Lesson: An Unlikely Hero

Ask students to think about medicines and medical devices, like syringes, used by health-care workers. As a class, brainstorm ways in which companies that create these products can ensure they are safe. (For example, companies test new medications to make sure they work without harmful side effects; they manufacture under sterile conditions; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must approve medications and devices before they can be used.)

Play the video “Horseshoe Crabs” for students. Ask students: What makes horseshoe crabs unusual? How does their blood protect them? Why is horseshoe crab blood helpful to the pharmaceutical industry? Discuss how the blood collection process could affect the animals’ populations over time.

Distribute the “Word Detective” skills sheet and preview the vocabulary words. Talk about connections they can make to the words. Then open the presentation view for the online article. As you read the article aloud to students, use the highlighting tool to mark the vocabulary words from the skills sheet. When you have  nished reading, have students complete the skills sheet and share their answers and drawings.

Have students complete the “Crab Collection” skills sheet. When they have  nished, ask: Why was a stacked bar graph used to display the data? Discuss other ways you could display the data, such as separate bar graphs for each category, and the advantages and disadvantages of each style. Then ask students to use evidence to explain which threat to horseshoe crab populations—the biomedical or commercial industry—has a larger effect. Next, ask them to respond to the post-reading question: Consider the pros and cons of pharmaceutical companies using horseshoe crab blood to test products. Should they continue this practice? Why or why not?

Remind students that horseshoe crabs have been on Earth since before dinosaurs existed. Ask them to imagine what Earth may have looked like 450 million years ago. Distribute the skills sheet “Peer Into the Past” and have students conduct research, with guiding questions, to create visual displays of that time period.

⇨ VIDEO EXTRA: Watch a video about horseshoe crabs and the biomedical industry.

⇨ COVID-19 COVERAGE: Find online-only news that explores different angles of the COVID-19 pandemic.