Title: 01 - Science Article Review
Course: English 4A SU15 > Section: Unit: That Couldn't Really Happen

Introduction

Science continues to provide us with information and answers to questions that have stumped humans for thousands of years. Sometimes we learn things at such a rapid pace that many don't feel like we're ready to handle the information. There are serious ethical considerations to be made relating to genetics and cloning.

What follows are a series of articles and images for you to review and react to. Consider these articles in the context of the novel Frankenstein. What are the implications of this new information? Should we proceed in this field of study? Are the experiments or results in line with your morals?

Let's find out...

Article #1: Ethical storm as scientist becomes first man to clone HIMSELF

Article #2: FDA approves human brain implant devices

Article #3: MPs have voted to allow the creation of “frankenstein” embryos for research into tackling diseases

Article #4: Monkeys control a robot arm with thoughts

Article #5: Team creates rat heart using cells of baby rats

Article #6: Synthetic DNA on the brink of yielding new life forms

So, now that you've read those articles, now what?

Questions for consideration:

- Do you think that there are things that scientists have not considered when they make advancements like this?
- What kinds of considerations do you think still need to be made?
- Are you concerned with the ethics involved?
- Is this kind of science okay or not? Why or why not?
- Are these good ideas? Why or why not?
- Would you allow yourself to be implanted with a computer chip? Why or why not?
- Are there areas of research related to this that you would like to see more advancement? What might that mean to mankind?

Consider all of the questions above and craft a written response that incorporates your ideas into a single essay.

Grading form:

Key Ideas & Details Rubric

This rubric is aligned to the MN Academic Standards for Language Arts in the area of Reading Literature: Key Ideas & Details.

Writing Conventions

- 0-2 mistakes for spelling, grammar and writing mechanics.
- 3-4 mistakes for spelling, grammar and writing mechanics.
- 5-6 mistakes for spelling, grammar and writing mechanics.
- 7+ mistakes for spelling, grammar and writing mechanics.
Explicit/Implicit Support

- Cites 5 or more passages from the book to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Cites at least 4 passages from the book to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Cites at least 2 passages from the book to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Does not cite passages from the book to support analysis.
Theme

- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text but contains some reasoning errors.
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text but contains some reasoning errors that can make the conclusion difficult to understand.
- Contains some reasoning errors that make the conclusion difficult to understand or inaccurate.
Author Choice

- Demonstrates the impact of the author's choices relating to Plot & Characterization with support from text and additional opinion.
- Demonstrates the impact of the author's choices relating to Plot & Characterization with support from text or additional opinion.
- Demonstrates the impact of the author's choices relating to Plot & Characterization.
- Does not demonstrate the impact of the author's choices.