Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Microarrays and Stem Cells
Background reading is available in the first two pages of this worksheet, along with reading comprehension questions and a laboratory activity in which students use mircroarray technology to identify genes used in cell differentiation....
Curated OER
Lesson 18, My Friend Linda
Students explore Huntington's Disease. In this biology lesson, students read My Friend Linda and examine the ethical issues brought to light in the story. Students discuss biotechnology issues and genetic testing.
Curated OER
Model Organisms: The Genes We Share
Young scholars gather information about gene banks. In this biology lesson, students work in groups to complete an activity sheet about genetic databases and organism genomes. Lesson includes extension ideas.
Curated OER
Gene Regulation Mechanisms
Young scholars explore genetics. They discuss how chromosomes and/or genes are regulated during the life of an organism. In a lab setting, students compare and contrast the genomic regulation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells using...
Curated OER
Human Heredity Traits
Completing an idea map based on various inheritance factors and mistakes, 9th graders review their knowledge of genetic disorders. While the activity is based on chapter 15 of an unnamed textbook, the questions at the bottom of the page...
Curated OER
Babies Deserve A Good Start! Alcoholism: A Three Fold Disease
Students study the basic disease concept of alcoholism. The determine that alcoholism is progressive and explore the levels of progression. They name the three factors contributing to the cause of alcoholism and explain each one with...
Curated OER
Genetic Disease Pamphlet
Students design a pamphlet to inform and educate people about an inherited disease or disorder.
Curated OER
Genetic Pamphlet with a Purpose
High schoolers design a human genetic condition pamphlet which they present to the class and then take to a doctor's or pediatrician's office.
Agriculture in the Classroom
Roll of the Genes
Animal reproduction in sheep and cattle is explored with the help of Punnet squares. Scholars employ tools using probability to conclude the color of wool a sheep's offspring will have. Acting as animal geneticists, pupils then take...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
A Lesson on the Nature of Science
If you are looking for a great way to present natural selection in humans, look no further. This handout is intended to accompany the 14-minute video The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans, which can be found on the...
Kenan Fellows
Unit 4: Bioethics and the Future of Biotechnology
What's the future of biotechnology? Explore a hot topic in the fourth and final unit in a series of Biotechnology lessons. Learners develop an understanding of the many issues in bioethics, then create an argument for or against the role...
Curated OER
Health and Disease: from Measles to HIV/AIDS
Students consider health care and come diseases in any give community. They examine the differences between HIV and AIDS, and how they are spread. They discuss how the spread of AIDS can be reduced.
Curated OER
The Value of Genetic History
Students research and assemble their own pedigrees using star patterns for each family member and coloring in various dominant traits. They arrange these patterns on long strips of paper making large, colorful family pedigrees.
Curated OER
The Meaning of Genetic Variation
Students investigate variation in the beta globin gene by identifying base changes that do and do not alter function, and by using several Internet-based resources to consider the significance in different environments of the base...
Curated OER
Allele Frequencies and Sickle Cell Anemia Lab
Students investigate how selective forces like food, predation and diseases affect evolution. In this genetics lesson, students use red and white beans to simulate the effect of malaria on allele frequencies. They analyze data collected...
Curated OER
Human Genome Project
Students examine the goals of the Human Genome Project. They research issues of the project such as scientific, potential and ethical implications of the project. In addition, they create a presentation to present their findings.
Curated OER
Mental Illness: Could It Happen to Me?
Students investigate the effects of depression and the brain's influence on metal illness. The factors that may affect a person's ability to develop depression are examined in this lesson.
Curated OER
Talking 'Bout Regeneration
Students research the regenerative capabilities of certain organisms. They present their findings at a student regeneration symposium aimed at exploring the possibilities of human regeneration.
Serendip
The Molecular Biology of Mutations and Muscular Dystrophy
Different types of mutations cause unique types and degrees of muscular dystrophy. Scholars learn about the types of mutations and the impact on the body. They compare the location of the mutations and draw conclusions about how it is...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Identical Twins, Identical Fates?
Can different personal experiences affect our genes? Find out in an intriguing case study about one twin who is diagnosed with mental illness and her identical twin who fears she may suffer the same fate. Designed for college-level...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Breast Cancer Risk
How does one determine whether or not someone is at risk for breast cancer? Find out through a comprehensive case study involving two readings and a group activity in which learners assess four women's potential for acquiring the...
Curated OER
Environmental Causes of Birth Defects
Get your high schoolers thinking about the factors that lead to birth defects. They examine how environmental factors and personal choices can cause birth defects in unborn children. They discover the effects of various handicaps such as...
Curated OER
Genome: The Secret of How Life Works
What do you have in common with a fruit fly? About 60 percent of your DNA. The resource, divided into two units, is intended for grades four to eight and another for high schoolers. Both units include eight lessons covering the genome as...
Curated OER
Model Organisms: The Genes We Share
In this genetics activity, students access a website to learn about how human genes mutate to cause heritable disorders such as Huntington disease. Students use the information on this website to complete 12 short answer questions.