Rough draft.This research track is under review with Dr. Atit's lab. Content and sequence may still change.
Craniofacial Research Track
Session 2The Case Opens, SeptemberLens: PBS
How a face is built, weeks 4 to 12
Discovery question
If we could film Mateo's development, what would we see happening to his face between weeks 4 and 12?
The face is built when five prominences grow toward the and fuse on a tight schedule.
The plan
Prerequisite check
Before this page, you should know
- 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.
If not, review
Today's new idea is only
The face is built when five prominences grow toward the and fuse on a tight schedule.
Learn first
What to learn
Goal: Sequence the major events of facial development from weeks 4 to 12 and identify the steps that build the lip and .
Know by the end
- Five prominences (one frontonasal, two maxillary, two mandibular) grow and fuse to form the face.
- The five prominences are a simplified map. The upper lip and primary depend especially on among the maxillary and the medial nasal prominences; the mandibular prominences mainly form the lower jaw.
- The upper lip and primary form around weeks 6 to 7; the secondary palate fuses around weeks 8 to 12.
- means two growing edges meet at the and join into one continuous structure.
- Each step has a critical window: it must happen correctly within a limited time.
The plan
Guided notes
1
The five prominences
Model start: The forms the forehead, bridge of the nose, and the center of the upper lip.
- Label a simple face diagram with the frontonasal, maxillary (x2), and mandibular (x2) prominences.
- Draw arrows showing the direction each grows.
2
A timeline of fusion
Model start: Around weeks 6 to 7, the prominences that build the upper lip meet at the .
- Make a timeline from week 4 to week 12 and mark when the lip forms and when the fuses.
- Circle the window when a problem would lead to a lip, and the window for a cleft .
3
What has to go right
- In your own words, define and why timing matters.
- Predict: what happens to the lip if two prominences grow but do not meet?
Explore
Reading the Research
What to read
Read the title and the abstract only, not the whole paper. Development of the face and palate (open textbook)
Why this source matters
This is the published evidence behind today's idea: The face is built when five prominences grow toward the and fuse on a tight schedule.
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.
Lab day
Using the database (what to capture)
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 GeneticsExplore
Vetted links for this session
Learn first
Pick your level
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.
The plan
Work as a research team
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?
Check yourself
Demonstration of learning
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: Sequence the major events of facial development from weeks 4 to 12 and identify the fusion steps that build the lip and palate.
How this is graded (rubric)
For: Sequence the major events of facial development from weeks 4 to 12 and identify the fusion steps that build the lip and palate.
| 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 "Sequence the major events of facial development from weeks 4 to 12 and identify the fusion steps that build the lip and palate.".
- 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.