Title Text

Are genetically modified (GM)
foods ok?

Vocab: genetically modified (GM), crop, benefits, risks, extreme weather, pests, genes
Grammar: should/shouldn't
Warm up: An interactive quiz to engage students and introduce them to the topic.
Real world text: a clip from this video that explains genetic modification simply
Debate: What are the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crops?

Getting to
know you!

Do you ...?

What would you...?

Have you
ever ...?

Can you tell
me ...?

What is
your ...?

How do
you ...?

Hello. I'm Tim and I'm a scientist. I create genetically modified (GM) foods. Do you know what they are?

For example, we can make plants grow bigger or taste better by changing the plants genes.

GM foods are foods that have been changed by humans, such as scientists like me.

Would you like to learn more about GM foods?

Then, let's get scientific!

Quiz time!

Which of these vegetables has been modified to include a gene from a fish?

potato

corn

tomato

carrot

Quiz time!

What is one of the benefits of genetic modified crops?

They can
grow without sunlight

They require less water

They don't need to be cared for

They need no soil

Quiz time!

This is a natural banana not modified by humans.

true

false

Quiz time!

Which of these foods was modified to help stop children going blind?

rice

corn

tomatoes

apples

Quiz time!

true

false

In all countries, genetically modified foods must be labelled.

GM
food

Quiz time!

Which of these vegetables has been genetically modified to last longer?

potato

carrot

tomato

lettuce

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

when scientists change the genes of a plant or animal to make it better or different

What's
the word?

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

good things or advantages that you get from something

What's
the word?

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

possible bad things that
might happen

What's
the word?

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

plants that farmers grow for food, like wheat, corn and rice

What's
the word?

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

very bad weather, like hurricanes, floods, or very hot days

What's
the word?

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

small animals or insects that can damage plants, like bugs that eat leaves

What's
the word?

genetically
modified (GM)

crop

benefits

risks

extreme
weather

pests

genes

are tiny parts inside of plants that decide how the plant looks and grows.

What's
the word?

Watch the video

Read text

Humans have been genetically modifying plants and animals for thousands of years. Maybe a few of your crops had very good yields. Maybe one of your wolves was especially loyal. So you did the smart thing, and bred the plants and animals that had traits beneficial to you.

yield = very high number of something

Traits suggest an expression of genes. So with each generation, those genes got more pronounced. After thousands of years, almost every single plant and animal around us is vastly different from its pre-domesticated state. If humans have been changing genes for millennia, what makes a so called "Genetically Modified Organism", or GMO, different?

Selective breeding is basically hoping for lucky hits. Genetic engineering eliminates this factor. We can choose the traits we want. Make fruit grow bigger, immune to pests, and so on. So, why are people concerned about them ?

Are genetically modified crops
a new thing?

What examples of genetically modified crops did you see?

What do you think?

Scientists shouldn't
be making GM crops.
It's dangerous!

What do you think?

We should use genetic modification to make crops more healthy.

What do you think?

We should use
genetically modified
crops to help countries that don't have
enough food.

Team: benefits

Team: risks

What are the benefits and risks of genetically modified crops?

Team: benefits

Team: risks

What are the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crops?

We should genetically modify crops because ...

We shouldn't genetically modify crops because ...

they are strong against pests

they make enough food to feed
lots of people

they reduce the variety of plants
and animals on a farm

they have unknown long-term
health effects

they are expensive for farmers
to buy

Team: benefits

Team: risks

We should genetically modify crops because ...

We shouldn't genetically modify crops because ...

they are strong against pests

Team: benefits

Team: risks

We should genetically modify crops because ...

We shouldn't genetically modify crops because ...

they make enough food to feed
lots of people

What are the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crops?

Team: benefits

Team: risks

We should genetically modify crops because ...

We shouldn't genetically modify crops because ...

they reduce the variety of plants
and animals on a farm

What are the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crops?

Team: benefits

Team: risks

We should genetically modify crops because ...

We shouldn't genetically modify crops because ...

they have unknown long-term
health effects

What are the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crops?

Team: benefits

Team: risks

We should genetically modify crops because ...

We shouldn't genetically modify crops because ...

they are expensive for farmers
to buy

What are the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crops?

We have a problem! Extreme weather is causing our crops to die. Let's create a new GM crop to help.

Create your own GM crop!

What benefits would you like your crop to
have?

Would you eat a GM vegetable that glows in the dark? Why or why not?

If you could make a GM fruit that mixes your two favourite fruits, what would it be and why?

What’s the coolest GM food you can imagine? Describe it.

Would you prefer to eat natural or GM food? Why?

What would you say to someone who is scared of eating GM foods?

Let's chat!

... think of your
own question.

What did you
learn about your classmates today?

Goodbye!

Did you enjoy today's lesson?

Yes

What's the
word?