Family Pedigree Project
Purpose:
To use what you’ve learned about genetics to create a family pedigree that traces 1 genetic trait through at least
3 generations of your family.
Objectives:
1. To create a pedigree for your family.
2. To test select individuals from your family for several genetic traits.
3. To determine which traits are dominant or recessive in your family.
Procedure:
1. Now that you’ve had some practice, you will start to make a pedigree of your family that will show one
genetic trait passed through at least 3 generations.
2. Start with a list of all of your known relatives (both living and deceased). It should be easier if you list
people according to families (ex: your aunt/uncle and their children).
3. Next to each name, list their date of birth (if known), their relationship to you, and any other information
that will help you to create your pedigree.
4. When you have listed at least three generations (including your generation), you can start to draw out
your pedigree.
5. Leave some space below each person in the pedigree (circle/square), record the person’s name.
6. Decide which trait you want to research about your family. You may use any of the following: ear lobe
attachment, tongue rolling, hitchhiker’s thumb, vision (normal vision vs. nearsightedness or
farsightedness, baldness, dimples, freckles, widow’s peak or any other characteristic that has only 1 trait.
7. After collecting all the data for your family, record it on your pedigree. Remember to color in the
circle/square of the people who have the trait.
8.
Use your pedigree to hypothesize the probable genotype of each of your family members. Include your
hypothesis about whether you think this trait is caused by a dominant or recessive gene.
Criteria
Pedigree
10 points
Pedigree is neatly
Drawn, Correct
symbols and
color coding are
used, Pedigree is
complete to 3
generations
Organization
Pedigree is neatly
organized
Generations and
symbols are clear
Explanation
Explanation is clear
and concise
Includes hypothesis
of
genotypes for each
family member
Includes hypothesis
of
dominant/recessive
trait
5 points
Pedigree is
somewhat
confusing
Most symbols are
correct with color
coding
Pedigree is
complete
to 3 generations
Pedigree is
somewhat
organized but the
reader has a hard
time
determining
relationships and
generations
Explanation is
somewhat clear
Does not include
hypothesis of
genotype
and/or hypothesis
of
dominant/recessive
trait
3 points
Incomplete
Symbols used
incorrectly or
missing
Late
0 pts.
Not included
Not organized, very
confusing to reader
Did not turn
in
Explanation is
incomplete
No hypothesis
made
Not Included