Genetic Engineering in Agriculture

Curriculum Description
At the beginning of each unit, there is a message that includes the following:
Each unit is complete with a unit plan, PowerPoint slides, and supplemental activities.
Teachers have the liberty to cover the material on an as-needed bases based on alignment
with class curriculum. This curriculum was created to serve classroom teachers, from health
education to agricultural education. If using this material in class, please tailor the content to fit
your specific class.

Access Google folder at http://bit.ly/geforteachers

In this Google drive folder, you will find five units of study, plus career resources.

 Unit 1: Biotech Basics

Outlining basic processes in biotechnology to lay a foundation for student
understanding of genetic engineering.

 Unit 2: The Whole Genome

Discusses the sequencing of the genome on a “whole genome” scale, describing DNA
fingerprinting and profiling an organism.

 Unit 3: Food Crops

This is the largest unit of study and contains information for each of the genetically
engineered food crops currently gown commercially.

 Unit 4: Labeling
Contains information about the newest labeling laws based on the 2016 legislation.

 Unit 5: Bioethics
This looks at genetic engineering in agriculture from an ethics perspective, evaluating
multiple perspectives.

 Career Resources
Students will explore career options available within the field of genetic engineering and
agriculture.
Biotechnology Figure
Each unit also begins with the following diagram sourced from [Gavrilescu, M. (2010).
Environmental biotechnology: achievements, opportunities and challenges. Dynamic biochemistry,
process biotechnology and molecular biology, 4(1), 1-36.] visually representing the field of
biotechnology, with the corresponding bubble(s) that matches the content:

If you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns, please contact ASTE graduate
student Olivia Horning at olivia.horning@usu.edu.