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WebQuest: Genetically Modified Food. by Elena M. García Paullier 2010. Introduction. Genetic engineers believe they can improve the food we eat by modifying the DNA of living organisms.
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WebQuest: Genetically Modified Food by Elena M. García Paullier 2010
Introduction Genetic engineers believe they can improve the food we eat by modifying the DNA of living organisms. For example, tomatoes are sensitive to frost. This shortens their growing season. Fish, on the other hand, survive in very cold water.
Introduction Scientists identified a particular gene which enables to resist cold and used the technology of genetic engineering to insert this 'anti-freeze' gene into a tomato. This makes it possible to extend the growing season of the tomato. At first glance, this might look exciting to some people. Deeper consideration reveals serious dangers.
The Task By the end of this lesson, you and your group will answer these questions and more: • What is genetic engineering? • What is genetically modified food (GM Food)? • What are the advantages? • What are the disadvantages? • Ho do we recognize GM Food?
The Process First, each participant will have a copy of the worksheet. To answer the questions given above, you'll break into teams of four. Within the team, each of you will take on one of the following roles:
Individually, you'll examine each of the sites and use the worksheet to jot down some notes of your answers. You'll need to examine each site fairly quickly. But don't spend more than 10 – 15 minutes on any one site. The time-keeper will tell you when you’re working too slowly.
When everyone in the team has seen all the sites, it's time to get together to answer the questions. Pay attention to each of the other answers, even if at first you think you might disagree with them.
Negotiate the best answer for each question. The time-keeper in each team should record the team's final answer. When debriefing time is called, report your results to the whole class.
Web Pages http://www.globalchange.com/geneticengin.htm Information about genetic engineering http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php Information about advantages of genetically modified food http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/dangers.html Information about the dangers of genetically modified food http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food General information
Video Watch the video to find a way to recognize GM Food
Conclusions & Feedback • Were all answers the same? • What new information did you learn in this lesson? • What other aspects of GM Food would you like to explore? • What’s your opinion about working with WebQuests?