Lesson Plan
Personal Genetics Education Project

Genetics and Reproduction

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Disease prevention or designer babies? Use a set of slides to introduce the growing practice of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. Teens read related articles and then break into groups to address different scenarios. Afterward,...
Lesson Plan
American Psychological Association

Using Psychological Perspectives to Answer Questions on Behavior

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Perspective is everything when it comes to assessing human behavior. Class members examine a series of statements and identify the perspective represented by each to demonstrate their understanding of different psychological perspectives.
Interactive
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Mendelian Genetics Cannot Fully Explain Human Health and Behavior

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The breakthrough of Mendelian genetics solved many puzzles for biologists. Then, scientists decided to apply the theory to human behavior. Learn the story and struggle of finding a genetic explanation for hobbies, interests, and mental...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genes, Environments, and Behavior 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the genetic and environmental factors that interact to produce variation in behavior across a population. They are introduced to the various approaches scientists use to explore this interaction. Students explore how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Do People Fall in Love?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners discuss human behavior, sexual selection and the underlying genetic and evolutionary reasons for mate selection. The, in groups, they rate the attractiveness of certain individuals and measure facial features for symmetry.
Interactive
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

DNA Is Only the Beginning for Understanding the Human Genome

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Mario Capecchi requested funding for a new procedure targeting genes and was rejected. Four years later, after he proved it worked, the NIH apologized and funded his research. Use an online interactive to learn about his research and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Human Traits

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore human behavior by participating in a class science game. In this human characteristics instructional activity, students identify different human traits that are passed down by each generation and the purpose each of them...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals and Humans Say the Darnedest Things

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore and analyze human and animal communications and create a short film that illustrates their findings.
Assessment
American Museum of Natural History

Nature or Nurture Quiz

For Students 6th - 12th
Eighteen questions ask pupils whether certain behavior or trait is based on nature or nurture. Scholars take a quiz, reflect on their answers, then challenge a friend or family member to complete it.
Unit Plan
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

In the Skin of a Monster

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Kathryn Barker's In the Skin of A Monster explores how a school massacre impacts a community. Unfortunately, the events depicted are all too familiar to many. This teacher's guide for Barker's novel offers activities that enable readers...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mammals: Mammals and Their Ways

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the difference between innate and learned behaviors. They observe the adaptations and behaviors of mammals in this series of lessons.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genetics, Birth Disorders, and Pregnancy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students in an alternative school setting for pregnant teens examine various facets of pregnancy including prenatal and postpartum testing, genetic influences, and additional risk factors. Through videos, hands-on activities, and small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching About Inherited Human Disorders Through Case Studies

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students explore case studies involving human disorders. They identify options and consequences of each decision. Students interview a family member with a disorder. They create a presentation of their interview.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genes, Environments, and Behavior 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how scientists study the genetic and environmental factors that interact to produce variation in behavior across a population.
Lesson Plan
Serendip

Cell Differentiation and Epigenetics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pregnant women exposed to PAH air pollution increase the risk of obesity in their children. The example of epigenetics, along with others, builds the basis for understanding the process of cell differentiation. Scholars view a video,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding: The Power of Genes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study genes and the new information on genetics.  In this genes lesson students write essays on their information on genetics. 
Interactive
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Some Types of Mutations Are Automatically Repaired

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Does natural light damage or repair DNA? Learn the answer discover the scientists who researched the topic with an online interactive. Scholars read through an online animation presenting the content at their own pace. Then, they read...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analysis of Grooming Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students engage in a lab that focuses on animal behavior in an open ended inquiry based laboratory experience. They build an ethogram, display a transition matrix and analyze a Markov Chain. They remove wings from the drosophila and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genes, Environments, and Behavior 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore how scientists study the genetic and environmental factors that interact to produce variation in behavior across a population.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are You Susceptible?

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students play a game to explore the relationship between genetic variation and environmental factors in the onset of heart disease. They consider the implications for disease prevention of increased knowledge about genetic variation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Communication

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students understand that all species have some capacity for communication. Students are exposed to the fact that all species have a capacity for communication. They are enlighten to the fact that communication abilities range from very...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Genetic--Or Is It?

For Teachers All
Students identify examples of the interplay between genes and environment on certain traits and discuss how the Human Genome Project has led to a greater understanding of the role of genes on complex traits.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Abiotic and Biotic Parameters to Monitor Air Quality

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify the abiotic factors that influence a river or stream and the organisms that live in it. They measure several abiotic and biotic parameters to gauge water quality. Students examine the biotic environment by identifying...