(more detailed links included in the Teachers Guide)

Transcription

1 Breast Cancer Now Lesson Plan Science (11-14 years old) Together We Can Find A Cure Overview Level Learning Outcomes Main curriculum links Use this lesson (11-14 years old) to help contextualise wear it pink for your pupils, including how each individual can make a difference to Breast Cancer Now by taking part in different fundraising activities. Curriculum of Excellence Scotland Level 3 National Curriculum Wales Key Stage 3 National Curriculum England Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Northern Ireland Key Stage 3 All pupils will recognise the positive impact that Breast Cancer Now has had in saving lives. Most students will understand that DNA is contained within all living things. Some students will extract DNA successfully from living things using simple household chemicals. PSHE/English/Art (England) PSE/English/Art & Design (Wales) PDMU/Learning for life and work (Northern Ireland) Health and Wellbeing/Literacy & English/Expressive Arts (Scotland) (more detailed links included in the Teachers Guide) Key vocabulary DNA (short for deoxyribonucleic acid): the material from which genes are made. Extraction: the process of removing a substance from a mixture of other things. Precipitate: a solid substance separated from a solution by physical or chemical change. Equipment and resources 1 x lesson plan and PowerPoint Breast Cancer Now Fundraising Toolkit Bananas/strawberries or kiwis past ripe if possible Weighing scale Mortar and pestle or chopping board/fork Clear plastic tubes Plastic pipettes Plastic funnels and filter papers (white coffee filter papers work well) Plastic beakers Measuring cylinders Salt (half a teaspoon of table salt) Ice-cold 100% ethanol (from the freezer or kept in ice buckets) Washing-up liquid (diluted 1:5) Petri dish Note: We need to be aware here that some pupils may have been affected by cancer. If pupils have further questions or appear distressed, it may be worth organising a suitable time at the end of the class to return to the subject and address the issue with sensitivity.

2 Think Pink! These are optional short activities or prompts where pupils must discuss an idea with their teacher, answer a question or use clues to discover information relating to the lesson and Breast Cancer Now. (Throughout the lesson there are moments signposted as: Think Pink!) Learning Outcomes Slide 2 Together We Can Find A Cure Today we will: Recognise the positive impact that Breast Cancer Now has had in saving lives. Understand that DNA is contained within all living things. Extract DNA successfully from living things using simple household chemicals. Keywords DNA (short for deoxyribonucleic acid): the material from which genes are made. Extraction: the process of removing a substance from a mixture of other things. Precipitate: a solid substance separated from a solution by physical or chemical change. All pupils will recognise the positive impact that Breast Cancer Now has had in saving lives. Most students will understand that DNA is contained within all living things. Some students will extract DNA successfully from living things using simple household chemicals. Tell the students that this year the school are taking part in Breast Cancer Now s wear it pink event. In today s lesson they will learn about breast cancer, the charity Breast Cancer Now and why they should fundraise for this cause. Explain to the class that you realise that many of them have heard of breast cancer or may even know someone with breast cancer. Tell them that talking about an illness is never easy but it s an important issue that needs attention, understanding and your help. Remind the class that as this is a sensitive topic and that they should participate in a thoughtful way by choosing their phrases and words carefully and by thinking of how this issue may have affected members of their school community. Starter Slides 3-5 (approx.15 minutes) Tell the class they are going to watch a short video. The video is full of facts and figures regarding breast cancer in the UK. Ask the students to watch carefully as afterwards you are going to give them a quick quiz on the information. Show the class the following video: About Breast Cancer Now - Research That Saves Lives Quick Fire Quiz! Students can work individually or in small groups.

