Lesson: Heredity Basics
How does a farmer who breeds two extra-woolly sheep taking advantage of the processes of meiosis, variation, and evolution in reproduction?
This lesson establishes the basic vocabulary and history of what built the foundations of modern genetics. People have always used selective breeding to improve crop yields or create domestic animals that meet their needs. People have always understood the risks of breeding within families. To fully understand heredity the students need to know the terminology and the role of probability in making predictions of genetic outcomes.
#content #criticalthinking #community #collaboration #communication #creativity
Objectives and Vocabulary: #content
BIO.5 The student will investigate and understand common mechanisms of inheritance and protein synthesis. Key concepts include
d) prediction of inheritance of traits based on the Mendelian laws of heredity;
f) genetic variation;
Vocabulary
Mendelian laws
Heredity
Genetic Variation
Recombination
Mutation
Genetic Diversity
Deleterious
Punnett Square
Probability
Prediction
Genetic Cross
Monohybrid cross
Dihybrid cross
Genotype
Phenotype
Homozygous
Heterozygous
Allele
Dominant
Recessive
Lecture Notes: #content
Vocabulary - Genetics (on one slide)or (as notes)
Activities, Assignments, Etc.
Introduction:
Relate selective breeding of crops and livestock and its outcomes to historical practices of genetic inheritance.
- specific examples could include cabbages, teosinte to corn, cattle/horse variation, dog breeds
Discuss the passage of traits within families, clarifying the difference between direct trait expression, variation in expression, and polygenic gene expression.
- diseases, ear lobes/widow's peak..., role of health and nutrition, skin color/eye color
Flowering Plants- handout drawing of flower structure and the difference between monocots & dicots. Preview flower reproduction as an interest developer for Mendel's experimental methods. - include flower handouts to allow students to self-check the characteristics to see if they can properly identify plant type based on features.