J ACQUELINE P ARENTE G ENETIC D ISORDERS

I NTRODUCTION There are thousands of genetic disorders that affect humans. Each genetic disorder has a different affect on a person's quality of life. Genetic disorders are inherited and in some cases a parent can pass the disease to their children without knowing it because the parent has a recessive allele for the trait. We have learned that genetic disease are caused by mutations in the formation of genes on the chromosomes. How do these disease affect the quality of a person's life? Are the diseases curable? Let's do some research to find out! This WebQuest is designed to expand student knowledge of genetic disorders. Students will make connection to the real world by studying the impact genetic disorders have on people.

T ASK You and your partner will research your chosen genetic disorder. Your group will create one brochure providing facts about that disease using internet resources. The brochure will include the causes and the symptoms of the disease, the population it affects, and how the disease affects the quality of life. R ESEARCH & B ROCHURE

P ROCESS (R ESEARCH )  Define and explain the term “genetic disorder”  Chose a genetic disorder from the list below: HemophiliaAlzheimer’s Disease Sickle Cell Huntington’s Disease Down Syndrome Cystic Fibrosis  Who is at risk of getting the disease? Is it a particular gender or ethnic group?  What are the symptoms of the disease?  What area of the body is affected by the disease?  Is the disease treatable?  How does the quality of life change over time? Does the person who inherits the disorder need to change his/her lifestyle?  If you have the disease, what are the chances of your offspring inheriting the disease if you married someone with the trait? Should they seek medical advice before they decided to have children?

P ROCESS (B ROCHURE )  Once your research is complete, use the following website to help you create your brochure  Organize your research into an attractive and approachable brochure  Be sure to include citations  Use pictures in your brochure  Be sure to define new vocabulary throughout the brochure, your purpose is to teach your audience about this disease!!!  Use the Rubric to check off all necessary parts

USE CHECKLIST FROM PROCESS SECTION E VALUATION (R UBRIC ) Category4 – Excellent3 – Good2 – Needs Improvement 1 – Poor Appearance & Organization The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well- organized information. The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information. The brochure has well- organized information. The brochure's formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader. Content & AccuracyThe brochure has all of the required information (see checklist) and some additional information. The brochure has all of the required information (see checklist). The brochure has most of the required information (see checklist). The brochure has little of the required information (see checklist). Grammar & SpellingAll of the writing is done in complete sentences. Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure. Most of the writing is done in complete sentences. Most of the capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure. Some of the writing is done in complete sentences. Some of the capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure. Most of the writing is not done in complete sentences. Most of the capitalization and punctuation are not correct throughout the brochure. PicturesThe graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics. The graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text. The graphics go well with the text, but there are too few. The graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to be randomly chosen. Sources & CitationsThere are many citations from a variety of sources accurately listed on the brochure There are some citations from a variety of sources accurately listed on the brochure There are a few citations accurately listed on the brochure. Incomplete citations are listed on the brochure

C ONCLUSION You did it! You completed your research and published your brochure! We have learned that there are a number of genetic disorders that can affect the human population which can vary in severity, characteristics and treatments. You have also learned that some people with genetic diseases can live completely normal lives. Other diseases affect not only the individual who inherited the disease but also the families. Now that you are more informed about these genetic diseases, would you want to know if you were a carrier of a disease?

T EACHER P AGE Genetic disorders can be assigned for specific groups or groups could be chosen by the students Groups should be between 2 and 4 people. Each group should have a different topic in order to minimize overlap. More disorders can be added to the list, or students can research and choose unlisted disorders with teacher approval. Presentation of brochures could be included if there is class time. Students could discuss or debate the pros and cons of knowing their genetic information if there is class time