Cassava is a staple food for much of the world and is being threatened by a DNA geminivirus pathogen, but scientists have promising leads for stemming the problem.

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Teacher Resources for the Video:

NGSS Disciplines Addressed in Standards Referenced Below:
• Life Sciences
• Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Discussion Questions:
• What examples of science and engineering practices do you see the innovators at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center using?
• Based on what was learned in the video, have students break down and explain the problem the scientists are trying to address and the proposed solutions they are researching. Discuss similarities and differences in their descriptions and come to a class consensus on both topics as students explore the scientific inquiry process.
• Do students believe that it is ethical to alter a plant’s DNA? What problems can they foresee with using this process? Do they feel the benefits outweigh those possibilities? Their thoughts should be supported by facts and research.

Activity Ideas:
• Have students ever eaten a cassava? Have them research recipes for this food plant and compare these with recipes for starchy root vegetables served in the United States.
• Have students break the word geminivirus into its component parts and come up with a definition of the word.

Resources for Additional Research:
• Learn more about the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center at https://www.danforthcenter.org/.
• Learn more about the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices at the NSTA website.

Unique ID for the Video: IinAction-34
• Use the unique ID as a shortcut for students to find this specific video. Click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Type in the Video ID as it appears above.

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