Cancer Project: Being a Patient Advocate

Just a few weeks ago, we finished our unit on the cell cycle.  The unit culminates with students presenting information on a certain cancer that they have researched.  We've done this project for two years now, and each time I feel like something is missing. I don't like to ask students to do work without a purpose--either to help them understand concepts in the class more deeply or to teach them a skill that will serve them beyond the AP Biology classroom.  This project was hardly doing either. Last year, I modified the project slightly, but after this year's presentations, I finally decided on the purpose of this project.  Instead of just presenting information on the cancer, students are going to become patient advocates.  They'll be researching information that would be helpful for a friend who is going through a cancer diagnosis.  When they are adults and face a health crises or someone close to them does, it will be helpful for them to know how to advocate for the patient.

In the past few years, I have had a few friends receive cancer diagnoses. There are two in particular who stand out to me.  One remained fairly passive in the process, didn't ask questions, and wasn't active in seeking treatment.  The result was tragic.  My other friend did incredible amounts of research, had active discussions with her doctors and chose her doctors and treatments with full knowledge of risks and rewards. Her outcome has been far more positive. I want to equip my students to make informed decisions about their health and be able to help others to do the same. Of course, knowledge doesn't guarantee a good outcome, but knowing how to find the information beforehand can be a huge help.

I've embedded the information and rubric I give students, and a link to it is here. I also have a Google Form that I use to evaluate students' projects as they are presenting. I merge that information into a feedback document for each student.