Lesson 2: What is Selective Breeding?

Prepare for lesson:

• Review Driving Question: What is Selective Breeding? lesson guide
• Print pages 16-19 per small group (2-3 youth) of SuperHero handout, part of lesson guide
• Project Wild Mustard handout (page 19) on board
• Project How our food would look if not genetically modified
• Supplies per small group:
  • Scissors

During the lesson:

• • Share the quote about Dr. Norman Borlaug:

• “[He] saved more lives than any person who has ever lived.” 

• • Ask youth what they think he did to have that said about him.
• Share that he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work breeding wheat plants which helped nourish billions of people around the world.
• Ask youth about the term, breeding. What does that mean to them?
• Share that they’ll do an activity to create a powerful group of superheroes, which will help better explain the term.
• Distribute SuperHero handout to each small group.
• Give students 15 min to work on it in their group.
• During share out:
  • Ask youth why they made the selections for each scenario, giving space for different groups to share.
  • What effects did their choice have on the population?
• Share that those choices are selective breeding of genes. Humans have been breeding plants and animals for millennia
• Give examples of selective breeding with wheat, corn and animal husbandry (in lesson guide)
• Share that just like they did with superheroes, humans have done so with animals. 
• Ask: 
  • What do they think is the most important trait selected in animals? 
  • What about in plants?
• Project the Mustard Plant resource. 
  • Ask them what they think each plant was selected for?
• Project the website page How our food would look if not genetically modified to share how each plant would look if it was never modified
• Ask youth: 
  • Do they know other examples of genetically modified plants or animals?
  • What skills do they think would be valuable in this field? 
  • Where would they work? 
  • Can they research what careers exist today? → this can be extended as a follow up discussion after they do research online or can be targeted interviews with industry professionals if in an agricultural region.