It's alive! Turn young biologists into mad scientists with this engaging genetics activity. Using their knowledge of chromosomes and genes, students create dragons with unique sets of traits,...

Scientific knowledge of genetic information has grown quickly over the last decade. An interactive lesson has learners research the role of science and medicine in diagnosing and treating genetic disorders. They consider the job of the...

What's that buzzing in your ear? An insightful lesson about genetically modified mosquitoes! Partnered pupils explore the creation, release, and monitoring of mosquitoes designed to reduce the mosquito population. After watching a video,...

Did she cheat on her husband? Did the hospital switch the babies? Should they have children? As much as this sounds like the plot for a soap opera, all of these questions fit into a single lesson on genetics. Scholars read about three...

Brown rice contains vitamins B and E, while white rice lasts longer in storage. The availability of rice around the world makes it a great candidate for genetic engineering. Scholars apply their knowledge of genetic engineering to solve...

Each genetic disorder has its own story to tell. A research-based lesson asks individuals to investigate a genetic disorder using scientific web resources. Guiding questions ask them to explain the mode of inheritance and the effects of...

People with the sickle cell trait, but not sickle cell disease, find natural protection against malaria. Scholars consider various combinations of genotypes and environmental factors to determine if children might have sickle cell...

In a sweet simulation, junior geneticists examine the chromosomes of a fictitious Reebop marshmallow animal, combine chromosomes to produce offspring, and then make a model of the resulting Reebop baby. Phenotypes include number of...

Who's your Daddy ... and Mommy for that matter? Given a first-generation group of gummy bear offspring, young scientists must determine which bears are their parents. An activity worksheet covers the differences in genotypes and...

How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...

Don't want to sound corny, but your class will be a-maize-d by an engaging activity! Explore the history of the modern corn plant through a video and Punnett squares. Junior genetics experts get hands-on experience with actual research...

Need an a-maize-ing lesson to show your class how regulatory genes work? If you use the well-written resource, they'll be all ears! Biology scholars discover the gene responsible for the evolution of the modern-day corn plant through a...

Taboo, anyone?! A vocabulary review lesson asks learners to give their partners clues to help them guess the target word. The catch? There are words that are taboo. If they use the prohibited words, they don't get credit if partners...

Two fish appear different, but how do scientists determine their genotypes? Scholars practice performing test crosses to determine the genotypes of fish given their phenotypes. They answer in-depth comprehension questions and complete...

The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that alleles and genotypes remain constant in the absence of evolutionary influences. Scholars complete a simple hands-on activity applying the Hardy-Weinberg principle to sample data. They observe how...

Can you identify mutations just by viewing DNA sequences? Scholars apply prior knowledge of DNA sequences to do just that in an engaging activity. They transcribe and translate genes, thus identifying the locations of mutations. Then,...

Does where we live influence how our bodies express genetic traits? Explore variation in human skin color with an activity that incorporate video and hands-on learning. Individuals model the relationship between phenotypes and genotypes,...

Everyone loves a good mystery ... can your class actually solve one? Partnered pupils take on the role of forensic investigators during a three-part activity focusing on DNA evidence processing. Learners discover the methods used to...

Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...

Trace a genetic trait through an entire pedigree. A class activity provides pupils with an opportunity to explore a pedigree tree displaying a specific trait. They draw conclusions from the display and provide recommendations based on...

Explore the genetic component of the second-leading cause of death in the world using a hands-on activity. After watching a video discussing the basics of cancer, learners complete activities that study the genes involved in cancer. The...

How did the Ebola virus first infect humans? Young virologists examine genetic sequences from the 2014 Sierra Leone outbreak to find similarities during a riveting activity. Following similar methods used by MIT and Harvard, partners...

Around half of the states in the US ban first cousin marriage, but does science support that ban? Scholars work through genetic analysis of the risks to understand if more states should ban the practice—or if some should remove it. They...

More than half the world's population eats rice as a daily staple ... imagine if that rice could prevent illness. Scientists genetically engineered rice to include vitamin A for just that purpose. However, room for debate still exists....