Page 84 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 12, University Preparation
d1. analysesomeofthesocial,ethical,andlegalissuesassociatedwithgeneticresearchandbiotechnology;
d2. investigate, through laboratory activities, the structures of cell components and their roles in
processes that occur within the cell;
d3. demonstrateanunderstandingofconceptsrelatedtomoleculargenetics,andhowgeneticmodification is applied in industry and agriculture.
D1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
D2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
d. moleculAr geneticS OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
d1.1 analyse, on the basis of research, some of the social, ethical, and legal implications of biotech- nology (e.g., the bioengineering of animal species, especially those intended for human consumption; the cultivation of transgenic crops; the patenting of life forms; cloning) [IP, PR, AI, C]
Sample issue: Corporations that have patented genetically modified (GM) seeds legally require farmers to buy new seeds from them each plant- ing season. Corporations that find GM crops on a farm that did not purchase their seed can take the farmer to court. However, natural processes such as cross-pollination can result in the migra- tion of GM crops to neighbouring farms.
Sample questions: Should private companies be able to patent life forms, including genetic ma- terial? Why or why not? Who owns and controls our personal genetic information? Who should have access to our personal genetic information and decide how it will be used? What are the ethical implications of reproductive technologies that allow postmenopausal women to conceive?
d1.2 analyse, on the basis of research, some key aspects of Canadian regulations pertaining to biotechnology (e.g., current or potential legisla- tion for mandatory DNA fingerprinting, human cloning, ownership of a genome, patenting of genetically modified organisms), and compare them to regulations from another jurisdiction [IP, PR, AI, C]
Sample issue: Modern biotechnologies, such as selective breeding, are regulated under Health Canada’s Food and Drugs Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. It is an ongoing challenge to ensure that our regulations keep up with advances in scientific knowledge and technologies, as well as with developments in other countries.
Sample questions: What is the role of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency with respect to biotechnology? What role does the Canadian Environmental Protection Act play in regulating biotechnology? Why was bovine growth hormone approved for use in dairy cattle in the United States but not in Canada? Why does Mexico have laws to limit the cultivation of genetically modified corn? What countries have banned human cloning? What is Canada’s position on this issue?
By the end of this course, students will:
d2.1 use appropriate terminology related to mo- lecular genetics, including, but not limited to: polymerase I, II, and III, DNA ligase, helicase, Okazaki fragment, mRNA, rRNA, tRNA, codon, anticodon, translation, transcription, and ribosome subunits [C]
d2.2 analyse a simulated strand of DNA to deter- mine the genetic code and base pairing of DNA (e.g., determine base sequences of DNA for a protein; analyse base sequences in DNA to rec- ognize an anomaly) [AI]
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