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10th Grade  Project 8 weeks

Evolution Expedition

Sarah F
Updated
HS-LS1-4
HS-LS1-8
HS-LS3-1
HS-LS3-2
HS-LS3-3
+ 3 more
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The Challenge

You encounter genetic information in healthcare, family planning, and public health decisions, but understanding how DNA, cell division, inheritance, and mutation shape traits and development is difficult when scientific processes are invisible, probabilistic, and often communicated through technical language. These barriers contribute to misunderstanding risk, confusion about inherited conditions, and unequal access to informed decision-making across communities.

Challenge Question

How might we address rising questions about inherited traits, mutations, and development in NYC Health + Hospitals clinics so that families in neighborhoods with lower health literacy can better understand trait risk, variation, and continuity of life?

Standards

  • [New York] HS-LS1-4 - Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.
  • [New York] HS-LS1-8 - Use models to illustrate how human reproduction and development maintains continuity of life.
  • [New York] HS-LS3-1 - Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.
  • [New York] HS-LS3-2 - Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.
  • [New York] HS-LS3-3 - Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.

Competencies

  • Academically Prepared - Demonstrates a strong foundation in the New York State learning standards and is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in college, careers, civic engagement, service, and life.
  • Reflective and Future Focused - Engages in self-reflection to identify strengths and areas for growth, sets meaningful goals, uses social awareness to maintain supportive relationships, and demonstrates responsible decision-making that prioritizes social, emotional, and mental well-being.
  • Global Citizen - Acts responsibly and ethically within local, global, and digital communities, employing civic knowledge, skills, and mindsets to promote global sustainability and contribute positively to a culturally diverse, democratic society.

Learning Partners and Clients

NYC Health + Hospitals serves as the client, asking students in the role of genetic counselors to create a family-friendly clinic resource that explains inherited traits, mutations, and human development for patients with varied health literacy levels. Mount Sinai Genetic Testing & Counseling Services is a learning partner that can share how counselors help families understand DNA, chromosomes, meiosis, mutation, and trait variation in real clinical settings. Counselors from Mount Sinai can review student prototypes, critique the clarity of visual flowcharts and counseling prompts, and suggest how the advisory kit could work in waiting rooms or counseling sessions across NYC clinics.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can step into the role of a genetic counselor by analyzing a mock NYC clinic case, interacting with a confusing waiting-room display, and identifying why families may struggle to understand cell division, inheritance, mutations, and development in real healthcare settings.
Examine
I can investigate how mitosis and cell differentiation help organisms grow, repair, and maintain complex body systems by using models and explaining what happens when these processes go wrong. I can ask questions and analyze examples to clarify how DNA and chromosomes carry instructions for traits passed from parents to offspring. I can compare meiosis, mutation, and replication errors to explain how inherited variation arises and how environmental factors can affect genetic change. I can use probability, pedigrees, and trait data to predict and explain patterns of variation in families and populations. I can learn from NYC Health + Hospitals needs and feedback from Mount Sinai Genetic Testing & Counseling Services to understand how health literacy shapes the way families interpret genetic information.
Engineer
I can develop a patient-friendly mutation and inheritance advisory kit for NYC Health + Hospitals that includes a clear visual flowchart, sample counseling prompts, and a feedback form tailored for families with different levels of health literacy.
Do
I can use our advisory kit with classmates, families, or community members acting as clinic patients, collect feedback on how accurately and confidently they interpret trait risk and variation, and analyze the data to judge how well the tool supports understanding.
Share
I can share our advisory kit and the story of how my thinking changed through an interactive clinic-style showcase with peers, families, school staff, and healthcare partners, where I explain what I learned about genetics, communication, and myself as a problem solver working on a real community need.