Introduction
 
 

Some diseases are inherited from parents through their genes. These diseases are called GENETIC DISEASES. With the new technology revolution in the fields of genetics and cell biology, scientist are finding more sophisticated ways to prevent and treat thesedevastating diseases.  The federal government and private foundationsprovide millions of dollars each year for research.  There is fiercecompetition for these funds by various groups trying to find the cure forthese genetic diseases.      You are a part of a group thatwill testify before a Senate subcommittee on funding for disease research.  You will need to create a presentation convincing the senators of the importance of providing more funds for continuing research of your disease.

Task

Your group will research a genetic disease.  You will take the information you find and present persuasive oral testimonyabout the disease with a multimedia presentation to a Senate subcommittee.

Step-by-step actions:

You will need to do the following to successfully complete this assignment.

* Choose team members ( 3-4 per group)
* Choose a genetic disease to research.
* Choose a role to assume.
* Prepare a 3-5 minute oral testimony, with a multimedia presentation of your
   disease.
* Provide a bibliography of all resources, includingInternet resources.

Roles:
Note:  If you only have 3 groups members, you may omit the patientor the parent.
 
 

Doctor: Describe what the disease is andhow it is inherited. Also provide numbers of people affected by the disease.  What resources do you provide for your patient and their family?	Researcher: Describe what new research is being done to help people with this disease. How is it being treatedor prevented?  What new research is needed? Where are you getting funds for your research now?
Parent: Describe what life is likeon aday to day basis. What problems does your child have and how do you deal with it?  What organizations are available to help you?  How do you find information about the disease?	Patient: What is your life like? How doyou deal with difficulties associated with your disease? What types of daily activities can you do?  What kind of daily treatments do you have?

 
 
 

General websites that are useful:
National Institutes of Health Medline Plus
YahooDisease and Condition/Genetic Disorders Page
New YorkOnline Access to Health (NOAH) index page
National Centers for Disease Control Homepage

Topics:
 
 

Diabetes  CysticFibrosis   Hemophilia  DownSyndrome  SickleCell Disease   TaySachs Disease  MuscularDystrophy  SpinaBifida Fragile X Huntington'sDisease

Process
 

Project Requirement and Recommendations:
 
 
 
 

Oral Testimony Must include: Description Cause Cure/treatment How many people are affected Research being done Symptoms Related disease, if any Personal experiences	Multimedia Presentation Must include: Title Written description of the disease Graphics/Pictures Organization
Bibliography Must : Be alphabetized Have 3 sources, 2 from the Internet Be done properly Be typed Have only one source that is an encyclopedia/CDROM encyclopedia

Evaluation

Rubric for Oral Testimony
 
 
 

4	3-5  minutes, persuasive, flows well, all partscompleted, all members participate equally,  practiced, knowledge shown.
3	3-5 minutes, all parts complete, flows well,shows knowledge,participation more or less equal (minor flaws).
2	Reading script, less equal participation, not as longas needed, not all parts completed.
1	Stalling, repetition of facts to fill time, reading ofscript, incomplete, too short, audience prompting needed.

Rubric for Multimedia Presentation
 
 
 

4	Neatly done, organized, proper spelling, allparts included,above and beyond effort.
3	Neatly done, all parts included, not spelling mistakes,well organized.
2	Some missing parts or not so neat, some spelling errors,some organizational problems.
1	Some missing parts, not neat, not well organized, majorspelling errors.

Rubric for Bibliography
 
 
 

4	Alphabetized, three sources or more, two sources fromthe Internet, only one source an encyclopedia or CD-ROM encyclopedia, doneproperly, typed.
3	One element from above list missing.
2	Two elements from above list missing.
1	Three elements from above list missing.