateo's left lip is best explained by a failed between two specific prominences.
- Evidence: Normally the ____ process fuses with the on each side to close the lip.
- Reasoning: If that joining fails on the left side, the lip stays open on the left, which matches Mateo's one-sided .
How this is graded (rubric)
For: On a simple labeled diagram of the five prominences, (1) label all five blocks, (2) draw an arrow showing the fusion that closes the upper lip on each side, and (3) on the LEFT side only, mark an X where the fusion failed for Mateo, with a one-line caption naming the two blocks that did not join.
| Criterion | Proficient | Developing | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | Every required part of the artifact is present and filled in. | Most parts are present, but one is missing or left blank. | Several parts are missing. |
| Accurate | The science and data are correct and match the evidence. | Mostly correct, with a small factual slip. | Key science or data is wrong. |
| Scientific reasoning (CER) | States a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and explains the reasoning. | Has a claim and evidence, but the reasoning is thin or missing. | Gives an answer with no evidence or reasoning. |
| Professional communication | Clear, organized, and labeled the way a clinician or scientist would write it. | Readable but disorganized or missing labels. | Hard to follow. |
| Submitted | Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed. | Turned in, but in the wrong place or unconfirmed. | Not turned in. |
How the model answer scores against this rubric
- CompleteProficient: Nothing is left blank: the model fills every part of "On a simple labeled diagram of the five prominences, (1) label all five blocks, (2) draw an arrow showing the fusion that closes the upper lip on each side, and (3) on the LEFT side only, mark an X where the fusion failed for Mateo, with a one-line caption naming the two blocks that did not join.".
- AccurateProficient: Every number and claim matches the case evidence.
- Scientific reasoning (CER)Proficient: It names a claim, cites the specific evidence, and explains the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Professional communicationProficient: It is organized and labeled like a real chart note.
- SubmittedProficient: It would be turned in on Schoology and confirmed.
Explore
Where this leads: careers
Embryologist Craniofacial anatomist Genetic counselor
What's next: We named the blocks that must fuse. But each is packed with cells that grow and migrate, and we have not asked where those cells come from. So the next question is: where do the cells that build these facial blocks actually originate? We chase that next time.