Two scientists from the USA, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, won a big award called the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024. They discovered something important about tiny parts in our cells called microRNAs. These microRNAs help control how our genes work, which is important for how different parts of our body function. This discovery helps us understand how complex life, like humans, develops and grows.

Ambros and Ruvkun did their research using a small worm called C. elegans. They found that microRNAs are very important for the worm’s development by studying worms that were missing certain cell types. MicroRNAs stop certain genes from working, which affects how proteins are made in cells. This process is important for making sure different cells in our body can do different jobs.

If microRNAs don’t work properly, it can cause health problems like cancer and other diseases. Understanding microRNAs helps scientists learn more about these diseases and find new ways to treat them. The work of Ambros and Ruvkun shows how important microRNAs are for life and how they help control what happens inside our cells.

Original news source: Nobel Prize goes to microRNA researchers (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down vocabulary words related to the article on small pieces of paper (e.g., genes, cells, microRNAs, Nobel Prize). Have students take turns choosing a word and acting it out without speaking while the others guess what it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student summarizes the article about Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun to their partner in their own words. Then, have partners switch roles and summarize the article again. Encourage the use of key vocabulary from the article.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., development, genes, proteins) and write them on the board. Have students take turns coming up to the board to draw a quick sketch representing the word for their classmates to guess. This helps reinforce vocabulary retention.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask students to think about the importance of the discovery of microRNAs by Ambros and Ruvkun. Have them walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they think understanding microRNAs is important for medical research. Encourage students to give reasons for their opinions using vocabulary from the article.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students think about a question related to the article, such as “Why are microRNAs important for understanding human development?” Then, have them pair up with a classmate to discuss their thoughts. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their answers with the whole class, encouraging the use of key vocabulary.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024?
2. What did Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discover about microRNAs?
3. How did Ambros and Ruvkun do their research on microRNAs?
4. Why are microRNAs important for the development of the worm C. elegans?
5. What happens when microRNAs stop certain genes from working?
6. Why is understanding microRNAs important for scientists?
7. How do microRNAs help control what happens inside our cells?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Two scientists from the USA, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, won a big award (1)______ the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024. They discovered something important about (2)______ parts in our cells called (3)______. These microRNAs help control how our genes work, which is important for how different parts of our body (4)______. This discovery helps us understand how complex life, like humans, develops and (5)______.

Ambros and Ruvkun did their research using a small worm called C. elegans. They found that microRNAs are very important for the worm’s (6)______ by studying worms that were missing certain cell types. MicroRNAs stop certain (7)______ from working, which affects how proteins are made in cells. This process is (8)______ for making sure (9)______ cells in our body can do different jobs.

If microRNAs don’t work properly, it can cause health problems like cancer and other diseases. Understanding microRNAs helps scientists learn more about these diseases and find new ways to treat them. The (10)______ of (11)______ and Ruvkun shows how important microRNAs are for life and how they help control what (12)______ inside our cells.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What do you think microRNAs do in our cells?
2. How would you feel if you won a big award like the Nobel Prize?
3. Do you like learning about how our bodies work on the inside?
4. Why do you think understanding microRNAs is important for treating diseases?
5. What is cancer and why is it a health problem?
6. Do you think studying tiny worms is a good way to learn about our bodies? Why or why not?
7. How do you think microRNAs help different cells in our body do different jobs?
8. What do you think would happen if microRNAs didn’t work properly in our cells?
9. Why do you think it’s important for scientists to study how genes work?
10. How do you think microRNAs control what happens inside our cells?
11. Do you think it’s exciting to learn about new discoveries in science? Why or why not?
12. What do you think could be some other ways to treat diseases if we understand microRNAs better?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. scientists
2. award
3. discovered
4. microRNAs
5. genes
6. function
7. complex
8. development
9. proteins
10. properly
11. diseases
12. treat

Meanings:
(A) A prize given for doing something very well
(B) Building blocks in our body that do many jobs
(C) Tiny parts in cells that help control genes
(D) Instructions in our body that decide how we look and work
(E) People who study and learn about things in nature
(F) The process of growing or getting better
(G) Not simple, having many parts
(H) In the right way, correctly
(I) To make someone feel better from being sick
(J) The job or role something has
(K) Found something new or important
(L) Sicknesses or illnesses
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun win in 2024?
(a) Grammy Award
(b) Nobel Prize for Medicine
(c) Olympic Gold Medal
(d) Pulitzer Prize

2. What did Ambros and Ruvkun discover about in our cells?
(a) Proteins
(b) MicroRNAs
(c) Carbohydrates
(d) Vitamins

3. What do microRNAs help control in our genes?
(a) How they look
(b) How they taste
(c) How they smell
(d) How they work

