Kenan Fellows
Unit 4: Bioethics and the Future of Biotechnology
What's the future of biotechnology? Explore a hot topic in the fourth and final unit in a series of Biotechnology lessons. Learners develop an understanding of the many issues in bioethics, then create an argument for or against the role...
Curated OER
Pedigree Charts
Pupils explain how offspring inherit traits from their parents. In this biology lesson, students investigate the genes for nicotine addiction using an interactive website. They construct a fictional pedigree using their chosen...
Curated OER
Genetic Engineering
Students discuss the risks and benefits associated with biotechnology. In this biotechnology lesson, students discuss the role of genes in the body and brainstorm ethical issues relating to biotechnology. They read about an ethical issue...
Curated OER
High-Tech Food: Science in Your Shopping Cart
Kids are given a lot to think about, as they delve into the world of high-tech foods. They discuss GMOs, biotechnology, food enhancements and domestication. They view videos, engage in class discussions, complete worksheets, and learn...
Curated OER
Genes and Inheritance
Students explore genes and inheritance. After listening to a story describing a rare genetic disease, students discuss inheritance and how living things pass on traits to their children. In groups students, students decipher code...
University of Washington
Toothpick Fish
With colored toothpicks representing genes, youngsters practice passing them through generations of fish and learn about heredity. Consider this as an introductory activity since it does not represent recessive genes with lowercase...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
In Sickness and in Health
Based on family history, how likely is it that a couple's children will have a recessive disease? In an in-depth, but easy-to-follow case study, future geneticists learn the story of Greg and Olga, who are hoping to have children, but...
Curated OER
Fruit Fly Ranch Activity
Seventh graders describe how the traits of an organism are passed from generation to generation. They distinguish between asexual and sexul reproduction. Students identify traits through genes and those resulting from interactions with...
Curated OER
Life Cycles
Students identify inherited traits. In this heredity lesson, students watch a video and construct a genetic description of themselves.
Curated OER
Making Babies
Sixth graders complete a human traits survey. For this genetics lesson students read articles and fill out a worksheet on genotype and phenotypes.
Curated OER
How Unique Are You?
Students explore how genetic information is passed down from parent to offspring. Because of this, they examine how this causes the variation in each species.
Curated OER
How Do Organisms Vary?
Students study variation of organisms. They determine this variation arises from genetic and environmental causes.
Curated OER
Genetics 4 Mutations
Students identify and illustrate how changes in DNA cause mutations and evaluate the significance of these changes. They illustrate a chromosomal mutation such as duplication, deletion, inversion, and translocation.
Curated OER
DNA, the Awesome Thread of Life
Students examine how traits are passed to offspring. In this genetic reproduction lesson students develop a model of dna and learn about its structure, replication and function.
Curated OER
Chapter Fourteen Questions: Human Genome
This multiple-choice and short-answer quiz covers chromosomes, genetic disorders, and more. The multiple choice section could work as a pretest, as well.
Curated OER
Designer Genes
Students view a video on DNA. They discuss mitosis, meiosis and fertilization. They use strips of paper to simulate fertilization and analyze the genotype and phenotype of the combined chromosomes.
Curated OER
Natural Selection: Exploring the 'Ohi'a Common Garden
Seventh graders examine natural variation by visiting the Ohi'a Common Garden in Volcano, Hawaii. In this natural selection lesson, 7th graders study background information about phenotypes, genotypes, and phenotypic plasticity before...
Curated OER
Artificial selection
Students brainstorm a list of improvements they might make to a picture of a skinny cow to improve its milk yield. They draw ideas on the board and compare these pictures with the original and ask the students which cow they would use...
Curated OER
A Mendel Seminar
Students analyze Gregor Mendel's discovery of a process of biological evolution. They also explore how recessive and dominant traits are passed from one generation of living organisms to the next. This lesson involves environment...
University of Georgia
Monohybrid Crosses and The Punnett Square Lesson Plan
Looking for a quick, hands-on activity to teach young scientists about Punnett squares through monohybrid crosses? then check out this one.
Curated OER
Evolution and Genes
In this psychology worksheet, students complete 5 short answer questions about traits, mutations and the theory of natural selection.
Curated OER
Here's Looking at You
Students assess some common inherited traits which are easily observable and note their phenotype for the trait. Students compare their phenotypes to those of their parents and attempt to describe the pattern and manor of inheritance.
Curated OER
Evolution
In this evolution worksheet, high schoolers review genetic variability, gene mutations, biodiversity and adaptations. This worksheet has 22 fill in the blank and 10 short answer questions.
Curated OER
It's in the Genes!
Help your students discover more about themselves with these great lesson ideas involving heredity, genetics, and Punnett Squares.