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Middle School -Heredity Unit

OPENING QUESTIONS

1-What things do you think you have inherited? Make a list on board.

2- How do you think you have inherited these traits? Make a list on board.

3- Who do you think you inherited these traits from? Make a list on board.

4-What do you think DNA is?- Brainstorm and write on board.

ACTIVITY

STRINGING BEAD NECKLACE ACTIVITY

Provide string and various colors of beads 

In lab groups, string one necklace (chromosome)

Necklace= chromosome

Bead=genes

Report out how & why they designed their necklaces.

Why are there different lengths & different number of beads ?

HOMEWORK

Write your own definitions of chromosome and gene.

D AY 2

Share definitions

Questions-

Go back to opening question #2 list

How do you think you inherited these traits?

Try to get students to the point where they understand that each trait is a gene (bead) and the genes are located on the chromosomes (necklase). Some genes are on the same chromosomes, so all these genes are inherited together.

Each child inherited a (necklace) chromosome from each parent with the genes (beads) that are on that chromosome.

ACTIVITY:

Heredity Activity:

How many students have: Widow's Peak, Attached Ear Lobes, Cleft Chin.

Who shares what traits? Create chart. Are you related?

Possible Extension:

Ask students to survey family to see who else shares traits. Use activity from Prentice Hall Life Science chart & numerical grid.

3rd day

Discuss the students findings & compare with classmates.

In class Inquiry Questions-

What material is a chromosome made from? (DNA)

Guide them to the knowledge that the whole chromosome is made from of DNA.

If that is so.....then what are genes made from?

BRING OUT THE NECKLACES- review that DNA is organized into genes along the chromosome.

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

1-How can one gene differ from another gene if they are all made out of DNA?

2- Problem- There are only 4 different kinds of DNA, how they can there be 25,000 different genes?

3- Teach Triplet Code.

ACTIVITY

DNA Extraction from Strawberries

PREDICTION; What do you think the DNA will look like?

Do experiment 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Did the DNA look like you thought it would?

How did it feel?

How do you think the DNA from the strawberry compares to our DNA?

Is it different?/ How would it be different?

END OF UNIT

The students will understand that the code makes the strawberry's DNA different from our DNA.