Subject
Science, Language Arts

Activity Overview
The Human Genome Project is a long-term project which is decoding the sequence of human chromosomes, identifying the genes, and mapping them. This project could have a huge impact on our lives, certainly within your students' lifetimes. By the end of this research activity, students will be able to explain the details of the design of this landmark project.

Online Resources
Nature Journal -- http://www.nature.com/genomics/
National Human Genome Research Institute -- http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/
Nova Online -- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/

Activity Outline
Research the history and development of the Human Genome Project. Include in your findings the answers to the following:
· Where was the project carried out?
· What scientists were involved?
· Whose genetic material was used in the study?
· Who financed the project?
· What are the potential positive and negative outcomes of this project?

Assessment
Students may create an oral and/or written report on their research.
Have students create a online (e.g., Power Point) presentation of their research.

Standards and Benchmarks
Standard 4: Understands the principles of heredity and related concepts
4. Knows that hereditary information is contained in genes (located in the chromosome of each cell), each of which carries a single unit of information; an inherited trait of an individual can be determined by either one or many genes, and a single gene can influence more than one trait
5. Knows that the characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits; some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment