Innovation Academy
Unit Plan Template
Unit 9: Genetic Engineering
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ELA: ___________
The Civil War's Effect on
Sociiety
The North Wins
Rebuildingthe Union
Writing
Math: ___________
Impact of
STEM
Innovation
Embedded Technology and
Engineering
Biodiversity and Change
Grade Level
Unit
Overview
Science: ________
Congruence
Similarity and Right
Triangles
Social Studies: ____
Unit Length
8th Grade
2 weeks
The interdisciplinary unit of Genetic Engineering will give students an opportunity to explore various
disabilities and determine whether an accommodating device for a particular disability is adaptive or
assistive. The title, Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society, combines the era of
Reconstruction with the current issues of sensitivity and tolerance toward those with disabilities. After
the Civil War, many individuals began life again with a disability. This time in history called for every able
bodied person to contribute in some way to the progress of building the country again. Instruments, as
crude as they may have been, were designed and created to assist those with disabilities to continue to
work in the fields and factories. Implementations and improvements have altered many of those
instruments with what we have today and we still need to look for ways to improve upon
accommodating individuals with disabilities so they feel like contributing members of society. Through
science, students will be studying genetics, natural selection, and disease mutations through genetic
coding. It is in science, as well, that students will discuss the Engineering Design Process that will drive
the culminating project of designing and creating an accommodating device for someone with a
disability. Math will support this interdisciplinary unit by asking students to prove theorems about twodimensional geometric figures within each of the adaptive or assistive products designed and created.
Each proof will be tailored and designed to fit each particular group’s product thus giving individuality
and credibility to the mathematical theorems. In English/language arts, students will use their
knowledge of Reconstruction (1865-1877) and develop a narrative based on that time period about
someone who became disabled due to the Civil War and the obstacles that had to be overcome. In
addition to the four curricular subject areas, the related arts department will supplement the lessons of
this unit. iWellness will have the students experience going through a normal wellness routine having
one of the disabilities in this unit. In addition, students in Media Arts will begin their 3 D sketch of their
garden tool using SketchUp.
Students will be divided into groups of four, with at least one student in the group being a geometry
student. Students will listen to a speaker who knows what it is like to live with a disability. This speaker
does not have an arm and he will speak on the limitations a disability brings and what adaptations he had
to make for 'life to carry on.' He will also address some of the stigmas disabled people deal with and the
prevailing attitudes in the community about disabilities in general. The groups will choose a scenario of a
person with a disability along with the task to be performed. As a group, a Case Study Activity will be
completed that will ask the group to work through questions that direct their thinking from problem to
solution. Students will work through the ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve steps of the engineering
design process. Using the raised beds in the school’s courtyard, students will get a first hand experience
with their task by having one of their group members portray the group’s specific disability while trying
to garden in the raised beds. Students will incorporate their information from the speaker and their first
hand experiences into their Case Study along with their questions that still need to be answered through
research. Working through the Engineering Design Process students will design and create a product
that will assist people who are disabled.
Unit Essential
Question(s)
How can I create a product using the Engineering Design Process and analyze whether it is adaptive or
assistive in nature?
How do I write a narrative that addresses the issues of individuals with disabilities during Reconstruction
due to the Civil War?
How can I prove theorems about two-dimensional geometric figures found within my adaptive or
assistive product design?
Culminating
Event
The culminating event for this unit is two-fold. In conjunction with the creation of a product, an
engineering display board will be constructed addressing the key components of the engineering design
process – ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve. This board will ultimately be used during our STEM
fair week along with the created product. Each group of four will have one project board and they will be
responsible for assigning roles toward the creation of the board.
The main project for this unit is the creation of an assistive or adaptive device for individuals with a
disability (blindness, arthritis, wheelchair bound, or loss of an arm) to allow and assist working in a
garden. Students will be given a scenario and task that will indicate the particular disability and the task.
The scenarios and tasks are as follows:
Scenario Number 1: Your neighbor has recently become blind. She misses the time she used to spend in
her garden tending to her vegetables and flowers. Without her eyesight, she cannot see what she is
doing or what needs to be done. Task: Your group is to create a product that she can use to give her
assistance in location, direction, etc. for the garden that she does not have due to her disability. This
product will be assistive or adaptive in nature.
Scenario Number 2: Your brother has just come home from Afghanistan. He not only was away from his
family for two years, he was also wounded in the fight. His right arm was severed by flying shrapnel and
was amputated right above the elbow. He was right handed. Before he left for war, he built raised
gardens in his backyard to grow flowers and vegetables. Task: Your group is to create a product that he
can use that will allow him to continue planting and working in his raised beds efficiently. This product
will be assistive or adaptive in nature.
Scenario Number 3: Your grandmother has come to live with you and your family. Her arthritis has
made both of her hands turn inward and she does not have the dexterity of her fingers. She likes being
outside and often tells you what needs to be done in the vegetable garden. She will say, “If I could use
these old hands, I would.” Task: Your group is to create a product that she can use that will allow her to
work in the vegetable garden. This product will be assistive or adaptive in nature.
Scenario Number 4: You visited the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Johnson City last week to ask
about a project for your Eagle Scout. The administrator told you how the men in wheelchairs had a
difficult time working in the raised beds behind the hospital. The height of the chair did not allow them
to work close to the soil. Task: Your group is to create a product that can be used that will allow the
patients in wheelchairs to work in the raised beds. This product will be assistive or adaptive in nature.
It is through these tasks and definitions that students will work through the engineering design process
to construct, test, and improve a product for the individual who is disabled and determine whether it is
adaptive or assistive. Groups will begin by filling out a Case Study Group Worksheet that will direct their
thoughts through the design process. Once the design is finalized, students will be given a proof
requirement that will further substantiate the two-dimensional geometric figure requirement for the
product. Students will be given a particular garden tool of their choice to accommodate the
implementations for their particular disability. Students will be given a $20.00 budget to purchase their
design materials.
Project Days are as follows:
Day One: Full Project Day – Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: An Introduction
Day Three: ½ Project Day – Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: Planting with a
Disability
Day Four: ½ Project Day – Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: Researching the
Disability
Day Five: Full Project Day – Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: Asking, Imagining,
and Planning the Product
Day Eight: Full Project Day - Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: Creating the Product
Day Nine: Full Project Day - Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: Improving the
Product
Day Ten: Full Project Day - Reengineering and Reconstruction: Enabling a Society: Finalizing the Product
Common
Assessments
STEM Project
Rubric
Advanced
Math
Component
Project Title: Reengineering and Reconstruction:
Enabling a Society
Student Name:
Date:
Proficient
Needs Improvement
Student brought their
group’s design to the
math teacher who
provides them with a
proof that must be
complete within the
design.
Student brought their
group’s design to the
math teacher who
provides them with a
proof that must be
complete within the
design.
Student DID NOT bring
their group’s design to
the math teacher who
provides them with a
proof that must be
complete within the
design.
The student wrote a
proof for lines, points,
triangles, and/or
parallelograms that
was assigned by the
math teacher for their
group’s particular
design, and the proof
was completed
electronically using
Microsoft equation or
The student wrote a
proof for lines, points,
triangles, and/or
parallelograms that was
assigned by the math
teacher for their
group’s particular
design, and the proof
WAS NOT completed
electronically using
Microsoft equation or
The student DID NOT
write a proof for lines,
points, triangles, and/or
parallelograms that was
assigned by the math
teacher for their group’s
particular design, and
WAS NOT completed
electronically using
Microsoft equation or
something comparable.
Science Component
Social Studies
Component
something comparable.
something comparable.
Student scores a 15-18
in the Engineering
Design Process Rubric
Student scores a 11-14
in the Engineering
Design Process Rubric
Student scores 10 or
lower in the Engineering
Design Process Rubric
Student creates a
prototype that is
usable and has an
appearance that is
finished and neat.
Student creates a
prototype that is usable
but it does not appear
finished and is not neat.
Student creates a
prototype that is not
usable and does not
appear finished or neat.
Student addresses in
his/her narrative
responses to the
following questions:
Student addresses in
his/her narrative
responses to TWO of the
following three
questions:
Student addresses in
his/her narrative a
response to ONE of the
following three questions:
1) How did Civil War
amputees adapt to
society after the war?
2) What organizations
developed or were
available to assist
disabled veterans after
the war?
3) Explain how the
treatment of returning
combat veterans has
changed from the Civil
War period to present
day.
ELA Component
Consistently clear and
well organized texts.
Texts are developed to
the fullest degree.
Uses a wide variety of
forms for EDP
development on the
project board.
1) How did Civil War
amputees adapt to
society after the war?
2) What organizations
developed or were
available to assist
disabled veterans after
the war?
3) Explain how the
treatment of returning
combat veterans has
changed from the Civil
War period to present
day.
Usually clear and
generally organized
texts.
Texts are at least
partially developed.
Uses a few forms for EDP
development on the
project board.
1) How did Civil War
amputees adapt to society
after the war?
2) What organizations
developed or were
available to assist disabled
veterans after the war?
3) Explain how the
treatment of returning
combat veterans has
changed from the Civil
War period to present
day.
Little evidence of clear
and organized texts.
Texts are missing
development.
Inconsistent format for
EDP development on the
project board.
Unit
Objectives
I can create a product using the Engineering Design Process and analyze whether it is adaptive or
assistive in nature.
