The Advantages of Genetic Engineering Outweigh the Risks. Do You Agree?

DISCURSIVE ESSAYS “The advantages of genetic engineering outweigh the risks.” Do you agree?

1) Think about the question. Underline the key words in the question. What do they mean? What is genetic engineering? What could be the risks and what could be the advantages?

2) Vocabulary – ask students to brainstorm words which they might be able to use in this essay. Put them into different categories. They could do a mind map to help them think about words.

Verbs Nouns Adjectives

3) Brainstorm – you need to have some strong arguments for your essay. First of all, ask yourself some questions as this may encourage you to find some ideas.

Example: a) What are the benefits of genetically-modified vegetables and fruit for farmers? Could this be of help in developing countries, such as those in Africa? b) How do you feel about the fact that we can buy genetically-modified food in shops? Do you feel enough tests have been done on such products? c) We have all heard of Dolly, the sheep – do you think it would be a good idea to clone animals that are on the brink of extinction? (Think about the film Jurassic Park). d) Do we have the right to use animals for such experiments? e) Should we use gene therapy to correct “abnormal genes”? What is an abnormal gene? f) In the future parents might be able to choose “designer babies” – how do you feel about this? g) If we find a gene for aggressive behaviour, should the government be able to change a person’s genes? What are the dangers of such actions? h) Do we need to set limits on such genetic engineering? i) Do you think scientists will ever be able to clone humans and if yes, how do you feel about this?

Now organise your best ideas into two columns:

Advantages Risks 4) Writing your essay a) You can set out your answer in a variety of ways:

Introduction Introduction Paragraph 1: Advantage Advantage Paragraph 2: Advantage Risk Paragraph 3: Risk Advantage Paragraph: Risk Risk Conclusion Conclusion b) Use some good connectors

Weighing up the pros and cons One of the major risks is that … On the one hand, …. On the other hand, … Although, it could be argued that …., it is also a fact that … While some scientists argue that …., others claims that … It is important to remember that …

Sum up your arguments: Overall (All in all) , I believe that / think that … In conclusion / On balance, I think that … Taking everything into consideration, it seems to me that … c) Writing a good paragraph Each paragraph should open with a THESIS STATEMENT – this is your main idea and it should answer the question. Then in the rest of the paragraph, you develop and explain this main idea and provide examples or evidence. Each paragraph should only have one main idea. If you want to introduce another major idea then you need a new paragraph.

Look at the paragraph below and comment on its strengths and weaknesses:

Another major advantage of genetic engineering is connected to the field of medicine. It is clear that with new advances being made every day, scientists will soon be able to use genetic engineering to eradicate diseases before babies are even born. Gene profiling will allow doctors to check a baby in the womb, identify potential diseases or a propensity for developing illnesses like cancer, “correct” or remove the gene, and so allow a healthy baby to be born. Whilst, many people may see this as progress, other voices are being heard and questioning as to the consequences of such meddling? Will it lead to designer babies – with parents being able to choose the type of baby they want from a catalogue? They fear that parents will soon be able to choose the eye and hair colour of their baby, and ultimately the personality of their baby? It is for these reasons that some people are calling for stricter laws on how genetic engineering develops in the future, before it is too late.

Now have a go at writing your own paragraph.