An Integrated Lesson Plan for Dolly's False Legacy

Level: Third Year High School
Subject: Reading, Cloning, Biology

I. Objectives

A. To develop awareness on the nature of cloning by:

1. presenting a movie related to cloning
2. enumerating the uses of cloning
3. citing the advantages and disadvantages of cloning

B. To understand cloning from the viewpoint of a geneticist by:

1. listing the arguments posed by the author in the essay
2. citing recommendation given by the author with regard to the usage of cloning

C. To generate criticisms and value judgment by:

1. discussing the issues of cloning presented in the essay
2. presenting and expanding arguments in responding to a dilemma

II. Materials:

A. Dolly's False Legacy by Ian Wilmut (Time Magazine, March 22, 1999)
B. Multiplicity by Lee R. Mayes (Columbia Pictures)
C. Charts

III. Procedure:

A. Assignment:

The teacher will divide the class into three groups. He or she will assign each group to research on the following:

1. Group 1: Definition of cloning
2. Group 2: Contributions of cloning to society
3. Group 3: Brief explanation on the concept of Nature-Nurture in
human personality.

B. Unlocking of Difficulty

Using context clues, the following words will be unlocked:

1. Legacy - "Who among you like to read books? Can anybody tell me why you read? Aside from being entertained while you read, you also gain a lot of knowledge from books. These things are also knowledge that the authors of the books share to us. You can say that books are legacies that great geniuses leave to mankind. Can anybody guess what legacy implies in the sentence?"

2. Genes - "I have this friend who is very good in playing the piano and the guitar. Aside from that, she can also play other musical instruments such as violin and saxophone. Her other siblings and most of her relatives can either play various musical instruments too or are really good singers. Anyone would think that music is in her genes. Now, can anybody tell me what the word "genes" imply?

3. Intrusion - "Last weekend, my high school friends and I went to a party. After sometime, there came uninvited guests. Their intrusion destroyed the party. What do you think does intrusion imply in the situation?"

4. Ethical - "As a teacher, one of my roles is to respect the individuality or uniqueness of each of my students. It is not ethical to give them labels such as "stupid" or "moron." What do you think does ethical mean in the sentence?"

5. Infertility - "One of my aunts suffers from infertility. She has this problem producing ripe egg cells. Her infertility leaves their family childless. What do you think does infertility mean?"

C. Motivation:

1. Presentation of assigned group work:
Based on the assigned research work, the teacher will let each group present their output for three minutes. After all the groups have presented, the teacher will summarize and give the major points to further clarify the concept of cloning.

2. Fim Showing (excerpts from the film "Multiplicity")

D. Motive Questions:

1. Would you like to be cloned?
2. What would you feel if one day, you come face to face with an exact copy of you?

E. Silent Reading

The teacher will let the student read the essay silently for seven minutes.

F. Check Up Activity

Game (patterned after "Passing the Bouquet")

- The teacher will ask the students to form a circle stand in their places. He or she will facilitate the game that has the following guidelines:

1. The game has five rounds.
2. In each round, a question will be passed around.
3. When the music stops, the passing of paper also stops.
4. Whoever gets the paper will answer one of the following questions:

a. What is the name given to the sheep that was cloned?
b. What factors affect human personality?
c. What are the possible reasons for cloning based on the essay?
d. What are the disadvantages of cloning a child based on the essay?
e. What is the author's role in the project Dolly?

G. Discussion

1. The teacher will divide the classs into two groups. Each group is assigned a task to work on for 10 minutes.

a. Group 1 will make a "battery chart" (t-analysis) by listing the positive and negative views based on the essay.
b. Group 2 will accomplish the "Auther said.." chart, wherein they will list five most striking statements of the author in the essay.

2. The teacher will ask the first group to present their output (Battery Chart).

a. Explain how cloning can overcome infertility?
b. From the positive side, to which claim do you strongly agree?
c. From the negative side, to which statements do you strongly agree?
d. One of the negative aspects of cloning is that it is a very inefficient procedure. If it is perfected, would you advocate its use?
e. Based on your output, what do you think is the stand of the author in copying an individual?
f. What do you think is the purpose of Ian Wilmut in coming up with this essay?

3. The teacher will now let the second group present their output (Author Said Chart).

a. In the statements you have listed, which do you think best express the whole point of the author?
b. From these striking statements you have listed, try to make association and be able to synthesize the points of the author.
c. When Wilmut said that the interest of the cloned child must be considered, what do you think does he mean?
d. Imagine an Einstein, an exact copy, but he shows no interest in Science. Do you think it was even practical to have cloned him if he is inclined to other fields, in ballet for example?
e. Do you agree that there is more to cloning than mere Science? If so, what do you think are these?
f. Why do you think the essay was entitled, "Dolly's False Legacy"?

4. The teacher will give a summary of the major points to end the discussion of the essay.

H. Enrichment

A dilemma will be presented to the class. Using the same groupings, they will be assigned a stand as to whether they are for or against cloning. For 15 minutes, each group will present their arguments.

Dilemma: Mr. Yamsun is an embryologist. He is in the process of perfecting the procedure of cloning. One day, he received an alarming news from his wife, their four-year-old son died in a car accident. His wife cannot accept the loss of their son. She is slowly losing her sanity. Mr. Yamsun doesn't know what to do. He is thinking of cloning his son. If you were Mr. Yamsun, what would you do?