Lesson 3: Analyze a Case Study
In this lesson, students will learn to understand the scientific process and interpret data.
OBJECTIVE
• Understand science as a process
• Understand how the results of one experiment can lead to additional studies
• Describe and interpret scientific data
• Learn about the history of hematology via case study analysis
MATERIALS
• Analyze a Case Study Student Worksheet 3
• pen
• paper
• copy of case study
• Biology (5th edition), Campbell, Reece, and Mitchell
DIRECTIONS
1. Students should be familiar with cell organelles and their functions.
2. Have students complete the case study Sickle Cell Anemia from the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Buffalo, State University of New York (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/sickle_cell1.html). Students should work in cooperative groups of three to four and use a course textbook as reference.
3. Students should read section 1 of the case study prior to class. Have students reiterate the main points in the reading at the start of class. Students should then work in cooperative groups to identify and list each piece of experimental evidence described in the reading. For each piece of evidence, students should explain its significance. Share answers as a group, then have students answer the case study questions for section 1.
4. Students should read section 2A of the case study prior to class. Have students reiterate the main points in the reading at the start of class. Use the course textbook as a reference to see the difference in shape between normal RBCs and those of an individual with sickle cell anemia. In Campbell, Reece, and Mitchell’s Biology (5th edition), use figure 5.19 on page 72. Students should answer all questions for part 2A of the case study in cooperative groups.
5. Students should read section 2B of the case study prior to class. Have students reiterate the main points in the reading at the start of class, then answer all questions for the section in cooperative groups. Share answers as a whole class, then distribute section 2C of the case study. Students should read section 2C in class and answer the analysis questions in cooperative groups.
Extension Activities:
• For a more advanced course, such as Advanced Placement Biology, section 3 of the case study can be completed. This section requires more in-depth knowledge of cellular functions.
• Assign students to research a well-known hematologist and create a scrapbook based on that person’s life. Students should include biographical information, career information, and a one-page reflection on the hematologist’s life.
