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Engage
About
the Activity:
In this Engage activity, each team of four students will be given
a role card. Role Play Cards identify the age, health, and activities
of a particular individual. Students work in their teams to answer
a set of questions which will lead them to discuss the issues of
age and life expectancy. Students should discover that age may or
may not determine life expectancy.
Illustration by William Arnold and Stephen T. Brown, The
Paradox of Immortality
Advanced
Preparation:
One - two weeks prior to beginning the Engage activity, hand out
three copies of The
Biology of Aging Survey to each student. Give them 7 - 10 days
to conduct their interviews. Encourage students to interview various
age groups over 60. They should consider grandparents, neighbors,
and friends. They should type a one-page paper following the instructions
on the Survey
Follow-Up. Due date for the paper should be the day following
the Engage activity.
Procedure:
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- Explain to students
that as an extension to (whatever unit you have been
studying) they will be learning about the biology of
aging. To get them focused on the subject, ask them how
old you would have to be to be considered "old."
Allow a brief discussion. Organize students into teams of
4.
- Hand out one
Role Play Card
to each team. Also, hand out the Role
Playing Student Activity Sheet.
- Give students
5 minutes to read their cards and answer questions 1 - 3
on the student activity sheet.
- When students
have completed their task, have a member of each team read
their card aloud. Then have each team answer questions 4
- 6 on the student activity sheet.
- Discuss team
responses as a class. Lead students in a discussion of "Does
age determine life expectancy?"
- End activity
with a discussion on how age may affect life expectancy.
- Remind students
that their The
Biology of Aging Survey interviews and Survey Follow-up
are due the next day.
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