I can write a narrative that addresses the issues of individuals with disabilities during Reconstruction due
to the Civil War.
I can prove theorems about two-dimensional geometric figures found within my adaptive or assistive
product design.
Strands (main ideas taught in unit)
ELA
Writing
Math
Science
Social Studies
Vocabulary
ELA
Math
Science
Congruence
Similarity and Right Triangles
Embedded Technology and Engineering
Biodiversity and Change
The Civil War’s Effect on Society
The North Wins
Rebuilding the Union
The End of Reconstruction
1.
2.
3.
4.
Coherent Order – logically ordered, having clarity
Tension – inner striving, unrest, or imbalance often with physiological indication of emotion
Mood/tone – a prevailing attitude
Disability – limitation in the ability to pursue an occupation because of a physical or mental
impairment
5. Sensitivity – awareness of the needs and emotions of others
1. Transitive Property- One of the properties of equality: If a = b and b = c, then a = c.
2. Reflexive Property- One of the properties of equality: a = a.
3. Side Angle Side Theorem- Triangles are congruent if any pair of corresponding sides and their
included angles are equal in both triangles.
4. Angle Side Angle Theorem- Triangles are congruent if any two angles and their included side are
equal in both triangles.
5. Angle Angle Side Theorem- The Angle Angle Side postulate (often abbreviated as AAS) states that if
two angles and the non-included side one triangle are congruent to two angles and the non-included
angle of another triangle, then these two triangles are congruent.
1. Adaptive Technology - An item that is specifically designed for persons with disabilities; devices
which would seldom be used by non-disabled persons.
2. Assistive Technology - Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired
commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional
capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
3. Bioengineering - The application of engineering principles to the fields of biology and medicine, as in
the development of aids or replacements for defective or missing body organs.
4. Disability - A disadvantage or deficiency, especially a physical or mental impairment that interferes
with or prevents normal achievement in a particular area.
5. Genetic Diversity - Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing
environments. With more variation, it is more likely that some individuals in a population will possess
variations of alleles that are suited for the environment.
Social Studies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Amnesty- official pardon
Carpetbagger- white Northerners who rushed South to profit from Reconstruction
Liberation- the act of setting someone free
Scalawag- white Southerner who supported Radical Reconstruction
Writ of habeas corpus- law that prevents the government from holding citizens without formal
charges
Key Questions
ELA
How will using
dialogue, pacing
description, and
reflection in my story
develop experiences,
events, and/or the
characters?
How can I sequence
my story so that the
story line unfolds
naturally and
logically?
From what point of
view will my story be
told and how will I use
the narrator and/or
characters to establish
the context of the
story?
How did my
conclusion ‘tie up’ my
story and reflect on
the experiences and
events?
Math
Can I prove theorems
about triangles?
Can I use the definition of
congruence in terms of
rigid motions to show
that two triangles are
congruent if and only if
corresponding pairs of
sides and corresponding
pairs of angles are
congruent?
Can I explain how the
criteria for triangle
congruence (ASA, SAS,
and SSS) follow from the
definition of congruence
in terms of rigid motions?
Can I prove theorems
about lines and angles?
Can I prove theorems
about parallelograms?
Science
How can I compare
the intended benefits
with the unintended
consequences of new
technology developed
through
bioengineering?
How can I explain
how adaptive and
assistive technology
responds to social and
economic needs in
society?
How can I engineer an
adaptive or assistive
piece of technology
that will help
individuals with
disabilities work
efficiently in a
garden?
How can I
differentiate between
adaptive and assistive
bioengineered
products?
Social Studies
How can I explain how
African- Americans
contributed to the Union
cause?
Can I explain the economic
and social changes caused
by the Civil War?
Can I explain how the
Union victories at
Gettysburg and Vicksburg
affected the course of the
war?
How can I explain how
presidential
Reconstruction failed
under Andrew Johnson?
Can I explain the effects of
Congressional
Reconstruction?
How can I explain how
Reconstruction lost its
strength?
How can I describe
the importance of
maintaining the
earth’s biodiversity?
Hook for Unit
Gardening Tips for the DisabledThis is a brief video clip showing some of the gardening tools that a person with a disability uses to work
in her garden. The individual in the video is in a wheelchair and has adapted select gardening tools to fit
her disability, therefore making her gardening experience meaningful and productive.
Informative
Texts
Component
Writing
Closure
Students will research their specific disability through various websites. In addition, students will
research what accommodations have already been designed and created for those with particular
disabilities. Students will determine the credibility of each of the sources before the information is
incorporated into their engineering design project board.