3 Breast Cancer The Impact Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Breast cancer is the name given to cancers that have first developed in the breast tissue. Quick Fire Quiz! Breast Cancer Now - Research That Saves Lives How many women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? 1 in 8. How many women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer every year? 50,000. How many women die from breast cancer in a month? 1,000. What percentage is the UK s survival rate? 81.6%. Name another countries survival rate? Canada 86.3%. What are the 3 key research areas Breast Cancer Now scientists focus on? Prevent, diagnose, and treat. Watch this clip. Take note of facts and figures. Answer the quiz questions. Main activity Slides 6-8 (approx. 30 minutes) How do Cancers Start? Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells. Each cell contains DNA, which instructs the cell how to look and behave. DNA (short for deoxyribonucleic acid) the material from which genes are made: Our bodies need to make new cells to replace old ones or repair damage. To do this, a cell makes an extra copy of all its DNA; then splits into two new cells. How do cancers start? Cells: Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells. You have different cells for different parts of your body for example skin cells look and work differently from liver cells. Each cell contains DNA, which instructs the cell how to look and behave. DNA: Sometimes, our bodies need to make new cells to replace old ones or repair damage. To do this, a cell makes an extra copy of all its DNA and then splits into two new cells. This process can happen many times over and many cells can be doing this at any one time. Demonstrate the idea of cells splitting for the students. Mix a little washing up liquid with water in a beaker. Collect some of the mixture using a pipette. Squirt some of the solution into a petri dish. There should be bubbles multiplying and expanding which is similar to cell division. If there s time students could try this too. Mutation: When a cell splits, a number of checks happen to make sure that the DNA has been copied correctly. If a mistake is found, the cells die. If these safety checks fail, the new cells may survive with mistakes in them. A mistake in DNA is known as a mutation. This can sometimes cause problems. Normally when a cell splits, a number of checks happen to make sure that the DNA has been copied correctly and the new cells have everything they need to work properly. If a mistake is found, the cells die. Mutation: However, if these safety checks fail, the new cells may survive with mistakes in them. Sometimes, a mistake in DNA (known as a mutation) might not cause any problems. However, sometimes the mistake can make the new cells behave strangely, splitting into more abnormal cells at a fast rate, forming a tumour.

4 Not all tumours are cancer. If the tumour cells don t have - and are very unlikely to gain - the ability to grow into neighbouring tissue, they are called benign tumours. Benign tumours often don t need treatment and are not cancer. When demonstrating this to your pupils it is important to link the experiment back to Breast Cancer Now, as this is the type of process a scientist uses, in order to try and discover why cancerous cells are being created. Slides 9-11 Experiment: Extracting DNA from fruit! Experiment: Extracting DNA (from fruit!) Understanding DNA is one of the many things scientists investigate to help find ways to treat cancer. All living things contain DNA. We are going to take a look at DNA today and complete a short experiment by extracting DNA from fruit. Step by step 1. Review the materials and procedure with your teacher. 2. Complete the experiment, following the instructions CAREFULLY. 3. Fill out your Recording Sheet. 4. Tidy up! Understanding DNA is one of the many things researchers investigate to help find ways to treat cancer. All living things contain DNA. We are going to take a look at DNA today and complete a short experiment by extracting DNA from fruit. Extension: On your Recording Sheet describe one change you would make if you were to complete the experiment again. Materials Bananas/strawberries/kiwis well past ripe if possible Weighing scale Mortar and pestle (*optional-pinch of sand to help grind) Clear plastic tubes Plastic pipettes Plastic funnels and filter papers (white coffee filter papers work well) Plastic beakers Measuring cylinders Salt (half a teaspoon of table salt) Ice-cold 100% ethanol (in ice buckets or from the freezer) Washing-up liquid (diluted 1:5) SAFETY: Isopropyl alcohol and ethanol are both skin and eye irritants. Ensure that pupils wear goggles whilst handling these chemicals. If these chemicals are spilled on the skin wash thoroughly in clean water. These chemicals are highly flammable keep away from naked flames and heat sources. Time Required: approx. 20 minutes. Procedure: (Recording Sheet included) Start by reviewing the process with the students. Stress the importance of following the instructions carefully. 1. Weigh out about 10 g of fruit. 2. Mash it with a mortar and pestle. (Could use a chopping board and fork or a blender instead.) This breaks down the tough walls of the plant cells to release the cell contents. 3. Put the fruit pulp into a plastic tube.

