GMO: Should we genetically
modify plants to be more
​efficient at photosynthesis?
Due to our observations in the McDonald Happy Meal lab discussion in the fall, the science department developed our student learning objective (SLO) around scientific literacy, students’ ability to use claim, evidence, and reasoning. We pre-assessed students by asking them to write a paper answering the question:
Should we genetically modify plants to be more efficient at photosynthesis? They were given the following article and asked to support their claim with their background knowledge and one other credible source. |
Similarly to the McDonald’s lab discussion, I found that students struggled to back their claims with relevant evidence and logical reasoning. Out of 26 students, I found an average for claim of 2.5, for evidence 2.1, and for reasoning 1.4 out of 3, using the base explanation rubric.
While students were able to find evidence based off their background knowledge and sources it was not always "appropriate" or "sufficient to support the claim" (McNeill & Krajcik, 2006, p. 28). For reasoning, students either had unclear statements to tie their evidence back to their claims or no statements at all. |
For reasoning, students either had unclear statements to tie their evidence back to their claims or no statements at all.
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Artifact 3: Sample student GMO papers
GMO image from http://www.non-gmoreport.com/graphics/about-GMOs-food-farm-field.jpg