Toxins in the Environment
Students design and run an experiment to test various concentrations of a toxin on the germination rate of a model organism and through analyzing the data and research literature will recommend usage/non-usage of toxins based.
Overview
Students investigate how toxins affect a model organism. The lesson opens by comparing a control zebrafish embryo with one exposed to PFOS at 120 hpf, followed by a formative assessment probe on mutations, genes, and embryonic development. Students then expose seed corn to five glyphosate dilutions and a distilled water control and calculate germination rates to identify which concentrations still yield productive plants and which exceed the LD50 value. They share and graph class data in Google Sheets or Excel, extend the procedure to test vertebrates and PFOS, and present results in a lab report or poster gallery walk.
Lesson Objectives
- Students design and run an experiment to test various concentrations of a toxin on the germination rate of a model organism and through analyzing the data and research literature will recommend usage/non-usage of toxins based.
Standards
NGSS · 2
- HS-LS1-4From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes: Students who demonstrate understanding can use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation
- HS-LS2-1Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics: Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect the carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
CCSS Math · 2
- HSS-ID.A.4Use the mean and standard deviation of a data set to fit it to a normal distribution and to estimate population percentages. Recognize that there are data sets for which such a procedure is not appropriate. Use calculators, spreadsheets, and tables to estimate areas under the normal curve.
- HSS-ID.B.6.cFit a linear function for a scatter plot that suggests a linear association.
CCSS ELA · 1
- RST.9-10.3Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.