4. What did Ambros and Ruvkun study to learn about microRNAs?
(a) C. elegans
(b) Elephants
(c) Tigers
(d) Dolphins

5. What happens if microRNAs don’t work properly?
(a) Health problems like the flu
(b) Health problems like a broken bone
(c) Health problems like a headache
(d) Health problems like cancer

6. What do microRNAs stop from working in cells?
(a) Proteins
(b) Carbohydrates
(c) Certain genes
(d) Vitamins

7. Why is understanding microRNAs important for scientists?
(a) To learn more about animals
(b) To learn more about the weather
(c) To learn more about diseases
(d) To learn more about sports

8. What do Ambros and Ruvkun’s work show about microRNAs?
(a) They are important for life
(b) They are important for music
(c) They are important for cooking
(d) They are important for painting

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. If microRNAs work properly, it can cause diseases like cancer.
2. MicroRNAs activate certain genes from working.
3. They discovered something important about microRNAs in our cells.
4. MicroRNAs help control how our genes work.
5. MicroRNAs are crucial for the worm’s development.
6. Understanding microRNAs helps scientists find new ways to treat diseases.
7. Ambros and Ruvkun did not win the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024.
8. The scientists studied a large worm called C. elegans.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024?
2. What did Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discover about microRNAs?
3. How did Ambros and Ruvkun study the importance of microRNAs?
4. Why are microRNAs important for our body’s development?
5. How can understanding microRNAs help scientists with treating diseases like cancer?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024?
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024.

2. What did Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discover about microRNAs?
They discovered that microRNAs help control how our genes work, which is important for how our body functions.

3. How did Ambros and Ruvkun do their research on microRNAs?
They did their research using a small worm called C. elegans.

4. Why are microRNAs important for the development of the worm C. elegans?
MicroRNAs are important for the worm’s development because they help stop certain genes from working.

5. What happens when microRNAs stop certain genes from working?
When microRNAs stop certain genes from working, it affects how proteins are made in cells.

6. Why is understanding microRNAs important for scientists?
Understanding microRNAs is important for scientists because it helps them learn more about diseases like cancer and find new ways to treat them.

7. How do microRNAs help control what happens inside our cells?
MicroRNAs help control what happens inside our cells by stopping certain genes from working, which affects how proteins are made and how different cells in our body can do different jobs.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) called
(2) tiny
(3) microRNAs
(4) function
(5) grows
(6) development
(7) genes
(8) important
(9) different
(10) work
(11) Ambros
(12) happens
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. scientists
Answer: (E) People who study and learn about things in nature

2. award
Answer: (A) A prize given for doing something very well

3. discovered
Answer: (K) Found something new or important

4. microRNAs
Answer: (C) Tiny parts in cells that help control genes

5. genes
Answer: (D) Instructions in our body that decide how we look and work

6. function
Answer: (J) The job or role something has

7. complex
Answer: (G) Not simple, having many parts

8. development
Answer: (F) The process of growing or getting better

9. proteins
Answer: (B) Building blocks in our body that do many jobs

10. properly
Answer: (H) In the right way, correctly

11. diseases
Answer: (L) Sicknesses or illnesses

12. treat
Answer: (I) To make someone feel better from being sick
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun win in 2024?
Answer: (b) Nobel Prize for Medicine

2. What did Ambros and Ruvkun discover about in our cells?
Answer: (b) MicroRNAs

3. What do microRNAs help control in our genes?
Answer: (d) How they work

4. What did Ambros and Ruvkun study to learn about microRNAs?
Answer: (a) C. elegans

5. What happens if microRNAs don’t work properly?
Answer: (d) Health problems like cancer

6. What do microRNAs stop from working in cells?
Answer: (c) Certain genes

7. Why is understanding microRNAs important for scientists?
Answer: (c) To learn more about diseases

8. What do Ambros and Ruvkun’s work show about microRNAs?
Answer: (a) They are important for life
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. If microRNAs work properly, it can cause diseases like cancer. (Answer: False)
2. MicroRNAs activate certain genes from working. (Answer: False)
3. They discovered something important about microRNAs in our cells. (Answer: True)
4. MicroRNAs help control how our genes work. (Answer: True)
5. MicroRNAs are crucial for the worm’s development. (Answer: True)
6. Understanding microRNAs helps scientists find new ways to treat diseases. (Answer: True)
7. Ambros and Ruvkun did not win the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2024. (Answer: False)
8. The scientists studied a large worm called C. elegans. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