From a Question to a Testable Hypothesis
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
Study 1 (clinical, TOPS trial) [PMID:37646677]: 558 infants with isolated cleft palate were assigned to have the palate repaired at 6 months OR at 12 months. All surgeons used the same standardized technique. At age 5, trained assessors who did not know each child's group measured velopharyngeal insufficiency (a speech problem). Result: 8.9% in the 6-month group versus 15.0% in the 12-month group.
Piece 2 of 2
Study 2 (laboratory, Ezh2 mouse study) [PMID:37435868]: To test whether the gene Ezh2 is needed to build the palate, researchers deleted Ezh2 only in the palate epithelium of some mouse embryos. Littermate embryos that still had the gene served as the comparison. They then checked each embryo for cleft palate. About 20% of the Ezh2-deleted embryos had a cleft palate; the littermates did not. The two studies, one clinical and one lab, share the same variable logic.
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.