• Medical Interventions | Course Outline

     

    The following is a summary of the units of study that are included in the course for the 2022-2023 academic year. Alignment with NGSS, Common Core, and other standards are available in each individual Unit Plan, as well as through the PLTW Alignment web-based tool. Activities, projects, and problems are provided to the teacher in the form of student-ready handouts, teacher's notes, and supplementary materials, including resource documents, student response sheets, and presentations.

     

    Follow the fictitious Smith family as you learn about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.

    Play the role of biomedical professionals to analyze case information and diagnose and treat your patients. Investigate the medical interventions of the past and present, and begin to brainstorm the innovations of the future.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     Medical Interventions Unit Summary

    Unit 1 How to Fight Infection (25%)

    Unit 2 How to Screen What is in Your Genes (15%)

    Unit 3 How to Conquer Cancer (30%)

    Unit 4 How to Prevail When Organs Fail (30%)

     

    Unit 1: How to Fight Infection

    Unit Plan 1

    In this unit, students are introduced to Sue Smith, the eighteen-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Sue is a college freshman who is presenting symptoms of an unknown infectious disease which students eventually identify as bacterial meningitis. Sue survives the infection but is left with hearing impairment. In this case, students will explore the diagnostic process used to identify an unknown infection, the use of antibiotics as a treatment, how bacteria develop antibiotic resistance, how hearing impairment is assessed and treated, and how

    vaccinations are developed and used to prevent infection.

     

    How to Fight Infection Lesson Summary

    • Lesson 1.1 The Mystery Infection
    • Lesson 1.2 Antibiotic Treatment
    • Lesson 1.3 The Aftermath – Hearing Loss
    • Lesson 1.4 Vaccination

     

    Unit 2: How to Screen What is in Your Genes

    In this unit, students are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Sue’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are very excited to find out they are expecting a new baby. Because the couple is in their early 40s, the doctor has suggested genetic screening and testing. Through this case, students will explore how to screen and evaluate the code in our DNA, the value of good prenatal care, and the future of genetic technology.

     

    How to Screen What is in Your Genes Lesson Summary

    • Lesson 2.1 Genetic Testing and Screening
    • Lesson 2.2 Our Genetic Future
    • Lesson 2.1 Genetic Testing and Screening

     

    Unit 3: How to Conquer Cancer

    In this unit, students are introduced to Mike Smith, the sixteen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mike is diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that often affects teenagers. Mike’s treatments put him into remission; however, in order to remove all of the cancerous tissue, he had to have most of his arm amputated. Mike now needs a prosthesis. Through this case, students will explore the diagnostic process used to determine the presence of cancerous cells, the risk factors and prevention of cancer, rehabilitation after disease or injury, and the design process for new medications, prosthetics, and nanotechnology.

     

     

    How to Conquer Cancer Lesson Summary

    • Lesson 3.1 Detecting Cancer
    • Lesson 3.2 Reducing Cancer Risk
    • Lesson 3.3 Treating Cancer
    • Lesson 3.4 Building a Better Cancer Treatment

     

    Unit 4: How to Prevail When Organs Fail

    In this unit, students are introduced to Mrs. Jones, the forty-four-year-old sister of Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Jones has been struggling with Type 1 Diabetes for twenty years. Over the years, Mrs. Jones did not take good care of herself or properly control her diabetes. She eventually began using an insulin pump and changed her lifestyle to regulate her blood sugar levels, but the damage had already been done. Mrs. Jones is now dealing with end stage renal failure and needs a kidney transplant. Through this case, students will explore protein production, blood sugar regulation, dialysis, organ donation and transplantation, and non-invasive surgery techniques. In addition, students will create a bionic human.

     

    How to Prevail When Organs Fail Lesson Summary

    • Lesson 4.1 Manufacturing Human Proteins
    • Lesson 4.2 Organ Failure
    • Lesson 4.3 Transplant
    • Lesson 4.4 Building a Better Body
    • Lesson 4.1 Manufacturing Human Proteins