Clue 1: Orient yourself
What are the main parts, stages, or choices in this model?
Use the labels and the picture's left-to-right, near-to-far, or before-and-after order. Name only what you can point to.
The question
One baby, one visible difference, and many possible starting points. Which question should we investigate first?
Why it matters: CDC estimates that about 1 in 1,031 U.S. babies has cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and about 1 in 1,563 has cleft palate alone. If 30 people each later had one baby, the population average would be about 0.05 affected births, or roughly one affected birth across 21 classrooms of 30, not one in every class.
On your WebXam
You can turn a careful observation into a testable question that evidence can answer.
For life
One result can have many causes; the outcome alone never tells you which.
Principle: Many roads, one ending
Try the everyday version first
Many roads, one ending
A courtroom file keeps direct facts, expert models, and unresolved claims in separate folders. A careful team does not treat a possible explanation as a proven fact.
Do not jump to the biology yet. Treat the picture as a small system. Track its parts, follow one change at a time, and keep more than one explanation open until the picture supplies a way to separate them.
Clue 2: Trace one change
What changes while the other parts stay the same?
Follow one object, stage, or path. Point to the first place where the situation changes instead of jumping to the ending.
Clue 3: Keep the cause open
What check would separate two explanations that still fit the picture?
List more than one explanation that still fits. Name the extra observation that would help you separate those possibilities.
Now inspect the illustration
Work from the visible evidence. A useful answer names the part of the picture that supports it and leaves unknown causes open.
- 1What are the main parts, stages, or choices in this model?
- 2What changes while the other parts stay the same?
- 3What check would separate two explanations that still fit the picture?
Tier 1 check
Finish with the everyday model
Place one clue into the fact, model, or unresolved folder, then write one question that could test it.
Answer in plain words. You can finish this required check without opening either optional section below.
Ready for the real names? Optional tier 2
Craniofacial Research Track
Session 1The Case Opens, SeptemberLens: PBS
Meet Mateo
Discovery question
One baby, one visible difference, and many possible starting points. Which question should we investigate first?
Many roads, one ending. One visible result can have several causes, so strong research starts by keeping more than one explanation open.
Goal: Describe only what the case shows, then write one question that evidence could answer without guessing the cause.
Know by the end
- A lip is a gap in the upper lip. A cleft is an opening in the roof of the mouth. A person can have one or both.
- Mateo is a composite patient, built from published science, so no real person's private information is used.
- Scientists turn observations into questions, and questions into testable studies.
- lip and is one of the most common birth differences worldwide.
1
What we see
Model start: Mateo has an opening on the left side of his upper lip that reaches toward his nose, and an opening in the roof of his mouth.
- In one sentence, describe Mateo's using the words lip and .
- List three things you notice or wonder when you read his case.
2
From observation to question
Model start: How does the lip form before birth, and what step did not finish for Mateo?
- Write two questions that start with "Why" and two that start with "How" about Mateo's case.
- Star the one question you most want this year to answer.
3
What kind of question can science answer?
- Cross out any question that cannot be tested with evidence.
- Rewrite one of your questions so it is specific and answerable.
MedlinePlus
Open the tool Plain-language explanations of a gene or condition, written for patients and families.
When you use this: Use this when a research paper is too dense, or when you need to explain a finding to Mateo's family in everyday words.
What the screen looks like
Step by step
- 1Open medlineplus.gov/genetics and search the gene or condition (IRF6).
- 2Read the summary written in everyday words.
- 3Note the conditions the gene is linked to at the bottom of the page.
Capture these fields
- Topic: IRF6 gene
- Plain-language summary: IRF6 helps the tissues of the face join correctly before birth.
- Linked conditions: Van der Woude syndrome; nonsyndromic cleft
How to read it: Start here when a research paper is too dense. MedlinePlus gives you the gist in everyday words so you can go back to the harder source knowing what it is about.
Lost? About MedlinePlus Genetics
Level 1, Guided
Use the sentence starters, a word bank from the vocabulary, a labeled diagram, and the exact source link.
Level 2, Collaborative
Complete a partly blank model or table and explain it.
Level 3, Independent
Make a claim from a new example or an unfamiliar entry in the same database.
Team roles
- Manager: keeps the group moving
- Recorder: writes the shared model or table
- Evidence checker: verifies each claim against the source
- Reporter: explains the group's reasoning
Process reflection
- What evidence changed your thinking today?
- What did your group disagree about, and how did you resolve it?
- What question is still unresolved?
By the end of this session, submit ONE of: a labeled diagram with a 2-sentence explanation; a claim, evidence, reasoning paragraph; a completed data table from a real database; or a one-question exit ticket using today's vocabulary.
Meets standard if your explanation correctly connects structure, timing, gene or protein function, or evidence source to Mateo's case: Describe only what the case shows, then write one question that evidence could answer without guessing the cause.
How this is graded (rubric)
For: Describe only what the case shows, then write one question that evidence could answer without guessing the cause.
| 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 through the route named under Submit here 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 "Describe only what the case shows, then write one question that evidence could answer without guessing the cause.".
- 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 attached to your class form or handed in, and confirmed.
Go deeper Optional tier 3
Everything required is above. Open this section only if you want the research reading and source trail.
Student reading
The idea in plain English
One baby, one visible difference, and many possible starting points. Which question should we investigate first?
A courtroom file keeps direct facts, expert models, and unresolved claims in separate folders. A careful team does not treat a possible explanation as a proven fact.
Many roads, one ending. One visible result can have several causes, so strong research starts by keeping more than one explanation open.
- A lip is a gap in the upper lip. A cleft is an opening in the roof of the mouth. A person can have one or both.
- Mateo is a composite patient, built from published science, so no real person's private information is used.
- Scientists turn observations into questions, and questions into testable studies.
- lip and is one of the most common birth differences worldwide.
This lesson reading is written from the vetted sources in the advanced citation trail below.
Everything you need for today is on this page. These links are optional.
What to read
Read the short plain-language explanation written for this lesson. Plain-language reading for this session
Why this source matters
This explanation gives you the background for today's idea without making you decode a research paper: Many roads, one ending. One visible result can have several causes, so strong research starts by keeping more than one explanation open.
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
Stop after the final 'Use it now' section. The research citations are available separately for advanced readers.
Your output
Write one claim-evidence sentence: state the main idea, then name the example or evidence that supports it.
These records and papers document the science. They are not assigned student reading. Use the plain-language lesson reading above unless your teacher asks you to inspect an original source.