Writing Lesson: GMO Position Statement
Lesson Plan
1 hour 30 minutesGrades6, 7, 8English Language Arts
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Written by Katie Coppens
About this lesson
In this lesson students learn about the concept of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), research a genetically engineered solution connected to climate change, and write a position statement.
Inquire: Students are introduced to the concept of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Investigate: Students explore the benefits, risks, and unintended consequences of GMOs as they relate to climate change solutions.
Inspire: Students use their research to write a position statement about GMOs and their potential for mitigating climate change.
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Suggestions
- This lesson is designed to meet a variety of writing needs. Teachers can use established classroom practices for brainstorming, outlining, drafting, peer review, or writing workshops, and focus on specific skills and grade-level academic language.
- This lesson could be taught in collaboration with a science unit on genetics, connecting to recombinant DNA, or a public speaking class.
- Emphasize that when it comes to climate change, young people's voices should be elevated. They are impacted by climate change today and they will be impacted in the future, so they need to be knowledgeable about topics and be able to express their opinion.
- Teachers should guide students away from debate and examine pros, cons, and unintended consequences, collaboratively working toward solutions.
- All resources in this lesson have written Spanish translations and the same videos in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Navajo.
- This lesson can be used as a foundational introduction to GMOs from which students can further explore the science of genetic modification, specific GMO crops like corn or cotton, and the climate impacts of pesticide-resistant GMOs.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the importance of finding reliable sources of information. This resource includes various ways to examine a source’s reliability, credibility, and validity, many of which have acronyms that make them easier to remember.
- Teachers should pre-make three anchor charts each titled “Pros,” “Cons,” and “Impacts.”
- Teachers should prepare writing groups or strategies as fitting to their classroom context.
- For an English class, students could have done work around persuasive writing, using the claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) framework, or on public speaking.
This lesson intentionally avoids using the term stakeholders; to understand why, read this.
Differentiation
- Students who have engaged in prior research and understand how to examine a source’s reliability, credibility, and validity can search for other resources to support their opinions.
- The Student Document provides a scaffolded outline for the position statement.
- If this is part of a genetics unit, provide students with a list of genetics vocabulary that they can include in their presentation.
- Students can be encouraged to examine GMO issues from the lens of society, environment, and economy, or conduct further research into one specific GMO crop such as corn or cotton.
- Students can read part or all of their position statements to practice presentation and speaking skills.
- Students can turn their writing into an op-ed and submit it to a local or school newspaper. Giving the option at the end of writing an op-ed on this topic for a local newspaper can empower students to know adults believe their opinions matter.
- Students can further research how scientists modify genes including watching CRISPR-Cas9 (5 minutes, 28 seconds).
From the scientist review
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their advantages, and their effects on the climate, food production, society, economy, soil, and human health are all covered for the students. Despite the lack of widespread use of GMOs worldwide, this lesson offers specific examples that allow students to evaluate the information and develop a position statement about GMOs and which GMO solution is a good fit for their environment and future. We evaluated the lesson and concluded that it met our criteria for science credibility.
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About the teacher writer
Katie Coppens
Katie Coppens holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Environmental Conservation and a Master of Arts in Teaching with a Concentration in Environmental Science from the University of New Hampshire. She has 25 years of teaching experience, specializing in biology and English for grades 1–12, with most of her career spent teaching middle school and additional experience teaching high school biology and English in Tanzania. Katie is certified in K–8, 6–12 Life Science, and 6–12 Social Studies. She is the author of the National Science Teaching Association's Science Scope "Interdisciplinary Ideas" column, has written eight science-themed children's books, received three national writing awards, and was honored with the 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
