GM decision
GM decision
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Resource from the ENGAGE project, which won 'best open educational resource (2017)'
Following a EU rule change, the growing of GM crops across Europe will increase in many countries. It looks likely that GM foods such as breakfast cereals may be on our supermarket shelves within a year - but will many people choose them over GM-free alternatives?
In this activity students apply their knowledge about genes to learn why crops are genetically modified before evaluating health risks to decide which cereal they would buy.
Learning objective
- Inheritance: Suggest arguments for and against genetic modification
- Estimate risk: Weigh up the benefits and risks of an application of science to make a decision
Blueprint curriculum link
- Unit: Controlling reproduction
- Concept: Genetic engineering: Genes are taken from one species and introduced into the genome of another by a process called genetic engineering
- Skills: Decisions: Consider the consequences of technology for people and the environment
- Learning stage: Analyse
Activity contents
- Teachers guide
- PowerPoint file
The activity is delivered as a zip file. After you checkout, you will be sent an email with the link to download it.
Weblinks
EU changes rules on GM crop cultivation
The news story the activity is based on
Overview of crop genetic engineering
An interactive animation which outlines the process used to genetically modify a crop. Suitable for GCSE students and extending the more able at KS3.


Students were interested in the topic and engaged well with the lesson. They were initially confused by the jigsaw but once they worked it out they found it a valuable tool for comparing the two types of foods.
Students were interested in the topic and engaged well with the lesson. They were initially confused by the jigsaw but once they worked it out they found it a valuable tool for comparing the two types of foods.
I explored RRI methodology proposed by the Engage project in my classes of a postgraduate course (masters and doctorate) in science education at the Sao Paulo State University (Unesp) in Brazil. Public participation in policy-making in the field of science and technology is a relatively new topic even for graduate students. Students should be able to recognise the challenges to enable lay people to participate in debates aiming to contribute to science and technology policy-making. Reports from the Engage project helped me to devise strategies to prepare people to take part in public debates, particularly in the level of local committees of water management and governance in Brazil. Graduate students of science education discovered a whole new landscape in which science and technology policies become open to public scrutiny, specifically under the realm of local and regional participatory structures of water management and governance in Brazil, i.e. river basin committees.
This a great activity! I will use it with my grade 9 class.
Students were interested in the topic and engaged well with the lesson. They were initially confused by the jigsaw but once they worked it out they found it a valuable tool for comparing the two types of foods.