Darlene Langhoff
St. Thomas More High
Ron Gerrits
MSOE

Investigating the Scene

DNA analysis

The Findings





Crime scene is set up (optional power point )
Tip: Set up crime scene and have students take
photos make your own power point
Examine key information gathered from
interviews of friends, family members, and
people of interest, examine the scene for clues
Stations set up to analyze the various clues
Tip: Check for videos on fingerprint analysis,
hair analysis, blood splatter analysis



Time of Death/ Experimental Design Process
introduced
Tip: Add Salt to get Drylock out of tubes
Blood Spatter/Experimental Design practice



DNA structure introduced
Simulation of DNA analysis and
electrophoresis comparison of the DNA found
at the crime scene with the DNA obtained
from each of the suspects
Tip: Have students make one large gel with
all the DNA pieces





Autopsy activity
See partial autopsy report, create a report
detailing all of the evidence and draw
conclusions as to the method of death
Anna’s Case File is started
Tip: Students need more guidance with this.
Tip: Present case report to police officer.

What is Diabetes

The Science of Food

Life with Diabetes



Begins with Anna’s medical history age 14
Anna is diagnosed and the types of diabetes
are explored using a lab activity
Tip: Buy/make your own buffers for this lab
don’t buy kits



Insulin/ Glucose Receptor Model
Tip: Video the presentations and post on the
LMS assign peer review for homework
Feedback Loops




Food testing, Anna’s stomach contents tested
to determine if that could have been related
to her death
Look at Anna’s food diary
Food label analysis and analysis of Anna’s
diet
Tip: Post food labels on the LMS for the
students for activity, use the same foods for
labs




Basic chemistry
Biomolecules with puzzle kits
Calorimetry activity related back to Anna’s
diet
Tip: Post video of the lab on LMS to save
time on lab day



Make a guide for people recently diagnosed
with diabetes
Use these guides to compare type 1 and 2
Diabetes
Diabetic Emergency match situation with
simulated cell/serum


Design a medical intervention to help
diabetics
Research long and short term complications
of Diabetes and make a Graphic Organizer
Body showing complications




The Disease
It’s In The Genes
Chromosomes
Inheritance



Look at another part of Autopsy Report
determine that Anna had Sickle Cell
Compare normal blood and Anna’s and
complete a hematocrit to determine whether
Anna’s sickle cell disease was causing her
other related health problems
Tip: Allow time to test “blood recipe” to get
desired results



Use Anna’s diary to learn about life with
sickle cell
Write diary entries for another patient that
includes treatments and career component
Tip Video diary instead of written diary
submit on the LMS, check for video examples





Transcription, translation and mutation
activity
Uses Anna’s DNA to look at sickle cell
mutation
Looks at normal and mutated protein using
Molecular Workbench
Tip: Talk to Biology teachers this unit is a
great opportunity to make connections
Tip: Feeling like you are behind? May be able
to move faster in this unit


Activity that covers chromosomes mitosis and
meiosis simulation of inheritance
Hela cells (optional, moving to MI)



Pedigree using electrophoresis data to make
a pedigree of Anna’s family
Probability
Optional sickle cell and malaria allele
frequency activity




Heart Structure
The Heart at work
Heart Dysfunction
Heart Intervention





Blood pathway “heart box”
Heart dissection, comparison of artery and
vein
Tip: Post pictures of heart dissections for
assessment and review
Look at Anna’s autopsy report
Tip: Look over all activities with report
before you start unit







Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy
Evidence of mild mitral valve prolapse.
A stent is present in the left anterior descending
coronary artery; however, scar tissue and clots
partially block or occlude the lumen of the vessel.
The right coronary artery is 80% occluded.
Narrowing is also noted in the renal arteries as
well as the cerebral arteries and provides
evidence of atherosclerosis.
ACE inhibitors and Statins
Evidence of mild peripheral vascular disease in
the left leg. X-ray shows pacemaker



Anna’s medical history with cardiac tests,
blood work, EKG, Echocardiogram,
Angiogram
Heart Rate: write lab and relate to medical
history
Blood Pressure: take manually and with
probes, write lab procedure and report, relate
to medical history


EKG: Relate to medical history and research
some of the doctor’s findings
Tip: Have students make videos
demonstrating how to use equipment post to
LMS include Logger Pro tips.



Cholesterol
Make product that accurately informs high
school / college students about cholesterol,
LDL, and HDL
Analyze Anna Garcia’s cholesterol test results
and make recommendations about her
cardiac care



Hypercholesterolemia
DNA electrophoresis to determine if Anna and
members of her family have familial
hypercholesterolemia
Tip: Make video of procedure using your
equipment post to LMS. I have my HBS
students do this when they set up their lab.


Investigate medical procedures used to treat
blocked blood vessels and build a model to
demonstrate one technique
Return to Anna’s medical history documents
and autopsy report and brainstorm how
issues of the heart may have played a role in
Anna’s final demise


Build a Pump
Design an experiment to determine the effect
that narrowing vessels, as caused by
cholesterol plaques, plays on flow rate




Assess risk of heart disease
Calculate risk for both Anna Garcia and a
patient you have been assigned
Design a heart disease intervention plan for
assigned patient
Tip: Video a counseling session with client
regarding intervention, post to LMS


Piece of Anna’s medical history documenting
an unknown illness bacterial illness a short
time before death, need to identify the
pathogen
Demonstrate the transmission of infectious
agent from person to person determine
“patient zero”

Explore the different types of pathogens in
order to identify what is plaguing Anna.




Basics of aseptic technique and to perform
the first step in identifying bacteria – isolating
bacterial colonies
Tip Check purchase manual carefully the kit
is only media bacteria not included
Gram stain Anna’s bacteria
Tip: Kit directions not the same as activity
directions



Bacterial Identification of Anna’s bacteria
15 biochemical test results used
Tip: This was a lab in the field test, you can
find videos of this test online to show the
students

Children’s book of immune response


How Do The Parts Make a Whole?
Similar to previous activity but relates more
to Anna and how her diseases impact body
systems



One final autopsy report and put together all
information to determine Anna’s cause of
death
Think about the interventions or innovations
that may have saved Anna that day
Reflect on the power of prevention in
keeping the body well and safe from harm

Keeps students from finding out from “last
year’s students” what the answer is.
◦ Instructor chooses which of the 4 final autopsy reports to
provide. Students use the final report, along with previous
course work to (hopefully) determine one of the following
causes of death:
 Ischemic stroke, secondary to atherosclerosis
 Diabetic coma associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
 Spontaneous splenic rupture caused from splenic infarction
during a sickle cell crisis.
 Septicemia, associated with an untreated urinary tract infection,
and a kidney infection

Final autopsy report indicates:
◦ Facial drooping.
◦ Severe atherosclerotic plaques in an artery in her
neck.

This fits in the course because Anna had a lot
of problems, including:
◦ Hyperlipidemia
◦ Diabetes
 Each of these is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic strokes.

Final autopsy report indicates:
◦ Acidic blood (acidosis).
◦ Ketones in blood and urine.
◦ Brain swelling – although this is much more common in
children than adults and may be more a consequence of treatment
than the disorder.

This fits in the course because Anna has Type
I diabetes.

Final autopsy report indicates:
◦ Anemia.
◦ Enlarged, bleeding spleen.

This fits in the course because Anna had
Sickle Cell Disease

Final autopsy report indicates:
◦ Elevated white cell count
◦ Positive blood culture
◦ Red streaks on the skin – bacteria leaving the blood
and creating localized infections.
◦ Inflammation of the urinary tract
◦

This fits in the course because Anna recently
had a urinary tract infection.