5 4. Add a teaspoon of salt. (The salt solution helps the DNA to gather together.) 5. Add 1.5 ml of washing-up liquid using a plastic pipette. (The washing up liquid dissolves the lipids in the cell and nuclear membranes, releasing the DNA into the salt solution.) 6. Replace lid and shake well. 7. Put a filter in a funnel and put the funnel into a beaker (Demonstrate this for the students.) 8. Filter the fruit mash. (This removes the cell debris and fruit pulp.) 9. Suck up filtered liquid using a plastic pipette (about 5 ml.) 10. Put this liquid into a clean plastic tube. 11. Very slowly dribble an equal volume of cold ethanol down the side of tube to form a layer on top of the fruit fluid. This is the important step, and must be demonstrated to the students. Hold the tube at an angle. Slowly run the alcohol down the side to form a separate layer on top of the fruit solution. 12. Replace the lid and gently let the liquids settle. 13. Wait for 5 minutes to allow the DNA to separate from the solution. 14. Use the toothpicks to extract the DNA that floats to the surface. It will be long and stringy. Tell the students DNA is not soluble in alcohol, so it precipitates out while the remaining material remains in the solution. Give the students time to clean up and put away their equipment. Plenary Slide 12 Fill out your Recording Sheet. Q: What was the result of your experiment? Would you change anything if you were to repeat the experiment again? Money raised for wear it pink may fund vital research into treating breast cancer. Professional researchers experiment daily to understand how to treat breast cancer effectively. Q: How can you support wear it pink? Give students a few minutes to fill in the short recording sheet, see below. Allow some time to discuss their answers. Remind students that all of the money raised from wear it pink funds vital research into treating breast cancer. Professional scientists experiment daily to understand how to treat breast cancer effectively. Working together with campaigners and fundraisers they hope to find a cure. Ask the students how they could make a difference during wear it pink? Hand out copies of the student tool kit. Suggested Homework Activity Thank You How can you support wear it pink? Use the student toolkit to help come up with 5 different ideas that you could do independently or with a group to support the Breast Cancer Now wear it pink. Discuss your ideas with your parents/carers and ask them what they could do to support the event.

6 Recording Sheet What is DNA? Describe the DNA you extracted. What did it look like? Describe the main steps in the process of DNA extraction: crushing, salt solution, washing-up liquid and ethanol. What was the role of each step? Could you use the same technique to extract DNA from other plant materials? How can studying DNA help scientists to win the battle against breast cancer?

7 Recording Method: Sheet (Time Required: approx. 20 minutes) SAFETY GLASSES MUST BE WORN FOR THIS EXPERIMENT DO NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING! Follow these instructions carefully! Part A 1 Weigh out about 10 g of fruit. 2 Mash it with a mortar and pestle. 3 Put the fruit pulp into a plastic tube. 4 Add a teaspoon of salt. 5 Add 1.5 ml of washing-up liquid using a plastic pipette. 6 Replace lid and shake well. Part B 7 Put a filter in a funnel and put the funnel into a beaker. 8 Filter the fruit mash. Information Sheet Mashing the fruit breaks down the tough walls of the plant cells and releases the cell contents. Adding salt to the solution helps the DNA to gather and form clumps. The washing up liquid dissolves the lipids in the cell and nuclear membranes, releasing the DNA into the salt solution. Using the filter removes the cell debris and fruit pulp. DNA is not soluble in alcohol, so it precipitates out while the remaining material remains in the solution. 9 Suck up filtered liquid using a plastic pipette (about 5 ml). 10 Put this liquid into a clean plastic tube. Part C 11 Very slowly dribble an equal volume of cold ethanol down the side of tube to form a layer on top of the fruit fluid. This is an important step! You must: Hold the tube at an angle. Slowly run the alcohol down the side of tube. 12 Replace the lid and gently let the liquids settle (don t shake). 13 Wait for 5 minutes to allow the DNA to separate from the solution. 14 Use the toothpicks to extract the DNA that floats to the surface. It will be long and stringy. Tip! When extracting the DNA, twist the toothpick slowly. Once DNA has been extracted from the cells a scientist can examine it and investigate the genes that are involved in cancer.