Students will incorporate their knowledge of Reconstruction and the consequences of the Civil War into a
narrative writing. Using dialogue, pacing, sequence, transitions, and descriptors, students will create a
narrative writing where the main character has a disabling condition and through a well-established plot
goes through a variety of experiences. Students will be able to imagine how a person with a disability
had difficulty taking care of a family, working in the fields or an industry, and dealing with the sentiment
of the community toward the disability.
iPads
Laptops
Student generated supplies from Lowes
Materials
Needed for
Culminating
Event
Standards: Common Core Standards, Tennessee State Standards
ELA
W 8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
Common
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Core
W8.3a Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a
Standards.
narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
W8.3b Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing description, and reflection to develop
experiences, events, and/or characters.
W8.3c Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one
time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.
W8.3d Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the
action and convey experiences and events.
W8.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
W 8.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
SL 8.1 – Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
Math
G.CO.C.9-Prove theorems about lines and angles. Theorems include: vertical angles are congruent; when
Common
a transversal crosses parallel lines, alternate interior angles are congruent and corresponding angles are
Core
congruent; points on a perpendicular bisector of a line segment are exactly those equidistant from the
Standards.
segment’s endpoints.
G.CO.C.10- Prove theorems about triangles. Theorems include: measures of interior angles of a triangle
sum to 180°; base angles of isosceles triangles are congruent; the segment joining midpoints of two sides
of a triangle is parallel to the third side and half the length; the medians of a triangle meet at a point.
G.CO.C.11-Prove theorems about parallelograms. Theorems include: opposite sides are congruent,
opposite angles are congruent, the diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other, and conversely,
rectangles are parallelograms with congruent diagonals.
G.CO.D.12- Make formal geometric constructions with a variety of tools and methods (compass and
straightedge, string, reflective devices, paper folding, dynamic geometric software, etc.). Copying a
segment; copying an angle; bisecting a segment; bisecting an angle; constructing perpendicular lines,
including the perpendicular bisector of a line segment; and constructing a line parallel to a given line
through a point not on the line.
G.SRT.B.4 Prove theorems about triangles.
G.SRT.B.5 Use congruence and similarity criteria for triangles to solve problems and to prove
relationships in geometric figures.
Science
Tennessee
State
Standards.
G.GPE.B.6 Find the point on a directed line segment between two given points that partitions the
segment in a given ratio.
GLE 0807.T/E.1 Explore how technology responds to social, political, and economic needs.
GLE 0807.T/E.3 Compare the intended benefits with the unintended consequences of a new technology.
GLE 0807.T/E.4 Describe and explain adaptive and assistive bioengineered products.
GLE 0807.5.5 Describe the importance of maintaining the earth’s biodiversity.
SPI 0807.T/E.1 Identify the tools and procedures needed to test the design features of a prototype.
SPI 0807.T/E.3 Distinguish between the intended benefits and the unintended consequences of a new
technology.
SPI 0807.T/E.4 Differentiate between adaptive and assistive engineered products (e.g., food, biofuels,
medicines, integrated pest management).
SPI 0807.5.4 Identify several reasons for the importance of maintaining the earth’s biodiversity.
Social
Studies
Tennessee
State
Standards.
GLE 8.2.9 Analyze in economic terms, (i.e., climate, triangle trade, infrastructure, topography), why
slavery flourished in the South as opposed to the North.
GLE 8.4.4 Recognize the rights and responsibilities of individuals throughout the development of the
United States.
GLE 8.4.5 Identify how conditions, actions, and motivations contributed to conflict and cooperation
between states, regions and nations.
GLE 8.4.7 Recognize the impact of major court decisions have had on American life, (i.e., Marbury v
Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Dred Scott v. Sandford).
GLE 8.4.9 Analyze the contributions of Tennessee political leaders on the national scene (e.g. Andrew
Jackson, Andrew Johnson, James K Polk, Sequoyah, Sam Houston).
GLE 8.5 4. Recognize causes and consequences of conflict, (i.e., French and Indian, Revolutionary War,
War of 1812).
GLE 8.5.5 Recognize consequences of the westward expansion of the United States.
GLE 8.5.6 Classify the characteristics of major historic events into causes and effects (i.e., exploration,
colonization, revolution, expansion, and Civil War).
GLE 8.5.9 Interpret a timeline, detailing the development of political parties in the United States to the
Civil War.
GLE 8.5.10 Interpret maps, time lines and charts that illustrate key elements of history (i.e., expansion,
economics, politics, society).
GLE 8.5.11 Identify conclusions about historical events using primary and secondary sources.
GLE 8.6.1 Identify the impact of individual and group decisions on historical events.
GLE 8.6.3 Recognize examples of stereotyping, prejudice, conformity, and altruism in early American
history.
GLE 8.6.4 Identify the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change (i.e., governments,
churches, families, schools, communities).
Notes: For more information or additional materials, please contact the following: