I CAN use Mendel’s laws to show how genetic traits are passed from generation to
generation.
You are a scientist studying the genetic makeup and patterns of inheritance of a newly
discovered organism that lived on Earth millions of years ago (for example, an ancient
monster that roamed the Earth millions of years ago; a marine animal that lived in the
depths of the ocean; or even an alien species that once visited our planet).
PHASE I
Create an organism. Use your imagination. Draw and color a male and female
version (2 parents).
PHASE II
Make a table that lists 5 different traits that your organisms have, with two forms
of each trait. Decide which form is dominant or recessive by assigning capital or
lower case letters for each.
TRAIT
Eye color
Number of feet
DOMINANT
Purple (P)
Four (F)
RECESSIVE
Orange (p)
One (f)
PHASE III
Determine the genotypes and phenotypes of your 2 parents for each trait.
Eye color
Number of feet
MALE
Phenotype Genotype
Orange
pp
Four
Ff
FEMALE
Phenotype Genotype
Purple
Pp
Four
Ff
PHASE IV
Complete 2 Punnett Squares of any 2 of your organism’s traits. Give the probability
(in %) for the possible traits in the offspring.
Rubric - Mendelian Genetics Performance Task
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Does Not Meet
Expectations
(Needs revision)
2
Sketches are somewhat neat
and colorful. 3-4 traits are
represented. Male and
female show less than 3
different phenotypes.
4
Sketches are colorful and neat, male
and female depicted with at least 5
traits. Males and females show
different phenotypes for all of the
traits.
3
Sketches are colorful and neat,
male and female depicted with all
5 traits represented. Males and
females show different
phenotypes for 3-4 of the traits.
Traits
More than 5 traits are used with
correct representation of dominant
and recessive forms.
5 traits with correct representation 3-4 traits with correct
of dominant and recessive forms. representation of dominant
and recessive forms.
Genotypes
and
Phenotypes
Includes correctly written genotypes
and phenotypes of more than 5 traits
for both the male and female
organisms.
Includes correctly written
genotypes and phenotypes of 5
traits for both the male and
female organisms
Punnett
Squares
More than 2 Punnett Squares
correctly show the crosses of traits
and the correct probabilities of
offspring phenotypes are reported for
each trait.
2 Punnett Squares correctly show
the crosses of traits and the
correct probabilities of offspring
phenotypes are reported for each
trait.
Organism
Includes correctly written
genotypes and phenotypes
of at least 4 traits for both
the male and female
organisms
2 Punnett Squares correctly
show the crosses of traits,
but the probabilities of
offspring phenotypes are
incorrect.
Does Not Meet
Expectaitions
(Need work)
1
Sketches are not neat or
colorful. Less than 3 traits
are represented. Male and
female show no
differences.
Less than 3 traits with
correctly represented
dominant and recessive
forms.
Includes correctly written
genotypes and
phenotypes of less than 4
traits for both the male
and female organisms,
There are no correct
crosses of 2 traits or
probabilities of offspring
phenotypes.
Total Points
Points