Mississippi Science BOT.4.5
The Standard
- BOT.4
- Students will explore the global value of plants and the interaction between humans and plants.
Explore the impacts (both positive and negative) of plant biotechnology/GMOs on human society. Present findings using digital media or technology and include evidence using graphs or charts.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Society’s Reliance on Plants
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine how genetically modified crops affect farmers and consumers. They compare benefits and risks using evidence, then present their findings on a digital slide with a graph or chart.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how an insect-resistant crop might reduce crop loss and why pests could become resistant. Their slide includes a graph with labeled axes, units, and a source. They use evidence for both a benefit and a risk without claiming the graph shows more than it does.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think every genetically modified crop has the same trait, or that modification alone proves a food safe or unsafe. They may use a yield graph as proof of health effects, though it only shows harvests. Some overlook seed costs or the chance that pests adapt.
How to Assess It
- Give students a graph comparing insect damage in Bt and conventional corn, plus a short note on resistant pests. Ask for one digital slide naming a benefit, a risk, and which source supports each.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Model sample plots with 20 corn tokens each; remove 3 for Bt and 8 for conventional, then graph the remaining harvests.
Ask: If Bt corn reduces crop loss but pests become resistant, who benefits now, and who might face costs later?
Play evidence match: give teams four claim cards about insect-resistant corn, a spraying chart, and a pest-resistance note; match claims to sources.
Give pairs sample seed prices ($180 per bag for Bt, $130 for conventional); they recommend a purchase using their harvest graph and one uncertainty.
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Printable BOT.4.5 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- BIO.3C.4
Research and identify how DNA technology benefits society. Engage in scientific argument from evidence over the ethical issues surrounding the use of DNA techno...
- GEN.3.4
Enrichment: Develop logical arguments based on scientific evidence for and against ethical concerns regarding biotechnology/bioengineering.
- FB.4.6
Enrichment: Debate the pros and cons of using biotechnology to manipulate genetic information for human purposes (society).
- ENV.1.10
Enrichment: Engage in scientific argument from evidence the benefits versus harm of genetically modified organisms.
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