Resources Connecting Current Events and DNA Through Scientific Innovation

Within all living things exists a code building and outlining life. Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly referred to as DNA, builds our reality and has the power to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. From understanding diseases like cancer or COVID-19 to medical breakthroughs identifying how our bodies work to improving food sustainability, the DNA double-helix builds a fascinating world of genomics that impacts our everyday lives, whether we know it or not.

Through DNA Decoded, an initiative from the Illumina Corporate Foundation and Discovery Education, teachers are provided with the digital tools to bring scientific exploration and real-world problem solving to students in fresh and exciting ways. DNA Decoded offers a set of NGSS-aligned lesson plans and digital lesson bundles to prepare middle and high school teachers and students to explore the ways genomics knowledge is changing the world. These new versatile digital lesson bundles and hands-on activities investigate relatable issues through a powerful DNA science lens. 

With DNA Decoded, your students can dive into cutting-edge STEM fields and see how genomics professionals are driving innovation in a variety of areas, both science-based and beyond. Among the resources now available are:

Classroom Activities: Designed for the anywhere classroom, these less-than-an-hour activities engage students in dynamic projects aligned to multiple learning standards, while demonstrating how DNA impacts the world. 

• In “Genes or The Gym?” students work in groups to develop original research that explores whether athletic ability is determined by genetics, environment, or a combination of both. 

• In “Why Bats? Disease Transmission to Humans,” students use multimedia resources, like videos and puzzles, to discover how diseases, like COVID-19, jump from animals to infect humans in an event called spillover.

Digital Lesson Bundles: These curated bundles provide educators lesson plans, presentation materials, and activities to crack the genomic code with ready-to-go content built for wherever learning is taking place and any learning style. 

With “Breaking the Chain—Viral Transmission,” students discover how data helps us track and stop virus infections through a series of activities and resources that answer three key questions:

• How is technology used to collect data and track the spread of viruses?

• How do viruses enter cells and use them for reproduction and what role do genetic mutations play in viral transmission?

• How could viral structure be genetically modified to prevent infection and spread of disease?

In “The Microbiome and Mental Health,” help students learn about the relation between mental health and a person’s microbiome to create an infographic exploring: 

• How the gut-brain connection influences our mental health.

• Mental and physical consequences of depression and anxiety. 

• Whether or not altering or supporting your microbiome through foods helps prevent poor mental health.

Together, these new resources empower students to unlock genomics fundamental principles and apply them to the real-life problems. Discover all that’s available from DNA Decoded at dnadecoded.org and through Discovery Education Experience in the Corporate Education Partnerships channel and the DNA Decoded channel.

Marla Wilson is the Executive Director of STEM Careers Coalition from Discovery Education. In this role, Wilson unites the business community to grow the STEM pipeline by preparing 10 million students for the future of work with no cost standards-aligned resources.