Teaching Sequence

5 minutes - Tune in: What do you know about genetics and human diversity?
15 minutes - Find out: First Nations and Western views of genetics and heredity
10 minutes - Take action: Combining Cultural Knowledge Construction with Western Science’s Scientific Method
10 minutes - Reflection: What are the benefits of looking at First Nations knowledges before discussing phenomena from the perspective of Western science?

Tune in: What do you know about genetics and human diversity?

Step 1.

Display the photo below (found in this slide deck) on the screen and guide students through a discussion. Ask students to look at the picture for 30 seconds and think about what they are looking at and the answers to these questions.

What do you notice about the physical characteristics of the people in this photo?
Why do these people look the way they do?
Do all of these people come from the same place?
Do these people live in similar environments?
Can you notice any similarities between people in the picture - what might these similarities be due to? What about differences?
How could you explain what you see in this picture using your current understanding of genetics?
How might genes influence some of the differences/similarities seen in the picture?

^{Credit: Gorkaazk via Wikimedia Commons}

Step 2.

Discuss with students the following provocations for the lesson. Why might ancient humans have been more genetically diverse than modern humans? How might the understanding of genetics enable humanity's continued survival?

Find out

How did First Nations peoples understand the concept of heredity, and what is the current Western Scientific knowledge of genetics?

Step 1.

If you have already covered the theory of genetics and genes with your class, you can ask the following questions to determine their current level of understanding.

What is a gene?
What is the difference between a genotype and a phenotype?
What factors can influence your genotype?
What factors can influence your phenotype?
Is it advantageous for parents of children to be closely related to each other? Why?

^{Structure of DNA. Credit: Kadumago via Wikipedia Commons}

Step 2.

Explain to students that for the human species to survive and thrive, early humans needed to develop an understanding of genetics. In particular, the principle of recessive genes. This understanding evolved over many thousands of years and is evident through what are known as “kinship systems.” In indigenous cultures, including the Inuit, the Dravidians in India, and many First Nations people, including the Ningaloo and Martu people, very strict rules regarding marriage and sexual behaviour were developed.

Ask students to write down the three rules to be considered in their notebooks.

Formal rules of the kinship system. You may not marry a sibling or in an adjacent generation (e.g., mother, daughter, uncle, son) to you.
Genealogical/family distance. You may not marry someone genealogically close to you or anyone for whom you can identify known, named, identical ancestors. You should marry someone at least three generations removed from you (third cross-cousins). In other words, the more distant the blood relationship, the better.
Spatial/geographic distance. You may not marry someone with whom you share too much spatial identity; that is, those conceived or born on the same site or who have lived for prolonged periods in the same area or community as you. For this reason, First Nations groups would arrange meetings with other groups from long distances.

If you want more information about this, please refer to the teacher information section.

Step 3.

Conduct a group discussion to reflect on the points above. Using the Think, Pair, Share scaffold, ask students to reflect on the following questions and think individually, encouraging them to write their responses into their notebooks.

Why did these rules develop? Why are they important?
What are the implications of these rules regarding genes and heredity?
How do these ancient rules link to our current understanding of gene inheritance?

Allow students to pair with each other and discuss their individual thoughts. Encourage students to annotate their responses with their partners' ideas.

Share ideas with the wider class combining key points into a mind map for the whole class.

Extension opportunity (Please refer to the teacher information section for more information)

First Nations groups in far north QLD have the highest genetic diversity of any First Nations group in Australia. Why might this be the case?

Step 4.

Before watching the video below about the science of genetics, introduce your students to effective note-taking using Cornell Notes (or any other method you deem appropriate). Discuss with students what effective notes might look like and how they might take these. If Using the Cornell method, ask your students to divide their notebook page into three sections using the below template as a guide. (A printable copy of this template can be found in the resources section)

Cornell Notes Template [PDF, 86kb]

Step 5.

To introduce the science of genetics, show students the following video:

Genetics 101 | National Geographic - National Geographic (youtu.be/v8tJGlicgp8)

Ask students to follow the Cornell method discussed previously to take notes from this video. In the Notes section, paraphrase short sentences for key facts and big ideas. In the Cues section, headings, topics and questions that arise. In the Summary section, what you’ve learned. Upload the video after the lesson so that students can review it after the class and consolidate any notes they have taken.

Take action: Combining cultural knowledge construction with Western science’s scientific method.

Step 1.

Explain to students that an essential part of understanding the scientific method is taking data from two perspectives and seeking similarities and differences. In this lesson, students have learnt about human genetics from the perspective of First Nations cultural behaviours and practices and Western scientific observations and findings from the past 150 years.

Using the theory covered in this lesson (mind map of relationship rules and their genetic implications) and notes from the Genetics 101 video, ask students to answer the following questions. Remind students to answer in a format of your choosing that clearly demonstrates their thinking - give a bit more explicit guidance.

Which elements of indigenous cultural practices regarding human genetics were supported by the video?
Were there elements of First Nations cultural practices not discussed in the video? Describe what these elements were and why they may not have been addressed.
Were these important to your overall understanding of the topic?

Extension Activity

Look at the map below. Lactose intolerance is an inability to process cow’s milk. This intolerance is found in the genetic makeup of some cultures worldwide. Identify two cultures with high lactose intolerance. Why might this be the case?

Map of Lactose Intolerance by Country

Map of Lactose Intolerance by country. Source: Christian Løvold Storhaug, Svein Kjetil Fosse, and Lars T Fadnes, thelancet.com

Reflection

This can be a short group discussion, or students can take notes for a deeper reflection after the class. Read the following question and allow students to discuss or write down their responses.

What are the benefits of examining First Nations knowledge before discussing phenomena from the perspective of Western science?

You may also like to reflect on questions posed and discussed at the beginning of the lesson using the I used to think... Now I think thinking routine.

Why were ancient humans more genetically diverse than modern humans?
- Suggested response/background info: the human species originated in the African continent, spreading out into Europe, Asia and beyond. The groups that left Africa had to deal with events that caused significant percentages of the population to die out (weather events, natural disasters and diseases), causing a ‘bottleneck’ (extreme reduction) in genetic diversity. The modern populations of Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania are descendants of the groups who survived those events. More info here: How We Lost Our Diversity - Science (science.org/content/article/how-we-lost-our-diversity)
How does the understanding of genetics enable us to continue surviving?
- Suggested response: Major projects, such as the Human Genome Project, and advances in genetic testing allows scientists and doctors to recognise when a person carries a potentially harmful genetic condition, giving that personal choice about whether they want to take proactive steps to avoid being affected by or passing that condition on.

First Nations Biology: Genetics & Human Survival

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