Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

References and Resources appears at the endof each module. It lists the sources used in the moduleand resources to go to for further information.Masters to be photocopied for students are located atthe end of each module as well as on the Web site.Teacher Support Materials—including answerkeys, background information on different topics, andextension activities—are available on the Web site:http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/bioethics/teacher.Alternative Waysto Implement the ModulesYou should begin with Module 1, because it providesthe background necessary for student understandingof the subsequent modules. However, you can teachModules 2 to 6 in any order. Table 3 on pages 22 to 23summarizes the ethical issues the modules highlightand their connections to topics in biology.Each module consists of three 45-minute class sessionsand, usually, some homework. You can teach eachmodule’s three days consecutively or integrate pieces ofthe modules into existing units. You can use a scenariofrom a module as an introduction to one of your biologyunits, teach that unit, and then return to the remainingethics sessions at the end.For example, Module 4 addresses the topic of genetictesting, so you could integrate it into an existing Mendeliangenetics unit. Day 1 of Module 4 could begin thegenetics unit. Although students would not yet havean understanding of recessive and dominant modes ofinheritance, they could grasp the idea of the purpose ofa genetic test and would likely be drawn into the unit bydiscussing some of the related ethical issues. Furthermore,students would be likely to ask questions aboutinheritance patterns while working through Day 1. Fromthere, the class could transition into the unit on genetics,and the pedigrees from Day 2 could be integrated intothe discussion of inheritance. Toward the end of the unit,students could tackle Day 3 of the module and completethe final assessment. In this way, the bioethics modulebecomes a “wrap-around” for the longer genetics unit.Correlating Exploring Bioethicswith National Science EducationStandards and State StandardsThe National Science Education Standards (NSES),developed by the National Research Council (1996),describe the content every student should knowand the inquiry skills every student should master.Tables 4 and 5 indicate the alignment of ExploringBioethics with the grades 9–12 standards. Alignmentof the supplement with every state’s science, math,and English language arts standards is available onlineat http://science.education.nih.gov/statestandards.Introduction25