LESSON PLAN

Name: Katie Weber

Title of lesson: Karyotyping Activity

Date of lesson: TBD

Length of lesson: 50 minutes

Description of the class:

Name of course: Biology

Grade level: 9^th Grade

Honors or regular: Either

Source of the lesson:

http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/activities/karyotyping/karyotyping.html

TEKS addressed:

(6)  Science concepts. The student knows the structures and functions of nucleic acids in the mechanisms of genetics. The student is expected to:

(F)  identify and analyze karyotypes.

I. Overview

The students will complete an online activity in which they create karyotypes, analyze them, and use them to make patient diagnoses.

Name: ______________________________

Karyotyping Activity Lab Sheet

1. Open “Internet Explorer.”
2. Go to the following web address:
   http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/activities/karyotyping/karyotyping.html
3. Carefully read the introduction.
4. When you are done reading, click on the button at the bottom of the page labeled “Patient Histories.”
5. Carefully read this page making some very brief notes about the three patients’ cases in the table below:
   
   

Patient A

Patient B

Patient C

6. Next, click on the button at the bottom of the page labeled “Patient A.”
7. Complete Patient A’s karyotype as instructed.
8. When it is completed, carefully read the page entitled “Patient A’s Karyotype” and answer the questions in the space below:
   
   A1: What notation would you use to characterize Patient A’s karyotype?
   
   
   A2: What diagnosis would you give Patient A?
   
   
   
9. Next, click on the button at the bottom of the page labeled “Patient B.”
10. Complete Patient B’s karyotype as instructed.
11. When it is completed, answer the questions on the page called “Patient B’s Karyotype” in the space below:
    
    B1: What notation would you use to characterize Patient B’s karyotype?
    
    
    B2: What diagnosis would you give Patient B?
    
    
    
12. Next, click on the button at the bottom of the page labeled “Patient C.”
13. Complete Patient C’s karyotype as instructed.
    
    
14. When it is completed, answer the questions on the page called “Patient B’s Karyotype” in the space below:
    
    C1: What notation would you use to characterize Patient C’s karyotype?
    
    
    C2: What diagnosis would you give patient C?

A Couple of Extra Questions

1. What are the advantages of being able to see pictures of people’s chromosomes? (Even those of unborn babies.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. What are the disadvantages of this type of technology?

II. Performance or learner outcomes

Students will be able to:

· Pair homologous chromosomes.

· Interpret a karyotype.

· Use a karyotype to make a medical diagnosis.

· Describe representative chromosomal disorders.

III. Resources, materials and supplies needed

· Computers with internet access—preferably one per student

IV. Supplementary materials, handouts.

· Copies of the "Karyotype Activity Lab Sheet"-one per student

Five-E Organization

Teacher Does Probing Questions Student Does

Engage: The teacher initiates a class discussion regarding whether the students think it's possible to "see" chromosomes. "Today we are going to make and examine karyotypes on the internet. Karyotypes are pictures of people's chromosomes." The teacher will give a brief synopsis of how a karyotype is done using the following web page (or another web page of the teacher's choice) as a reference: http://www.chriscarothers.com/karyotype.html

Do you think it's possible to see chromosomes? Why would someone want to see a picture of a set of chromosomes? What could a picture of chromosomes tell you?

Answers will vary. They can be viewed under very high magnification. To see if there are any problems. Whether the person is a boy or girl; if they might have any genetic problems

Explore: Students work independently on the lab following the lab sheet and answering the questions on it. The teacher circulates to be sure that all students are successful in completing the activity; checking their answers to the questions on the lab sheet.

What did you find for patient A? Patient B? Patient C? Were you able to match all the chromosomes correctly or did you run into any problems?

Answers will vary. Students may have trouble especially in pairing sex chromosomes since the X and Y chromosomes look so different from each other.

Explain: The teacher will ask a variety of students to answer the questions on the lab sheet. If one student reports an incorrect answer, ask another student if they found something different. Be sure that each student understands how to use the proper notation to designate chromosomal findings. Give a novel situation and ask them to come up with the correct designation as a class.

What is the designation for Patient A? What is the diagnosis for Patient A? What is the designation for Patient B? What is the diagnosis for Patient B? What is the designation for Patient C? What is the diagnosis for Patient C? What would be the designation for a patient with Turner's syndrome (has only a single [X] sex chromosome)?

47, XX, +21 Down's Syndrome. 47, XXY Klinefelter's Syndrome. 47, XY, +13 Trisomy 13 Syndrome. 45, XO

Extend / Elaborate: The teacher will initiate a class discussion regarding the advantages and disadvantages of making such technology available to people.

What might be some of the advantages of allowing people access to karyotypes? What might be some of the disadvangtages of them?

Diagnosing genetic disorders; planning for a child that will have a genetic disorder. People can use this information to decide the outcome of a pregnancy; it could cause mental anguish about the inevitable.

Evaluate: "Today we learned that it is possible to look at a picture of human chromosomes in order to count them and determine if the chromosome number is normal or abnormal. Professionals use these karyotypes to diagnose diseases in the same way that you did today." Teacher will collect and formally evaluate the lab sheets.

Questions are on lab sheet.

Answers will vary.