Module 9: Genetics
Essential Questions
(Indiana standards guides in parentheses-see below for script)
Why are offspring different from their parents? How does that happen? (7.1, 7.2, 6.4, 6.5)
Are all traits inherited the same way? (7.1, 7.2)
Can we predict the possible outcome of a cross between two organisms? (7.1, 7.3)
What tools do geneticists use to study inheritance patterns?
What is the process that allows organisms to reproduce sexually? (6.4)
Student Learning Objectives
*In order to answer the above essential questions, students should be able to:
1. Interpret Punnett squares (monohybrid only) to predict inherited outcomes.
Determine parental genotypes based on offspring ratios.
2. Understand that dominant alleles mask recessive alleles.
3. Explain how some traits are controlled by more than one pair of genes. Recognize this pattern of inheritance is identified by the presence of a wide range of phenotypes such as: skin, hair, and eye color.
4. Make predictions based on a variety of different inheritance patterns including dominance, codominance, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, and sex-linked traits.
5. Describe and model the process meiosis; including type of reproduction (asexual or sexual), replication and separation of DNA and cellular material, changes in chromosome number, number of cell divisions, and number of cells produced in a complete cycle.
6. Explain the role of meiosis in sexual reproduction leading to genetic variation. (Law of Independent Assortment)
7. Examine additional sources of genetic variation in sexually reproducing organisms including crossing over, law of segregation, nondisjunction, and fertilization.
8. Interpret various tools used in genetics.
Indiana Standards
Explain the cellular processes that occur to generate natural genetic variations between parents and offspring. (B.6.4, B.6.5)
SCI.B.6.4 2010
Describe and model the process of meiosis and explain the relationship between the genetic make-up of the parent cell and the daughter cells (i.e., gametes).
SCI.B.6.5 2010
Explain how in sexual reproduction that crossing over, independent assortment and random fertilization result in offspring that are genetically different from the parents.
Explain how the genetic information from parents determines the unique characteristics of their offspring. (B.7.1-.5)
SCI.B.7.1 2010
Distinguish between dominant and recessive alleles and determine the phenotype that would result from the different possible combinations of alleles in an offspring.
SCI.B.7.2 2010
Describe dominant, recessive, codominant, sex-linked, incompletely dominant, multiply allelic and polygenic traits and illustrate their inheritance patterns over multiple generations.
SCI.B.7.3 2010
Determine the likelihood of the appearance of a specific trait in an offspring given the genetic make-up of the parents.
Essential vocabulary
Indiana Biology I Modeling Instruction Program1
Punnett square
Ratio
Probability
Phenotype
Genotype
Monohybrid
Heterozygous
Homozygous
Actual Results
Homologous Pairs
Predicted Results
Pedigree
Carrier
Sex Linked
Karyotype
Autosome
Sex Chromosome
Trisomy
Dominant
Law of Segregation
Law of Independent
Assortment
Recessive
Incomplete Dominant
Codominant
Multiple Allele
Polygenic
Meiosis
Crossing Over
Haploid, n
Diploid, 2n
Tetrad
Phases for Meiosis
Zygote
Fertilization
Gamete
Oocyte
Spermatocyte
Nondisjunction
Indiana Biology I Modeling Instruction Program1
SequenceTiming ~18 - 21 days (timing is based on 55-minute periods)
- Meiosis Pre-Quiz [.5 day]
- Mitosis and Meiosis Comparison Lab [.5 day]
- Meiosis Internet Activity [1 day]
- Meiosis Foldable [1 day]
- Pipecleaner Lab [1 day]
- Meiosis Post-Quiz [.5 day]
- Mendelian Genetics Prequiz [.5 day]
- Paradigm Activity - Human Traits Survey [1 day]
- Inheritance Patterns Vocabulary Puzzle Pieces [1 day]
- Genetic Predictions [1 day]
- Spongebob Genetics Lab [1 day]
- Probability Pennies Lab [2 days]
- Incomplete Dominance and Codominant Traits [1 day]
- Multiple Allelic Traits [1 day]
- Polygenic Genes and Fingerprints [1 day]
- Mendelian Genetics Post-quiz [.5 day]
- Reading: Hemophilia [1 day]
- Thacker Family Pedigree [1 day]
- Human Karyotypes [1 day]
- Post Test
Instructional Notes:
*These activities can be modified to suite your classroom needs.
Meiosis
1. Meiosis Pre-Quiz [.5 day]
2. Mitosis and Meiosis Comparison Activity [.5days]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 5 & 6
Materials
Student Textbooks
Whiteboards
Pre-activity Discussion:
1. What happens during mitosis?
2. Is it different in different kinds of cells?
Instructions
1. They have little to no prior knowledge about Meiosis, direct students to pictures in textbooks or project a picture through LCDs.
2. Have students brainstorm a list of new vocab words from the images. Display these in an area the whole class can see them.
3. Student will break up into groups, whiteboard: compare and contrast Mitosis vs. Meiosis.
Post-activity Discussion
1. Once students have completed the task, hold a boardroom meeting.
2. Discuss essential vocabulary that was missed by students.
3. Meiosis Computer Activity [1day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 5, 6, & 7
Materials
Computer Lab
Student Worksheet
Pre-activity Discussion
1. None is required
Instructions
1. Five websites will be utilized
2. There is a student handout with follow along questions
Post-activity Discussion
1. What is the outcome of meiosis?
2. What are the similarities and the differences between mitosis and meiosis?
3. Why are mitosis and meiosis similar?
4. Meiosis Foldable [1day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 5 & 6
Materials
Blank Computer Paper
Teacher Background
1. Students will utilize this foldable to create their own visual and descriptive study guide for the phases of meiosis. Students will also utilize this foldable to identify the differences between meiosis I and meiosis II.
Pre-activity Discussion
1. None is required unless no prior discussion about meiosis has taken place.
Instructions
1. Students should begin with 3 pieces of unlined computer paper. Have the students fold all the pieces of paper in half lengthwise (“hot dog” style) and then cut the papers in half along this fold.
2. Students should then take the 6 halved pieces of paper and place one paper on top of the other, with approximately ½ inch separating each piece.
3. Students should then fold the bottom of the foldable up towards the middle to create a continuous ½ inch space between each layer.
*An example of the foldable layers is shown.
4. Once the template has been created, students should then provide the following information under each category.
a. Written description of all activities that take place during this portion of meiosis.
b. A detailed drawing of the cells during each part of meiosis. All visible cell structures should be labeled.
c. Students should identify whether the cell is diploid or haploid for each part of meiosis.
Post-activity Discussion
1. Upon completion of the foldable, have students compare their own foldables with the foldables of other students in the class.
2. Give students the opportunity to discuss with their peers possible details they may have forgotten or done incorrectly and make the appropriate changes.
3. What is this process called if it is forming sperm cells? Egg cells?
5. Lab: Pipe Cleaner [1day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 5, 6, & 7
Materials
Create Baggies of chromosomes for each lab group. Use pipe cleaners to represent the chromosomes.Each baggie should contain:
Indiana Biology I Modeling Instruction Program1
- 2 large green chromosomes
- 2 medium green chromosomes
- 2 short green chromosomes
- 2 large white chromosomes
- 2 medium white chromosomes
- 2 short white chromosomes
- 2 large red chromosomes
- 2 medium red chromosomes
- 2 short red chromosomes
- 2 large black chromosomes
- 2 medium black chromosomes
- 2 short black chromosomes
**Make sure chromosomes are cut to identical lengths; this helps to assure that students can form homologous pairs.
Pre-activity Discussion
1. Ask students the following questions: Why do cells need to divide? What are some ways in which cells divide? What do cells need to do before they divide? Why do they need to do this? How are new organisms produced? Which type of cell division is necessary to make new organisms?
2. Remind students that homologous pairs do not need to always be matching colors and lengths; they only need to be made of matching lengths.
Instructions
Indiana Biology I Modeling Instruction Program1
1. Students follow the instructions on the lab handout.
2. The teacher checkpoints during the lab can be removed for higher-level students or to allow students more freedom to learn the process. The checkpoints will help facilitate students modeling the meiosis process correctly.
Post-activity Discussion
1. Why is it necessary for meiosis to half the number of chromosomes in a daughter cell?
2. Discuss the comparison between meiosis to mitosis, including the steps involved and the outcomes.
3. Ask student to demonstrate crossing over. Discuss the impact crossing over has on genetic variation.
4. Use pipe cleaners to demonstrate Law of Segregation and Law of Independent Assortment
6. Meiosis Post-Quiz [.5 day]
*use the same quiz from activity 1
7. Prequiz [.5 day]
Mendelian Genetics:
8. Paradigm Activity - Human Traits Survey [1 day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 2
Materials
“An Inventory of My Traits” worksheets
Pre-activity discussion
1. We are all humans, just look around. We are all different or vary in some way. Why?Students should whiteboard their answers.
2. Hold a Board Meeting to discuss the answers given by students
Instructions
1. Students will take the survey
2. Collect data from the classroom
3. Graphing data individually
Post-activity discussion
1. Why are people different?
2. What causes these variations among individuals?
3. Are there similarities in individuals?
4. How do you think these similarities and differences relate to your families?
5. What is dominant vs. recessive? Which are dominant? Which are recessive?
6. Identify any traits that you share with your mother or father.
7. Can you make any connections to concepts we have learned earlier this year, or that you have learned in the past?
8. What do you think this next unit will focus on?
9. Inheritance Patterns Vocabulary Puzzle Pieces [1 day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 2
Materials
Inheritance Patterns Vocabulary Puzzle Pieces
Pre-activity discussion
1. Do you think that are traits that are not just dominant or recessive?
2. Do all traits are inherited in the same way?
3. What are the obvious and significant differences between various inheritance patterns?
Instructions
1. Pass out puzzle pieces to each pair.
2. Have the student pairs use the vocabulary to create a whiteboard containing information on puzzle pieces.
3. Students will then share this information in a board meeting.
4. Students will make corrections to the whiteboards during the board meeting.
5. After every group has presented, students will post their whiteboards around the classroom.
6. Each student will go to each whiteboard and copy the information from each whiteboard into their biology notebooks
Post-activity discussion
1. How does this information change your thoughts on how traits are inherited?
2. Even though inheritance patterns differ, can this information still be predicted?
10. Genetic Predictions [1 day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 2 & 4
Materials
Punnett Square Worksheet
Pre-activity discussion
1. Can we predict the outcome of a cross between two organisms?
2. Demonstrate Punnett Squares and Phenotypic / Genotypic Ratios
Instructions
1. Students should be given time to work through the Punnett Square worksheet. Ask them to attempt to include the ratios.
2. When students have completed the Punnett Square worksheet, they should move to pairs or groups, depending on how you would like to structure whiteboarding of practice problems in your classroom.
3. Pair/group should be given a Punnett Square problem. You may give two groups the same problem and have a dueling whiteboard session, or you may give each group a problem and have a presentation session.
4. Following each whiteboard probing questions should be asked regarding the whiteboards.
Post-activity discussion
1. Did you accurately predict the right outcomes?
2. If the crosses were done repeatedly in real life, would you see the same actual results 100% of the time?
3. How can a Punnett square be used to determine ratios?
11. Spongebob Genetics Lab [1 day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 1, 2, & 4
Materials
Bikini Bottom worksheet
Pre-activity discussion
1. Review necessary working vocabulary.
Instructions
1. Have students work in groups to complete the Bikini Bottom Genetics problems.
2. Assign each group a portion of the worksheet to whiteboard and present to the class.
Post-activity discussion
1. Have students present the whiteboards.
2. Ask students what surprised them about Spongebob’s genetics.
3. Refer to the misconceptions.Help students discover the error in the misconception. For example, “Why is blue always recessive?” “When Squidward gets married, whose genes will get expressed in their offspring, and why?”
Extension to evolution
1. Through a mutation, which causes a different phenotype, one of Spongebob and Susie’s offspring (SpongeLarry) has the ability to get oxygen from air in addition to from the water. *Let A = non-air breathing and a = air-breathing.
Some possible prompts for whiteboarding:
a. Explain how SpongeLarry got his phenotype.
b. If SpongeLarry finds a sweetheart who is aa, explain the advantage they would have by moving away from Bikini Bottom to live on Bikini Beach.
12. Probability Pennies Lab [2 days] *Two Options:
*This activity targets Learning Objective 1 & 4
a. Probability in Genetics Lab – includes dihybrid crosses.
b. Penny Probability – with monohybrid crosses only.
Materials
Preferred Lab Handouts
Pre-activity discussion
1. Review necessary working vocabulary.
Instructions
1. See handout for instructions.
Post-activity discussion
1. Have students whiteboard the answers to the questions of the activity you choose.
13. Incomplete Dominance and Codominant Traits [1 day]
*This activity targets Learning Objective 4
Materials
Photograph of red, pink, and white snapdragons (find your own pictures)Photograph of white, black, and Barred Rock chickens (find your own pictures).
Pre-activity discussion
1. Remind students about dominant and recessive inheritance patterns.
2. Is inheritance always that simple?
Instructions
1. Give students both sets of photos. Ask students to make a list of differences they observe.
2. Hold a board meeting for students to share their observations.
3. Discuss the patterns of incomplete dominance and codominance. (Give a clear definition of the two.)
3. Ask them to distinguish which organism represents these new patterns. Students should include possible Punnett square to support their opinions.
Post-activity discussion
1. Introduce students to the correct notation method for incomplete dominance.
2. Ask them to reexamine their student traits inventory. Are there any traits that appear to follow these new types of inheritance patterns.
14. Multiple Allelic Traits
*This activity targets Learning Objective 4
Materials
Simulated Bloody Typing Kit
Pre-activity discussion
1. Does anyone know how many blood types are possible for humans? Can you name them?
2. In small groups attempt to answer the following: keeping in mind the previous inheritance patterns, explain how this is possible.
Instructions
1. Follow the instructions included in the kit.
Post-activity discussion
1. Why would it be important to understand why there are multiple types of blood?
15. Polygenic Genes and Fingerprints
*This activity targets Learning Objective 3 & 4
Materials
Index cards
#2 pencils
1” transparent tape
Student data sheets
Pre-activity discussion
1. Familiarize students with the three basic types of fingerprints.
2. Demonstrate how to find the tri-radius
3. Demonstrate how to take the fingerprint
Instructions
1. Take fingerprints for all 10 digits
2. Identify the type of fingerprint.
3. Locate the tri-radii
4. Count ridges, record data
Post-activity discussion
1. Students calculate total ridge count. Discuss how genes influence the ridge count.
2. Students calculate their number of additive genes.
16. Mendelian Post-quiz [.5 day]
*use pre-quiz
Other Genetic Tools:
17. Reading: Hemophilia
*This activity targets Learning Objective 8
Materials
“Hemophilia: The Royal Disease” handout
Extension: Extended Hemophilia Pedigree
Pre-activity discussion
1. Discuss how some traits are inherited on the x-chromosome and why this is important.
2. Discuss the symbols associated with a pedigree.
Instructions
1. Have students read and answer the questions that are embedded within the reading.
2. Then whiteboard answers.
Post-activity discussion
1. Hold a board meeting to discuss sex-linked traits.
Extension to evolution
1. Show the extended pedigree of the English royal family and discuss how the surviving portion of the family is not affected by the disorder.
2. Tie this in to natural selection, and talk about how a deletion mutation can cause an individual to contribute less to the gene pool.
biology.clc.uc.edu
18. Thacker Family Pedigree
*This activity targets Learning Objective 8
Materials
“The Thacker Family: Constructing a Pedigree” reading
Pre-activity discussion
1. Review pedigree symbols and the basics of constructing a pedigree.
2. Remind students of some key vocabulary terms.
Instructions
1. Have students read the family history and, in groups, whiteboard the questions at the end.
Post-activity discussion
1. Have a board meeting and encourage students to discuss their understanding of pedigrees.
19. Human Karyotypes
*This activity targets Learning Objective 8
Materials
Karyotype cut-and-paste pages from Human Karyotyping Activity
Blank paper
Scissors
Glue/tape
Pre-activity discussion
1. Have a discussion on the problems that can occur during meiosis leading to chromosomal errors.