This week, we started exploring heredity and traits. First, we got to test out different "bird beaks" and see which beaks were able to pick up which seeds best. This started our discussion on how traits are passed from one generation to the next and why it matters which traits are passed on. Next, they did a short vocabulary match so I could see what words they were already familiar with and we could begin to discuss genetics using the proper vocabulary. We went over a basic Punnett Square for eye color and the kids asked great questions so we were able to informally talk about incomplete dominance and why the recessive alleles are important, even if they don't manifest in the physical appearance (phenotype). I was really impressed with their ideas in this discussion and how they were thinking about this. Our final activity was to look as some of our own traits and see if we could figure out our own genotypes depending on if we showed the dominant or recessive trait.
Videos: Amoeba Sisters: Monohybrids and the Punnett Square Guinea Pigs--This will describe more about the dominant and recessive alleles that we talked about in class. Amoeba Sisters: Pedigrees--This one goes over the pedigree chart which we briefly talked about at the end of class because there is a place to fill one out after gathering the information about your family this week. How Mendel's Pea Plants Helped Us Understand Genetics--We briefly introduced Gregor Mendel today, but didn't get a chance to talk much about his experiments that led to early understanding of genetics. This is a short Ted-Ed on what he did. Books: Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas--A great, approachable book about Mendel and his experiments. Activities: Gregor Mendel Lesson Ideas--This blog post contains notebooking pages, links to videos and books, and more ideas to go along with this study--like growing your own pea plants at home. Conduct your own genetic experiments with plants, just like Mendel did! Try this experiment. If pedigrees are interesting to you, there are lots of worksheets and activities available to learn more about how they work. This is one example, but there are a lot of others out there, too. Once again, if you have access to it, I highly recommend exploring Gizmos and their options under genetics--there are so many simulations and virtual experiments that the students can play with. Try Mouse Genetics or Chicken Genetics.
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May 2020
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