Curated OER
The Clark Family Story: Tracing the Cause of Hemophilia
Ms. Strohfeldt did not omit anything when she designed this comprehensive lesson plan on DNA mutation and sex-linked traits. Begin with a pretest as an anticipatory set. Read a case history of the Clark family and the occurrence of...
Curated OER
Genetics Practice: Beyond the Basics
What do you get when you cross a purple with a white? Genetics geniuses figure it out with a Punnett square. On this assignment, they must solve crosses for incomplete dominance, codominance, lethal dominance, and sex-linked genes. It is...
Towson University
Mystery of the Crooked Cell
Can your class solve the Mystery of the Crooked Cell? Junior geneticists collaborate to learn about sickle cell anemia in a fascinating lesson plan. The included materials help them to examine the genetic factors behind the disease...
Beyond Benign
Medical Ethics
Just because we have the ability to determine an organism's traits through genetic testing, should we do it? Middle-school medical experts examine the ethical dilemmas in biotechnology in the 18th and final installment in a series of...
Curated OER
Exploring Human Traits
Learners explore human behavior by participating in a class science game. In this human characteristics lesson, students identify different human traits that are passed down by each generation and the purpose each of them have. Learners...
Curated OER
Genes
Students explore the history, inheritance and mutations of genetics. In this genetic lesson students complete experiments on DNA sequences.
Curated OER
Traits
Sixth graders consider heredity. In this science lesson plan, 6th graders gain an understanding of certain physical traits are inherited from their parents through the genes.
Curated OER
Evolution and Genes
In this evolution and genes worksheet, high schoolers answer 10 multiple choice questions related to genetics, DNA, polygenic traits and heredity.
Curated OER
Human Traits
Students investigate their own traits and how they are affected by heredity. In this human traits and heredity lesson, students observe, compare, and describe physical differences among themselves. Students read the book 'We're...
Curated OER
Genetics Challenge
In this genetics instructional activity, students fill in the blanks with terms related to genes, alleles, genotypes, phenotypes and heredity. They use their answers to complete a joke.
Curated OER
Let's Get Square
Students predict possible phenotypic and genotypic outcomes for avariety of common plant hybrids. They review and explain the characteristics of dominant and recessive traits and explore Mendelian genetics. Students plot the possible...
Curated OER
Heredity
Learners are introduced to the basic principles of heredity. Through discussion and discrimination activities, they review the role of chromosomes and distinguish between those traits that can and cannot be inherited. Students use...
Curated OER
DNA Detectives
Fifth graders define dominant and recessive genes and that they have DNA from their mother and father. In this inherited traits lesson, 5th graders complete a punnet square based on their parents traits. Students decorate...
Curated OER
Happy Face Spider Propagation
Young scholars research genetic adaptations. In this chromosome lesson, students investigate dominant and recessive genes using spiders indigenous to Hawaii. Young scholars create Punnett squares to determine the probability of passing...
Curated OER
Heredity Mix 'n Match
Students randomly select jelly beans that represent genes for several human traits such as tongue-rolling ability and eye color. Then, working in pairs (preferably of mixed gender), students randomly choose new pairs of jelly beans from...
Curated OER
Inheritance Patterns in Zorks
In this inheritance patterns instructional activity, learners create a visual of a Zork using chromosome strips to represent alleles from the father and the mother to determine the traits in the offspring. Students translate the genotype...
Curated OER
A Microscopically Enormous Look at Genetic Inheritance
Students use microscopes to examine fly families and analyze their genetic inheritance. In this genes lesson plan, students also use the chi square for comparing genes and compare the class results as a whole.
Curated OER
Beauty: Patterns in Nature
Learners explore the patterns of nature. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine beauty in nature and participate in a hands-on simulation that demonstrates how human preferences for beauty have led to an increased frequency...
Curated OER
People Are Like Peas in a Pod
Students experiment with pea pods to observe/appreciate the diversity of individuals within a population, and to explain of how dominant and recessive traits, genotypes, and phenotypes help produce variation in a population.
Curated OER
Genetic Science Ethics
In this genetic ethics activity, students are given ten ethical questions regarding genetic defects, the possibility of gene therapy, test tube babies and creating a national DNA database. Students are given three choices for each...
Curated OER
Pedigree Charts
Students explain how offspring inherit traits from their parents. In this biology lesson plan, students investigate the genes for nicotine addiction using an interactive website. They construct a fictional pedigree using their chosen...
Curated OER
Family Pedigrees
Students work as a class to first construct a pedigree of a popular singer, showcasing the singing gene being passed down through the generations. Students then make their own family pedigree and follow two traits through their family...
Oklahoma State University
Hairy Heredity
Young scholars learn that heredity comes down to the flip of a coin with this cross-curricular math and science lesson. Using smiley faces as a model, students toss coins to determine which dominant or recessive traits...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Zebrafish and Skin Color
You may not know if that zebrafish in your fish tank is a model citizen—but it is definitely a model organism! What can we learn about ourselves from a tiny zebrafish? Discover more about the polygenic trait of skin color through a...