SCIENCE - GENETICS
APPLYING AND EXPLORING YOUR NEW KNOWLEDGE
Essential Question #6
ASSIGNMENT:
Journal #17
June 2008
Applying and Exploring Your NEW “Genetical” Knowledge
You have just learned a great deal about genetics. By now you should be able to:
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explain the “who and what” of the foundation of genetics.
create and interpret the Punnett Square.
describe the make up of the human genome.
illustrate and define the structure of DNA.
generalize the steps of DNA and protein synthesis.
(These are the concepts you need to know for the genetics quiz!)
So, why not apply and explore some of this new knowledge? Come on, show off your “genetical” know-how
and do ONE of the following tasks in the form of a journal entry. Before you start your entry, make sure to
state which task you have chosen.
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE:________________________________!
1. CHOICE #1 – “Bah, bah CLONED sheep have you any DNA?”
Read the attached article on cloning. Write a 3 paragraph response (i.e. intro, body, and conclusion) to the
article. Tell what you learned about cloning and whether or not you think it is an area of research that
scientists should pursue. Support your thoughts with details from the article. WARNING – it’s a tough
article but it’s definitely worth a try!
2. CHOICE #2 – “The traits around you”
i.
ii.
iii.
Make a chart on your computer or on a piece of paper like the one below. Label the first column “Trait”,
the second column “Dominant Trait”, and the third column “Recessive Trait.”
Observe the human characteristics and traits in the world around you.
Fill up each column with as many GENE PAIR TRAITS as you can. Shoot for one journal page in
length. An example to get you started is listed in the first row underneath the column titles in the chart
below.
TRAIT
HAIR COLOR
iv.
v.
DOMINANT TRAIT
BROWN HAIR
RECESSIVE TRAIT
BLONDE HAIR
You can repeat traits if you want to by using different dominant and recessive pairs.
After you finish your data chart, answer these questions:
a)
b)
c)
d)
WHY were you able to predict a trait to be dominant or recessive?
Were there any traits that you had difficulty in predicting to be dominant or recessive?
Were there any traits that you thought would be dominant but were recessive or vice versa?
What traits, if any, appeared to be a result of incomplete dominance, codominance, or a mutation?
3. CHOICE #3 – “Oh, DEER!”
Read the following TRUE story about Mrs. P and her “lucky friend.” Use the story, your new “genetical”
knowledge, and, if you wish, background research via the internet to perform the task that follows.
Before Mrs. P was married, she lived in Yorktown and would often get up early in the morning to
go for a run along the bike path that was close to her house. She liked to go running on the bike
path because it went through the woods and it gave her the chance to be “one with nature.”
When Mrs. P is “one with nature,” she finds herself in a state of peace and perfect well-being; in
other words, she’s truly “in the moment.” 
(Please take a break from your reading and do a little meditation “OHM” in honor of the mood she
was usually in during her bike paths runs.)
During her bike path runs she kept her eyes open for different forms of wildlife. She often hoped
to see something different on her runs – something different from the usual squirrel, robin, crow,
chipmunk, rabbit, or brown deer.
LUCKY for her, she often did see something different…she had a special, unique, amazingly
different “friend” that she got to see more often than not on her morning runs through the
wilderness…
This special “friend” was always in the same place. Just past the railroad bridge that allows the
bike path to go over the Croton Reservoir there was a densely wooded area. In that area, on top
of a raised portion of ground, her “friend” always waited to greet her.
The first time she saw her “friend” she was worried that something was really “wrong” with her
head (there is something “wrong” with her head, as you already know, but this sight made her
think there was something REALLY, REALLY wrong with her head ).
But, upon seeing it several mornings and doing some scientific investigation to check out why her
“friend” was so different and amazing, she knew that she was not really THAT crazy. She is now
glad that she “met” this friend because it has given her some really cool GENETIC information to
challenge her 7th grade science students with.
And who was her friend? Mrs. P’s “friend” was a WHITE deer. Yes, a WHITE deer. A WHITE –
not a BROWN – deer. OH, DEER! A WHITE instead of a BROWN DEER!?!?
Mrs. P referred to friend as HER lucky white deer. She looked forward to seeing it when she ran
the bike path and she often thought that it was a sign of something good…a sign of luck and
safety in her life…like something was watching over her and protecting her!
YOUR TASK:
So, “DEAR” students, now it’s up to you to figure out the reason behind the strange appearance of Miss P’s
WHITE “DEER.”
 Explain in a paragraph WHY Miss P’s Lucky deer is WHITE instead of BROWN. Ask yourself, “What
do I think genetically happened to cause this amazing and beautiful phenomenon to occur?”
 Remember to use your own “genetical” knowledge and, if you wish, some background research
via the internet, to complete this challenge.
 Support your explanation with evidence and reasoning!