Activity: Cancer Stations
Goals:
1. To identify the major causes of cancer.
2. To state the relationship between cancer and the cell cycle.
3. To describe ways some ways to help prevent cancer.
Background Information:
Cancer is actually a group of many related diseases that all have to do with cells. Cells are the very small units that make up all living things, including the human body. There are billions of cells in each person's body.
Cancer results when cells that are not normal grow and spread very fast. Normal body cells grow and divide and know to stop growing. Over time, they also die. Unlike these normal cells, cancer cells just continue to grow and divide out of control and don't die.
Cancer cells usually group or clump together to form tumors (say: too-mers). A growing tumor becomes a lump of cancer cells that can destroy the normal cells around the tumor and damage the body's healthy tissues. This can make someone very sick. Sometimes cancer cells break away from the original tumor and travel to other areas of the body, where they keep growing and can go on to form new tumors. This is how cancer spreads. The spread of a tumor to a new place in the body is called metastasis (say: meh-tas-tuh-sis).
Materials: Internet access, beads, articles on cancer, brochure on tobacco/smoking facts, table of cancer statistics, unitedstreaming video clip on cancer,
Procedure:
Rotate through the station activities and complete the required task(s) for each station. You do not need to visit the stations in chronological order. Answer all questions in complete sentences.
Station 1: Computer Website
1. Go to www.insidecancer.org. Select Causes and Prevention > Click on Overview. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
a. What percentage of all cancers are inherited?
b. What percentage of all cancers are caused by a synthetic material?
2. Click on Smoking. Answer the following questions:
c. Why is lung cancer almost entirely preventable?
d. What is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States?
Station 2: Video Clip (Skin Cancer)
· View the video clip on skin cancer and answer the following questions:
a. What is the name of the skin cancer often caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun?
b. What is the name of the chemical pigment found in our skin cells that absorbs ultraviolet light and keeps it from damaging our tissues?
c. Where are these chemical pigments located in our skin?
Station 3: Article
· Read the article Cancer prevention: 7 steps to reduce your risk of cancer and answer the following questions:
a. Describe 3 things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer.
b. List two facts you learned about eating healthy from this article.
c. How can you reduce your risk of skin cancer?
Note: This article can be found at: www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-prevention/CA00024
Station 4: What is Cancer? – A Simulation
You can work with a partner to complete this activity.
1. Use the circle on the paper provided to represent an area inside the human body. Use the beads provided to represent the cells in that area.
2. Suppose each cell divides every 30 seconds. Use the circle and the beads to model this situation.
3. Add one bead to the circle. This represents one cell.
4. After 30 seconds, the cell undergoes cell division producing two new daughter cells; therefore, add one more cell (bead) to the circle for a total of two cells (beads).
5. After another 30 seconds, the two cells in the circle will again divide, for a total of four cells (beads).
6. After 30 more seconds, each of the four cells in the circle will divide again with a total number of eight cells (beads).
7. Continue to model the divisions, until no more cells (beads) can fit in the circle (body area).
8. Answer the following questions. Refer to pages 71 and 72 in your text for more information.
a. Explain the relationship between cancer and the cell cycle.
b. How does this activity simulate the development of a cancerous tumor?
c. How does cancer spread?
Station 5: Tobacco Fact Sheet
1. Do not write on the brochure. Read the self-test questions on the brochure and respond silently to the questions (without writing or speaking).
2. Open the brochure and read the correct answers.
3. Write three new facts you learned about smoking and cancer from completing this activity.
a.
b.
c.
Station 6: Human Interest Story
Read the Science World article, Mortal Combat about Jack Andraka, an amazing young student inventor and winner of the top prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and then answer the following questions.
a. What was the goal of Jack’s research?
b. What are three advantages of Jack Andraka’s test for pancreatic cancer, compared with existing tests?
c. List two personal characteristics does Jack Andraka possess that helped him achieve his goal and why? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answer.
Optional:
Station 7: Cancer in the News (Current Events)
Read the article Super Sniffers in the magazine, Science World and answer the following questions.
a. Why are dogs able to detect the smell of cancer but humans cannot?
b. How do doctors usually detect ovarian cancer today?
c. Explain the process Preti uses to try to collect the odor signature from ovarian cancer?
Follow-Up Activity:
Staying Healthy: Use the information you learned about this topic to complete only one of the following activities.
A. Journal Entry: You may know of some habits and behaviors that can put you at risk of getting cancer; but there are also habits and behaviors can help keep you safe. Write a journal entry laying out some simple plans for the future. Pretend that it is January 1, and write your New Year’s resolutions describing your plans for a healthy lifestyle that will reduce your risks of cancer. Your journal entry should be at least 6 sentences in length. You may use the back of this sheet to write the journal entry.
B. Public Service Advertisement: Create a public service advertisement by designing a slide using PowerPoint or Google Presentations. Explain your ad in the “notes” section of the slideshow. Print your slide with the notes and and attach it to this packet.
C. Public Service Announcement/Video: Use your cell phone to make a short video (~ 30 sec.) educating the public about reducing the risk of cancer. Send your video to me at .