NGSS & Common Core 5E Lesson Plan

Grade:
9-12

Topic: Epigenetics and Stress

Resilience

Lessons/Time Allotted: 2.5 lessons

x 56 mins

Brief Lesson Description: Students will observe how they can use a biosensor to determine
their resilience to stress and how epigenetic factors can influence gene expression.
Performance Expectation(s): 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.
Specific Learning Objectives:
Students will determine the effects of epigenetic factors on gene expression by
engaging in the Lick your Rats simulation.
Students will monitor, record, and graph heart rate data using a biosensor.
Prior Student Knowledge:

DNA/chromosome structure
Central dogma: DNARNAproteintrait (transcription & translation)

Adaptations/Accommodations for Diverse Learners:

Scaffold graph construction

Model sensor procedure
Use LearnGenetics animation to illustrate epigenetic effects on DNA

Common Core Standards Addressed:

ELA/Literacy RST.11Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to
12.1
important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the
account. (HS-LS3-2)
WHST.9Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (HS-LS3-2)
12.1
Mathematics MP.2
Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (HS-LS3-2)

Science & Engineering

Practices:

Engaging in Argument from

Evidence
Engaging in argument from evidence
in 9-12 builds on K-8 experiences and
progresses to using appropriate and
sufficient evidence and scientific
reasoning to defend and critique
claims and explanations about the
natural and designed world(s).
Arguments may also come from
current scientific or historical
episodes in science.

Make and defend a claim

based on evidence about the
natural world that reflects
scientific knowledge, and studentgenerated evidence.

Disciplinary Core Ideas:

LS3.B: Variation of Traits

In sexual reproduction,
chromosomes can sometimes
swap sections during the process
of meiosis (cell division), thereby
creating new genetic
combinations and thus more
genetic variation. Although DNA
replication is tightly regulated and
remarkably accurate, errors do
occur and result in mutations,
which are also a source of genetic
variation. Environmental factors
can also cause mutations in
genes, and viable mutations are
inherited.

Environmental factors also

affect expression of traits, and
hence affect the probability of
occurrences of traits in a
population. Thus the variation and
distribution of traits observed
depends on both genetic and
environmental factors.

Crosscutting Concepts:
Cause and Effect

Empirical evidence is required to

differentiate between cause and
correlation and make claims about
specific causes and effects.

Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:

People are born a certain way, with behavioral and personality traits that cannot be changed.
Its in our genes
Stress always produces negative effects on the body.
Lifestyle choices that we make can affect our health (heart disease, cancer), but not our genome.

LESSON PLAN 5E Model (6E Extend)

Teacher does

Student does

ENGAGE:

ENGAGE:

Opening Activity Access Prior Learning /

Stimulate Interest / Generate Questions:
Day 1:
Nature vs. nurturewhat other factors affect our
genes?
Epigenetics postershow & explain briefly
How do epigenetic factors specifically affect
genes?
LearnGenetics: Introduce Lick Your Rats
simulation

Day 1:
Partner reflectionhow do our experiences,
environmental exposures affect our genes?
Epigenetics in NOVA Science (Neil De Grasse Tyson
epigenetics video--13mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4boKud1MRk
LearnGenetics: Lick Your Rats

Vocabulary:
Epigenetics
genome
methyl tag
fight or flight response
cortisol

Day 2:

Students record carotid pulse for 6 seconds &

multiply by 10 to get heart rate/min

Day 2: (yellow: lesson with Matthew Yanagi

from SPAWAR)
Mr. Yanagi delivers presentation on how
his team develops biosensors to monitor
physiological responses
Mr. Yanagi illustrates the detect-measuresensor-interpret-algorithm guideline for
applying engineering to solve
physiological problems

EXPLORE: Day 2Using heart rate

monitors
Probing or Clarifying Questions:
How can we use heart rate as an indicator
of stress resistance?
Project online stopwatch and have
students with monitors close their eyes &
rest their heads while partners monitor
heart rate.
Introduce a loud stimulus randomly while
students are recording partners heart
rate
What happened after stimulus occurred?

EXPLAIN:
Concepts Explained:

Students will construct graphs with the

same scales so that they can compare
with other students in the class.
Independent variable (x-axis) = time (10
sec intervals)
Dependent variable (y-axis) = heart rate
(2 bpm/square)
Discussion: We only explored one type of
stimulus in this lab (loud sound). Are
there other stimuli that we could test?

EXPLORE: Day 2

Students will monitor their partners heart

rate using the fingertip heart rate monitor.
Students will record their partners heart rate
every 10 seconds for a total of 3 minutes in a
chart.
Afterwards, switch roles and complete same
activity
May introduce blood pressure monitor and
EKG to observe how other stressors (speaking
in front of class, etc.) affect body

EXPLAIN:

Graph heart rate data (indicate where

stimulus occurred with an arrow )
Describe your response to the stimuli. Did
your heart rate change? How?
Compare your graph with that of three other
students in the class. What are some factors
that could produce differences in your heart
rates? (ex. caffeine, cardiovascular fitness,
tolerance to distractions or noise, Circadian
cycle)

ELABORATE: Day 3
Applications and Extensions:
Lets say a recruiting agency is using
physiological profiling on a person to
predict stress resilience. Would it be
ethical to select a person based on a
genetic (DNA) marker to detect stress
resilience?
What types of environmental stimuli
might you be exposed to in your own
daily life that might help you to
develop greater stress resilience?

EVALUATE:

Formative Monitoring (Questioning /

Discussion):

ELABORATE: Day 3

Discussion: Evaluate the effectiveness of this

sensor. Do the results of this lab indicate
your stress resilience?
Written reflection: Students respond to
question prompts

EVALUATE:

Were students effectively and accurately

able to construct a graph and analyze
data?
Evaluate students responses & share
group data

Propose an argument to justify how

environmental factors can affect our
genomes, and identify some specific factors
or experiences that may affect gene
expression.

Materials Needed:
Heart rate finger probes (1 per partner group)
Graph paper
Blood pressure monitors
Optional:
Vernier EKG probes
Resources:

Epigenetics in NOVA Science (Neil De Grasse Tyson epigenetics video--13mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4boKud1MRk
LearnGenetics: Lick Your Rats
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/rats/
Epigenetics poster
http://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/downloads/Poster_Epigenetics.pdfhttp://depts.washi
ngton.edu/ceeh/downloads/Poster_Epigenetics.pdf
To Trust or Not to Trust: Ask Oxytocin
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-trust-or-not-to-trust/
TED Talk: Trust, Morality, and Oxytocin
https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_zak_trust_morality_and_oxytocin?language=en