Lesson Title: Human Cloning: Seeing the Big Picture
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Course: Common Core Mathematics 7
Start/end times: _________________
Lesson Objective(s): What mathematical skill(s) and understanding(s) will be developed? Which
Mathematical Practices do you expect students to engage in during the lesson?
7.SP.A.1 The students will be able to gain and predict information about a population by examining
a sample of the population, and determine if the sample is a valid representation of the whole.
MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
MP4: Model with mathematics.
Lesson Launch Notes: Exactly how will you use
the first five minutes of the lesson?
Brainstorm prior knowledge about human cloning.
Think, pair, share and make a list on the board of
what students already know about cloning.
Lesson Closure Notes: Exactly what
summary activity, questions, and discussion
will close the lesson and provide a
foreshadowing of tomorrow? List the
questions.
Have students complete journal writing
activity. Students will imagine they are
running for governor of Maryland and decide
whether or not they would tell their voters they
support cloning based on the class survey
results. Students must also discuss the validity
of the sample by deciding if they would base
their public opinion on the class survey alone.
Lesson Tasks, Problems, and Activities (attach resource sheets): What specific activities,
investigations, problems, questions, or tasks will students be working on during the lesson? Be sure
to indicate strategic connections to appropriate mathematical practices.
*Note: Depending on the prior knowledge and work pace of students, this lesson may take two days.
1. Lesson Launch – Brainstorm, think, pair, and share prior knowledge about human cloning. [UDL
I and III: 2, 3, 7]
2. Engage – Watch cloning videos from Discovery United Streaming: [UDL I and II: 1, 2, 4, 5]
Human Cloning: Fact or Science Fiction
Could Cloning Create a Superhuman Race?
Medical Implications of Cloning
*Alternative to watching videos: Read articles or scientific journals that present both the pros
and cons of cloning or give students time to do an Internet search for pros and cons. Refer to
Resources for links to online articles.
Give each student a post-it note and have students write either a pro or a con about cloning
learned from the videos. Create a class PROS/CONS chart on board and have students place
their post-it note in the proper column. Discuss as a class. [UDL I, II, and III: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8] (Look
for evidence of MP3)
3. Predict – Introduce the question (tell students and write on board): How many people in our class
Lesson Title: Human Cloning: Seeing the Big Picture
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
4.
5.
6.
7.
Course: Common Core Mathematics 7
Start/end times: _________________
do you think would support human cloning? How many people in the United States do you think
would support human cloning? Emphasize that the question is about human cloning, not animal
cloning. Have each student make a prediction for both questions on an index card. Students
should explain how they made their predictions. Answers may be a ratio, percentage, specific
number, etc. Collect index cards. [UDL II and III: 4, 7, 9] (Look for evidence of MP2&3)
Take a survey of the class. Designate one side of the room as “YES” and the other side as “NO”
with regards to supporting human cloning. Students should move to the side of their opinion.
Make a class tally/chart on the board. [UDL I, II and III: 3, 4, 7]
Explore – Have students work with a partner or a group to answer questions based on the class
data. Questions are focused on using the class data to predict the information of a larger
population, as well as questioning the validity of our sample. Inform students that they may
choose to make predictions in any way – making a table or chart of values, graphing, equivalent
fractions, setting up a proportion or ratio, etc., using any of their prior knowledge. They must
show the work they did to come up with their predictions. The teacher should provide all
necessary tools including graph paper, pattern tables, calculator, and blank paper. [UDL I, II and
III: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8] (Look for evidence of MP4)
Discussion – Bring class together to discuss the survey questions. Hand out the index cards
carrying their predictions from earlier. Focus discussion on what makes a sample valid, and in
which scenarios it would be appropriate to use sample data to make generalizations and
inferences about a larger population. [UDL I, II, and III: 3, 6, 8] (Look for evidence of MP3)
Additional discussion questions: What was surprising about the survey results? Explain.
Compare your prediction from the beginning of class to our actual survey results. Do you think
your personal opinion influenced your prediction? Do you believe the survey and results show a
true accurate account? How is STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) related to the
topic of cloning? What roles do each of these areas play into the future of cloning? How might
student opinions compare to the entire population in Maryland (adults and students)?
Elaborate – Close with a journal writing activity reflecting on the class activity and applying the
objective to a real world situation of forming opinions to win votes in an election.
[UDL I, II and III: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9]
Evidence of Success: What exactly do I expect students to be able to do by the end of the lesson,
and how will I measure student success? That is, deliberate consideration of what performances will
convince you (and any outside observer) that your students have developed a deepened (and
conceptual) understanding.
Students need to be able to make predictions about a larger population given a sampling of data.
They may do this in any way (making a table/chart, graphing, or the more common method of
setting up a proportion). They also need to be able to determine if a sample is a valid representation
of the larger population. Evidence of success will be measured through completion of the survey
questions with a partner, participation in class discussion, and the independent journal writing
reflection. The homework will also give students a chance to show mastery of the material by
presenting different types of scenarios for the same objective.
Notes and Nuances: Vocabulary, connections, common mistakes, typical misconceptions, etc.
Vocabulary – representative sample, probability, proportion, prediction, validity
Lesson Title: Human Cloning: Seeing the Big Picture
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Course: Common Core Mathematics 7
Start/end times: _________________
Typical misconceptions – Students often confuse the terms “predict” and “estimate” to making a
random guess. With regards to probability, students need to understand that these words suggest
making a mathematical prediction, based on a given set of data.
Connections – topic of cloning is related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
and allows students to see math being used in a real world and current context; journal activity
requires argumentative writing as students support their claim with data; journal activity connects
math to a social studies topic of voting and campaigns
Resources: What materials or resources are
essential for students to successfully complete the
lesson tasks or activities?
Homework: Exactly what follow-up homework
tasks, problems, and/or exercises will be
assigned upon the completion of the lesson?
Computer – Discovery United Streaming videos
(Optional: computers for students)
(Optional: articles on cloning)
Index cards
Survey questions
Graph paper
Calculator
Pattern tables
Post-its
Chart paper (or chalkboard)
Blank paper
Journal Writing activity
Homework resource sheet
Students will complete a resource sheet that
presents a variety of scenarios in which they
must draw inferences about a population given a
random sampling, and then determine if the
sample is valid. One question will also ask
students to design a survey with a valid sample.
For articles related to cloning:
 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,
9171,137377,00.html
 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/science/
20tier.html?pagewanted=all
 http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,859
9,195081,00.html
 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,
9171,1220538,00.html
 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,
9171,1874840,00.html
 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,
9171,999233,00.html
For more ideas or to expand this lesson, refer to:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3280?ref=search
Interdisciplinary Integrated Unit on
DNA/Genetics Part B: Math
Lesson Title: Human Cloning: Seeing the Big Picture
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Course: Common Core Mathematics 7
Start/end times: _________________
UNC School of Education
Census data for survey questions:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24/24027.h
tml
Lesson Reflections: How do you know that you were effective? What questions, connected to the
lesson objectives and evidence of success, will you use to reflect on the effectiveness of this lesson?
Can students make appropriate predictions or draw inferences from a random sampling, either by
setting up a proportion, using a table, or graphing?
Can students differentiate when a random sampling is a valid representation of the larger population
and when it is not?
Can students apply their understanding of drawing inferences to various situations (as seen in their
journal writing activity and homework)?
What concepts about drawing inferences or valid samples do students need additional support or
reinforcement?
Howard County Public Schools Office of Secondary Mathematics Curricular Projects has
licensed this product under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License.