Backward Design

People have a variety of feelings about science. Usually, they fall on a spectrum of thinking it is objective and factual to it cannot be trusted. Regardless of where on this spectrum people fall, they generally talk about how science affects people. The truth is that people affect science, especially in the science of controversial genetic topics. The science exists for GMOs and cloning, but its our ethics that dictate what we allow the science to do. I want students to understand how controversial genetic topics are influenced through ethics. GMOs will impact every one of my students. As they get older, they will be forced to choose what kind of food to eat. I will facilitate a debate in my classroom. They will need to research, listen to main points, and formulate a rebuttal. This involves language demands of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The cognitive demands are remember, understand, apply, and analyze. Debates can be more difficult to assess. There would be a written portion that summarizes their research on the topic, the main points of the other side, and their rebuttal. There would also be the debate portion where they must respectfully present their arguments.

The hardest thing for me in lesson and unit planning scaffolding up. I feel comfortable providing supports for struggling students, but I am not sure how to better support the students who need more of a challenge. I’m hoping the debate will give them opportunities to take on more leadership in their groups.