Mitochondrial disease part of curriculum for

Long Branch, NJ, seventh-graders

By MitoAction
The seventh-graders at Long Branch (NJ) Middle School
know about mitochondrial disease thanks to a creative
teacher.
Science teacher Caitlin Rudisill, in just her third year of
teaching, said many teachers are doing activities around
mitochondrial disease as part of next-generation science
standards, which are aimed at better preparing American
students in science and math.
Rudisill found the Mito lesson plan on BetterLesson.com.
She credits teacher John Cereza for creating it. The
lesson, called The Organization of Life From Organelles
to Organism, includes a project in which students write
letters on behalf of MitoAction and UMDF to seek funds
and raise awareness.
In this lesson, Rudisill teaches her students about
organelles and cells. She talks about how problems at the
cellular level can lead to bigger issues, like mitochondrial
disease. The students learned about the levels of
organization in the body and how cells are the building
blocks of life, she said.
The students read an article and watch videos about
people living with mitochondrial disease and learn how
such a small malfunction of an organelle can cause such
severe reactions throughout the whole body.
The students were really intrigued, Rudisill said. Most had never heard of [mitochondrial disease].
The lesson plans big idea states: By investigating the impact of mitochondrial disease on cells, students
discover why cells matter.
The six sections of the lesson plan are quite amazing:
Warm-up: To measure background knowledge, students fill out a bridge map
that correlates mitochondria to a furnace, with the relating factor being provides energy.
Engage: This lesson elicits students' prior knowledge on cell theory, specifically that cells are the basic building
block of living things.
Explore: Students discuss how a series of vocabulary words (organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system,
organism) should be organized into a flow map.

Explain: Students gain a deeper understanding of levels of organization. Through videos, students are taken on
a journey inside a living human body.
Elaborate: Students analyze the article, The Invisible Disease Thats Killing Our Son, which discusses the
cause and effect of mitochondrial disease through the eyes of a young boy and his family. Through this article
students are able to see a real-life application of what they're learning: a story of cells and the organelles that
constitute the systems of the human body.
Evaluation: To assess understanding of content, students are required to write a letter based on their expertise
from the article they read. The assignment tells the students they have been hired by MitoAction and UMDF for
Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week to write an informative and persuasive letter to a potential donor
whose money can get doctors and researchers closer to a possible cure.

I am here to inform you about an invisible, dangerous

disease that has no cure, Emma Viegas starts her
letter. The disease is called mitochondrial disease and
it is killing many. However, with your help, we can
change this.
Jonathan Rocha starts his letter by asking: What are
your fondest childhood memories? Maybe its the first
time you rode your bike, or the times you played in your
back yard? Now imagine you couldnt do those things.
If youve ever heard of mitochondrial disease you
know many people lose the ability to experience these
great things. If you donate for this cause, you can help
fund research to find out what causes this invisible
disease.
Zachary FitzGerald asks in his letter, Did you know
that every 30 minutes a child is born that will have
mitochondrial disease before the age of 10! The serious
disease kind of eats away at your energy until you dont
have enough to survive.
Angel Dongs letter states: The disease is caused by
the failure of the mitochondria, which is an organelle.
The mitochondria creates energy and is the
powerhouse of cells. The mitochondria are responsible
for creating more than 90 percent of the energy needed
by the body to sustain life and support growth. If the
mitochondria fails, cell injury and even cell death follow.
The disease slowly works its way from the mitochondria organelle, to the cell, to the tissue, to the organ and
eventually the whole organ system, writes Jonathan. The mitochondria functions like batteries so if this process
is repeated throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail, and a persons life is severely compromised.
Evan McKnights letter states that symptoms may include loss of motor control, muscle weakness and pain,
gastrointestinal disorders and swallowing difficulties, poor growth, cardiac disease, liver disease, diabetes,

respiratory complications, seizures, visual or hearing problems, lactic acidosis, developmental delays, and
susceptibility to infection.
You may be thinking that this isnt an important thing to give your money [to], but this is affecting a lot of kids and
adults, Emily Santos writes. There are many little kids dying at a young age. The money will help scientists find
a way to help the adults and kids get rid of this disease. What if your child had this disease and you had to find
out that your 2-year-old is going to meet death at a young age? Stop and donate and you will help a lot of
people. STOP THE MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE!
Evan ends his letter: If you donate money to this cause, this could make diagnosis for children that have no
hope of living have an earlier diagnosis to get treatment to help them cope with this illness.
Rachael Luna says that many families still have hope that their loved ones will one day live a healthy life. Many
people already donate and you should, too. Not only will donating make you feel good, it will also make others
feel good.
Rudisill said this lesson has inspired some kids in her class to want to raise awareness and funds. Since the
school year is almost over, those will be projects for next year.
A big thanks to Rudisill and her students for raising awareness!
To view the story online, visit http://www.mitoaction.org/blog/students-learn-about-mito.