Proven Activities for
Teaching Genetics
Rachel Martin
Science Department Head
Getting started…
• When you fall and scrape the skin off your
hands and knees, how does your body
make new skin cells to replace the skin
cells that were scraped off?
• How does your body make sure each new
cell has all the chromosomes it needs to
have?
• How does a baby get his or her genes?
Meiosis or Mitosis?
• Use the provided table to sort your
statements into three categories.
–Meiosis
–Mitosis
–Both
Meiosis vs. Mitosis
Mitosis
Both
Meiosis
Body cells
Cell structures involve
spindle fibers
Reproductive
Cells
Diploid cells
Chromosome
replication
Haploid cells
1 cell division
Type of cell
division
2 cell divisions
2 daughter cells Occur in phases
4 daughter
cells
Ways to remember…
• MITosis takes the cell and Makes It Two
• Meiosis has to do with sex
• From the cell’s point of view:
– mITosis results in Identical Twins
– mEoSis results in Egg and Sperm
Why does the cell organize?
• Place your DNA in the nucleus of your cell.
• You have 2 sets of homologous
chromosomes with the alleles marked for
hemoglobin, ability to smell, and height.
• Challenge: Separate out these 2 sets of
chromosomes while keeping them inside
the nucleus.
Why does the cell organize?
• How could you tell which chromosomes
were homologous?
• Did you have any problems while you
were trying to sort out the chromosomes
inside the nucleus on your paper?
• How could you make it easier?
• Wrap each piece of thread around a piece
of straw and place inside the nucleus.
• Separate them into 2 pairs of homologous
chromosomes while keeping them inside
the nucleus.
• What process is this simulating in a cell?
What proteins are coded?
D
Defective height allele
results in dwarfism
d
Normal allele
Normal height
Genetics of
Sesame Street
Characters
What if Zoe and
Elmo fell in love,
and had a baby?
What would the
baby look like?
Homer
Honker
Henrietta
Honker
What traits
could be
passed on?
Genetics of Sesamus muppetis
Characteristic
Type of Inheritance
Eye shape
Dominant/recessive
Nose color
Incomplete dominance
Lips
Dominant/recessive
Body color
Multiple alleles, R, B, & O
Incomplete dominance
Sex-linked
Dominant/recessive
Hair
Grover
Characteristic Phenotype
Genotype
Eye Shape
Nose color
Lips
Body color
Flat
ee
Pink
NN, Nn
Has lips
ll
Blue
BB
Hair type
Bald
x hy h
Henrietta Honker
Characteristic Phenotype
Genotype
Eye Shape
Eyes Pop Out EE, Ee
Nose color
Orange
nn
Lips
No lips
LL, Ll
Body color
Purple
RB
Hair type
Hair
xHxH, xHxh
What if…
X
= ?
What would their kids look like?
Gene Map
Chromosome 1
E e
Eye Shape
Meiosis: eye color
e
E
Step 1:
DNA
replication
E
nucleus
e
E
Step 2:
Homologous
chromosomes line up
in center of cell
Nuclear membrane
dissolves
E
e
e
E
Step 3:
Spindle fibers
separate homologous
chromosomes to
opposite sides of the
cell.
E
e
e
e
Step 4:
Chromatids line up in
the center of cell.
e
E
E
e
Step 5:
Spindle fibers
separate chromatids.
e
E
E
e
Step 6:
Nuclear membranes
separate the
chromatids to create
four egg cells.
e
E
E
E
e
Meiosis
complete:
Half the
number of
chromosomes
e
E
Now what eye color traits would
Grover contribute?
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
E
E
?
e
e
Eye Color
e
e
E
Ee
Ee
e
ee
ee
E e
Chromosome 2
B B
Body Color
E e
O O
Eye Color &
Body Color
EeOO x eeBB
EO
EO
eO
eO
eB
EeBO
EeBO
eeBO
eeBO
eB
EeBO
EeBO
eeBO
eeBO
eB
EeBO
EeBO
eeBO
eeBO
eB
EeBO
EeBO
eeBO
eeBO
e e
B B
Xh Y
Chromosome 3
E e
O O
XH Xh
e O XH
e B Xh
h
e OX
e B Xh
Xh
O
E
E
O XH
?
e BY
e B
Y
Punnett Square
B
O
O
B
BO BO
Body Color
BO BO
e
e
EEye
EeShape
Ee
e
ee ee
l
L
l
l
LlLipsLl
Ll ll
Punnett Square
N
N
N
NN NN
xh
Nose Color
n
Nn Nn
xh
y
h
h
xx
h
xy
Hair
xH
x Hx h x Hy
Cross Results
Characteristic
Genotype
Phenotype
Eye Shape
1 Ee : 1 ee
Exo : endo
Nose color
1 NN : 1 Nn
Orange : Pink
Lips
3 Ll : 1 ll
No lips : lips
Body color
All BO
Magenta
Hair type
Xhxh : XHxh
Xhy : XHy
Female bald : carrier
Male bald:hairy
The Product Rule
EeNn x eeNN
½ Ee
½ ee
Ee Ee
ee ee
½ NN
¼ EeNN
½ Nn
¼ EeNn
½ NN
¼ eeNN
½ Nn
¼ eeNn
NN NN
Nn Nn
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