CBC Archives

Review the parts and functions of cell structures with the students if they haven’t studied the topic recently. If students have completed the activity What Is Cloning?, they can review what they know about the fundamentals of cloning. If they have not completed the activity, they can do so now.

Have the students brainstorm the various uses of cloning, including animals, plants, and people. Then ask: Can you think of any reason that you would want to clone yourself? Remind them that a clone would be younger, would not share their thoughts, and would not be an exact copy.

Have students view Clips #2, 6 (starting at 8:20 into the clip), and 7 (starting at 3:30) on the topic Canada Enters the Clone Age on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. These clips explain the process of nuclear transfer. (The nucleus of an egg cell is removed and replaced with a new nucleus, which has been taken from any cell of the individual to be cloned. The new egg is stimulated with an electrical shock so that it can act as if it has been recently fertilized. The egg is then implanted in the uterus of a surrogate, where it develops normally.)

In pairs, students will construct a model that demonstrates the process of nuclear transfer. Their models should include an egg cell with a removable nucleus, a body cell with a removable nucleus, a nuclear transfer tool, and a method of stimulating the new cell. Students can use any materials they wish to build their models.

Students will use their models to demonstrate the process of nuclear transfer. Students should use appropriate terminology and be able to explain each nucleus’s origin and destination. After the demonstrations, ask: What claims to parenthood could be made by the egg donor, the nuclear donor, or the birth mother?

Cloning requires only one parent, so it is a type of asexual reproduction. Students can research other, more common types of asexual reproduction in starfish, bacteria, geraniums, aphids, hydra, or strawberries.