2/24 & 2/27

Today, we started to examine different topics related to cancer. Cancer occurs when cells grow out of control. Typically, cells have a signal that tells them when it is too crowded to stop growth from continuing. Individual cells also have internal signals that tell them how many times to replicate before they die. In some types of cancers, this signal is missing and the cells continue to replicate forever.

We began by watching videos of our historical understanding of cancer, and then animations that explained our modern genetic understanding of cancer.

Worksheet: Understanding Cancer online video worksheet

Websites used:
Natl Institute of Cancer: News Alert Videos
Natl Institute of Cancer: Cell Cycle Animations

Students then were broken into four groups to learn about a current area of cancer research.  Groups include: 1) The P53 Breast Cancer Gene 2) Apoptosis: Cell Death!  3) Cancer Therapies  4) Oncogenes & Tumors.  Students will read articles about their current topic, then work as a group to create a mini-lesson that will be presented to the class during our next session.

Article list: Cancer article links
Cancer reading worksheet:  Reading worksheet
Assignment description: Assignment overview


Want more information about Mitosis & Cancer? This video has a good overview: