Genetics
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
Dr. Cassie Quigley
EDSEC 814
Seventh Grade Science
Amy Schaible
12/7/2012
PART II
Why teach genetics to middle school students?
Adolescents are beginning to discover themselves as unique people, separate from their families. It is
important that while they do this in a social and intellectual manner that we teach them the science behind their
unique traits. Most people are curious about why they look like they do. Many have probably been told they
remind them of another family member or look like their mother or father. They also may not be aware of
many inherited and environmental factors that affect them as they grow into adults.
Genetic research will influence all of our lives at some point. As advances are made in medicine and
health, our genetics effect how our bodies will react to these remedies and treatments. The more we learn about
the human body the more we find that our genetic codes answer many questions about humanity. The Human
Genome Project is only one such study that has the possibility of finding answers to how we age, whether we
are resistant or susceptible to certain diseases and treatments and many other issues.
As the human population grows, our food sources are being taxed to provide adequate supplies. Some
scientists are working on genetically modifying foods so that they will have increased nutrients or will be more
disease resistant. It is important that the next generation of consumers be aware of this movement so that
appropriate decisions may be made. Students who have studied genetics are more capable of understanding the
basics of these discussions.
Why did I select this topic?
I loved learning about genetics in middle school. I thought tracing characteristics through family trees
was so interesting and which characteristics were dominant vs. recessive was fascinating to me. I actually
thought I might like to go into genetic research until I got interested in other things in high school. Now that
my father has been diagnosed with the same cancer his father died from, I have an even greater personal interest
in the subject. The head of Spartanburg Regional Oncology Center, Dr. Jay Bearden, shared his excitement
about the field of genomics and the possibility of using it to cure cancer someday in the not too distant future.
Unit Objectives:
Students will understand and be able to explain what dominate and recessive genes are. They will be
able to give examples of dominate and recessive genes, especially those that relate to themselves. Students will
be able to use Punnett squares to predict inherited traits (simple monohybrid). Students will be able to describe
what genes, chromosomes, genotype and phenotype mean. Students will understand how our inherited traits
and our environment can influence our health and other characteristics.
South Carolina State Standards on Genetics:
Standard 7-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of cells, cellular
reproduction, and heredity. (Life Science)
7-2.4 Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms genes,
chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
7-2.5 Use Punnett squares to predict inherited monohybrid traits.
7-2.6 Distinguish between inherited traits and those acquired from environmental factors.
Instructional Strategies:
Wherever possible, inquiry-based learning will be employed for students to discover the information and
make connections to their experiences on their own. Some direct instruction will be used to fill in gaps where
students need vocabulary or methods coaching. I will facilitate class discussions using methods from the text
Classroom Discussion s1 which employ techniques such as revoicing for clarification and understanding as well
as procedures for effectively managing whole-class interactions. Group work will be utilized for inquiry tasks
and for part of their grade. Students will prepare an individual presentation on a genetic topic of their choosing.
1
Chapin, Suzanne H. Classroom Discussions: Using math talk to help students learn. Scholastic, Inc.: 2009. Print.
They may use a variety of different methods to present their information. A summative test will be given to
determine their understanding of the material.
PACING GUIDE:
PART III
1. Description
Greenville Middle Academy (GMA) is a magnet school for traditional studies (i.e. writing, reading and
mathematics) with a Global Studies focus. Greenville Middle Academy is located in the suburbs of Greenville
County. It is right off of East North Street between North Pleasantburg Drive and Wade Hampton Boulevard.
It is around the corner from Bob Jones University and abuts the campus of East North Street Elementary
School.
Of the 818 students that attend GMA, 28% are African-American, 11% are Hispanic, 3% are
Asian/Pacific and 58% are white. The gender distribution is 52% male and 48% female. Approximately 42%
of the student population participates in a free- or reduced- price meal program. There are 47 full-time teachers
and 3 administrators as well as 25 support staff.
2. Rationale
In many areas of science, your surrounding and environment play a large role in your understanding of
the topic and your ability to relate to the subject. If children have never seen an ocean, their understanding of
marine life is very different from children who live near or frequent the coast. A similar situation is the
difference of experiences between children in large urban cities versus those who have grown up in Greenville.
The schema with which we come to science class affects our ability to make connections and translate what we
are learning in the classroom from experiences we have had in our lives.
3. Description with regard to location of school
A unit on genetics is applicable anywhere. As long as students have a mirror and think it’s cool that
they can curl their tongue while their best friend cannot, it is a discussion they can become involved with. One
thing you need to take into account with discussions of heredity is circumstances where children do not know
their biological parents. Without a connection to their genetic parents, some discussions may be uncomfortable
for them. It might be interesting for them to learn about the inherited traits would have been those their parents
had as well as the environmental traits that we assume because of our surroundings.
PART IV
1. Equitability
Although genetics is something everyone can connect with in some way, it can be an uncomfortable
topic for students that do not live with or know someone with whom they share a genetic history. We will be
having whole class discussions about traits all humans share as well as those that make us unique. We will
discuss being able to determine an offspring’s traits when given the parents’ alleles. Although in conversation
students may talk about traits they inherited from their parents, we will not have an assignment where students
need to compare themselves to family members. Depending on the willingness and interest of the student,
those conversations may enable some students to fill in blanks about their parents such as whether their ear
lobes were attached or if their parents could roll their tongues.
All cultures and races share genetic traits. A possible conversation could also be about how our traits
can be looked at as similar rather than as different (such as the alien visit on day one). Personally, I find it
fascinating how we can look at physical characteristics of groups from cultures spread all over the world and
find similarities (South Americans, Asians, Alaskans, and many others). We can also look at the environmental
factors we all share by living in the southeastern United States.
2. Equitable and Ethical Assessments
We will be having several minor group grades throughout the unit, and the major grade will consist of
an individual creative presentation and a summative assessment. The summative assessment will be 50% of
our major test grade. The summative assessment will have multiple choice, matching and some short answer
questions. This type of assessment is fairer to the majority of students because many do not do as well on all
multiple choice or all essay. The individual creative presentation comprises the other 50% of the major test
grade for this unit. Students will have an opportunity to connect with one aspect of genetics that we have
studied (or that they have taken the initiative to research) and write a poem or song, take pictures and many
other options to share what they have learned.
3. Equitable and Ethical Structures
Because science is not typically a tracked course with distinctions between honors and standard work, I
will allow students to have a variety of opportunities to work at different levels and abilities through projects.
By structuring the projects with multiple options of style and presentation, students can work to their learning
mode and their particular intelligence (visual, kinesthetic, musical, etc.).
At this point in my experience, I find students who need to go to the bathroom or their locker and are not
allowed to do so more disruptive than if you had allowed them to go. Unless there is a mandate against it, it is
an inappropriate time, or it is habitual, I intend to allow students to go to the restroom or visit their lockers if
necessary. Most teams at Greenville Middle Academy have a procedure in place with the number of times each
semester a student can visit the restroom. I will abide by those rules while still allowing my students a
modicum of freedom.
As topics present themselves for discussions of ethics, I will attempt to provide my students with an
unbiased account of the facts. I will probably encourage writing of opinions or, if appropriate, modified debates
when students seem eager to discuss the issues and learn more about them
Development of the Unit Topic through K-12:
The first time the word “genetic” is used in the K-12 science standards is in seventh grade. Students have
learned about offspring having characteristics from parents as early as kindergarten. They are introduced to
cells in fifth grade. As students move into high school biology courses, the term DNA first appears in the
standards. I included the unit headings for how and where the terms that are needed to understand genetics are
found.
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
South Carolina
Standards
The Central Idea
Engage
Date: Day 1
Lesson Name: The Alien Visit
7-2.4
Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms
genes, chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive
traits.
Students will be able to identify characteristics that humans share and characteristics that make us
unique.
On the Promethean Board is the following (see PP: Alien page 1):
Only show the top half of the sheet. Have students brainstorm with their lab table group 3 ways the
three pairs of items are alike. Once groups have had a few minutes, create a class list.
Now, show them the bottom half of the sheet in yellow and have them come up with 3 ways the
three pairs are different. Create a class list.
Explore
(similar)
Use page 2 of the Alien PP.
An alien from outer space “beams” into the classroom. After looking around the class, the alien
shrugs and says, “I’m supposed to write a report about human beings. But, I can’t tell one of you
from another. All humans look alike to me.”
Why would the alien think we all looked alike? It is your job to help the alien see that humans look
different from each other. How would you convince this very logical alien?
Working in groups of four, answer the question: In what ways do humans look alike? (Remember
that the alien can’t read English though! Art supplies are on the counter in the back of the room.)
Explore
(difference)
Explain
Now that we’ve identified ways that humans look like each other, in what ways are we different?
Can we think of appropriate ways to differentiate between human beings to help our alien?
Groups share their ideas for helping the alien explain humans. Use one of the methods below to
organize your thoughts. How could we organize this information for the alien to take back to its
home planet?
 Venn diagram
 Frayer model
 Poster divided down the middle
 Other graphic organizers or models
Elaborate
To the alien, all humans have heads, bodies, appendages, eyes, nose, mouth, hair of some sort, we
eat food in the same way, talk in the same manner, for the most part get around in the same ways.
It would be easy for them to see us all as similar beings. They would have to get more familiar
with our habits and physical details to see how we are different.
Evaluate
We have a variety of different physical attributes that we could begin to separate ourselves by.
Could we not group people according to height? Handed-ness? Wearing glasses? Hair color? I
will encourage them to keep traits tactful and considerate.
Through class discussions and group conversations, I will continually monitor the level of
understanding and whether accurate connections are being made.
PP: Alien page 1
PP: Alien page 2
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
Date: Day 2
Lesson Name: Traits
South Carolina
Standards
7-2.4 Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms
genes, chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
The Central Idea
Our physical traits are inherited. Some are dominant and some are recessive.
Engage
Have students answer the questions about themselves on the Traits Survey All About You! sheet.
Have a mirror available at each table and the “Which One Are You?” PP on the Promethean Board
for students to reference. If they are unsure about a trait, they may ask students at their table for
clarity or they may ask me.
Explore
Uniqueness Activity:
Ask students to predict (on a sheet of paper) how many traits on the survey it would take to identify
one student as being unique. Then have all students stand. Ask a volunteer to read out their survey
results, one trait at a time. Students who do not share that trait should sit down. Continue until the
volunteer is the only one standing. Repeat the test with another volunteer then compare the
students’ predictions with the actual results.
Explain
Most traits do not mix like two primary colors creating a new third color. Some traits dominate
over other (recessive) traits.
Ask students to review their prediction and write a paragraph describing what we did in class and
what they discovered about what makes humans unique. Were students able to answer or think
differently about any of the questions that came up during the alien discussions yesterday? Also,
students should write whether they were surprised by any of the results and why they think they
might have turned out that way.
Elaborate
As a class, we will complete the other two columns of the survey chart and find out how many
people share certain traits. I will briefly explain dominant and recessive traits.
We will answer questions such as:
For our class, are some recessive traits such as No cleft chin more common than the corresponding
dominant trait?
What about curly hair or a widow’s peak? Students may make a connection between siblings or
parents having certain physical traits that they also share.
Evaluate
Have students put their name on the back of two post-it notes. On the front, write two of their traits
from the survey (i.e. “I have dimples” or “I have attached earlobes”). As they leave class, have
them put their post-it on the wall under the signs for Dominant and Recessive. I’ll check during
planning periods to see if students are putting them under the appropriate sign.
PP: Which One Are you?
All About YOU!
NAME: ____________________________
Complete this survey by putting a check in either the “yes” or “no” blue columns for each trait. We will compile a class
frequency in the other columns together (you will put a number in those boxes).
TRAIT
Are you right-handed?
Do you have detached ear lobes?
Do you have naturally curly hair?
Do you have a widow’s peak?
Do you have freckles?
Do you have dimples?
Do you have a cleft chin?
Can you roll your tongue?
Do you have allergies?
Is your index finger shorter than your ring finger?
Do you have a straight thumb? (not a hitch-hiker’s thumb)
When you clasp your hands, is your left thumb on top?
Can you see the colors red & green?
YES
Class
Frequency
NO
Class
Frequency
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
Date: Day 3
Lesson Name: Crazy Traits
South Carolina
Standards
7-2.4 Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms
genes, chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
The Central Idea-
Students will create alleles for specific traits that are passed to an offspring from parents. They
will learn how the dominant allele is responsible for the phenotype (what you see), but the
genotype is your genetic code.
Instructions on the Dry Erase Board:
Poll your table mates to see if any of them have more than 8 characteristics similar to you from the
list on yesterday’s worksheet. If they do, write their names down on the back of your survey sheet.
If none of them do, write down who has the most and how many they had in common with you.
Make a Crazy Trait Character (adapted from Museum of Science and Industry website):
1. Explain to students that offspring inherit traits from their parents randomly. Each parent
donates one allele; and it can be either the dominant form of the gene or the recessive.
2. Give each pair of students two poker chips. One blue and one red chip with a lowercase “a” on
one side and a capital “A” on the other. These represent the alleles donated by the mother (red)
and father (blue).
3. Demonstrate how to shake the poker chips up in your hands and lay them out. Then show
students where to record the information on their data sheet (genotype column). They should
take turns shaking the chips and recording their own results on their sheet. Each student should
shake the chips six times. Once for each trait.
Model for students how to determine the phenotype for each trait.
4. Have students complete the phenotype column on their data sheet using the chart.
5. After students have filled out both columns on their sheet, have them come get their supplies.
6. Students will create their Crazy Trait Character.
Once students finish their characters:
 Without talking, have students hold up their character and look around the room. What
color do they see more of? What shape? Why is that?
 Write the six traits on the board and take a tally for each trait.
 Have students complete a bar graph using two colors—one for dominant traits and one for
recessive traits-- comparing the dominant and recessive traits for each characteristic.
 Discuss the results as a class and talk about real life examples of dominant and recessive
traits that they are familiar with (blue eyes, red hair, dimples).
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Discussion from Engage activity: Even though you shared many of the same traits, would anyone
say that you two were alike? Would you be alike if you had all the items the same? Why or why
not?
I graphed the information from the surveys of all my classes yesterday using two different colors
for dominant and recessive traits.
Ask students to look at my graph and answer the following:
 Which traits (alleles) are most common in the class?
 Which traits (alleles) are least common in the class?
From the alien visitor discussions:
 What evidence (data) suggests that humans are similar?
 What evidence (data) suggests that we are different?
Class Discussion Starters:
How do we inherit these traits?
How do we get “assigned” our hair color or our handedness?
Evaluate
As students are completing the work on the Crazy Traits, walk around and observe them. If
applicable, ask questions of their results to find their level of understanding. Give students a , or + for their work.
Crazy Traits
Trait
Allele from
Allele from
Mother
Father
(red chip, A or a) (blue chip, A or a)
Genotype
(AA, Aa, aa)
Phenotype
(trait you see)*
Body Color
Body Shape
Nose Color
Lip Size
Hair Color
Eye Size
* The dominant trait will be seen anytime you have a capital A in the genotype column. The recessive trait
will be seen only if you have two lower case aa in the genotype column.
GRAPH THE CLASS
6
5
4
3
Dominant
Recessive
2
1
0
Body Color
Body Shape
Nose Color
Lip Size
Hair Color
Eye Size
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
South Carolina
Standards
The Central Idea
Engage
Explore
Date: Day 4
Lesson Name: A Recipe for Traits
7-2.4 Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms
genes, chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
Our DNA sequence is a code (or recipe) for our traits. Students will understand that the lesson will
focus on the phenotype (looks), not genotype (genetic alleles) of our traits.
As students come in, the PP1 will be displayed on the Promethean Board. Give students a minute to
figure out what we’re doing and show them PP2 How do you make a cake? Students should
eventually get to the answer, “you need a recipe to make a cake.”
Students will receive the handout “A Recipe for Traits” to create a dog given a set of chromosomes.
(From website http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/heredity/html/recipe.html)
They will receive a bag of strips like these with the symbols in different orders:
Follow the directions on the handout to create a dog with different traits. Use the Traits Key
provided to determine what characteristics your dog will have.
Explain
Ask the students:
 Besides a dog, what did you create today?
 What is the long strip of paper used for/what is it/what does it do?
 Are any two exactly alike? Why/why not?
Elaborate

This is the dog’s DNA sequence. Every cell in the dog’s body has this same sequence (plus
MANY more, like 20-30,000). This DNA “recipe” tells the cells to create a certain color eye,
certain shape of head, etc. We are only looking at the phenotype of the dog today – the dominate
traits that make the dogs look the way that they do.

Silently deal out a deck of patterned/colored index cards into 6 or 8 piles on the table in the front
of the classroom. Explain to the students that the cards are like the DNA sequence they made and
the table is a human body. On the back of the cards list different functions that only I can see as I
separate them (heart, lung, brain, liver, etc.)
 Ask students: All the cards have the same information on them (look alike), but why
would I be putting them in different areas of the body? Certain cells turn on certain traits
so that the DNA does its job in each area – creates heart cells that function like the heart
needs it to, etc.
 If one of these DNA strands doesn’t get turned on to do its job correctly, what might
happen? Disease/cancer/genetic mutation that causes problems – sickle cell anemia, etc.
Evaluate
Did students understand the purpose of creating their dog? Did they create the DNA sequence and
draw a quick picture of the dog with the assigned characteristics? Give students a , - or + for
their work.
PP Recipe: Page 1
PP Recipe: Page 2
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
South Carolina
Standards
The Central Idea
Engage
Explore
Date: Day 5
7-2.6
Lesson Name: Punnett Squares
Use Punnett squares to predict inherited monohybrid traits.
Students will learn how to use Punnett squares to predict inherited monohybrid traits given the parent
alleles.
Classroom Discussion:
Look at the dog pictures around the room. Can we tell which traits are dominant or recessive? No
What did the dog activity illustrate/show us about genetics? How our genetic code tells our cells what
to make for us to look like we do.
What information might we need to know to tell if a trait is dominant or recessive? If one of our
parents had that trait and the other one didn’t we could possibly tell.
So, it might help if we looked at the parents? Yes
What could we do to check to see if maybe long droopy or short pointy on the dog was dominant or
recessive? Check to see if one of the parents had long, droopy ears. If neither of them did, that would
tell us that it was recessive. If one parent or both of them did, that wouldn’t really tell us. But it
would be a good place to start.
We’re going to use a diagram called a Punnett Square to help us take two parents with long, droopy
ears (E) that we will say is dominant for our example, and they both have a recessive gene (e) for short
pointy ears. If they had a little of puppies, this is what we might find:
Procedure (demonstrate on Promethean Board together)
1. Draw a small square on your paper.
2. Divide the square into four smaller squares by drawing two lines, one vertical and one
horizontal, through the center of the square.
3. Label the squares E and e across the top and down the left side of the large square as shown.
4. In each small square, write the letters that appear above and to the left of the square.
Results: There are three different combinations of letters in the boxes: EE, Ee, and ee. Show students
how to complete the squares. Ask: How many of the puppies would have short pointy ears? How
many would have long, droopy ear?.
Why? The letter combinations stand for combinations of genes. Genes (locations on a chromosome
that determine inherited traits), located in chromosomes (threadlike structures in cells that carry
instructions, much like a computer program, to make the cell function), determine inherited traits.
Traits are characteristics, such as hair color, eye color, and height that help to identify living
organisms. For each inherited trait, the offspring has two genes, one from the father and one from the
mother. The gene that determines the trait is called the dominant gene, represented by a capital letter.
The other gene, called a recessive gene, is represented by a lowercase letter.
From http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/biology_it-takes/
Explain
Have students create an example individually of two parents with at least one having heterozygous
traits (tell what the trait is and assign it a letter). Swap papers with their elbow-partners and have them
Elaborate
Evaluate
complete the Punnett Squares. Check each other’s work. Describe the parents’ genotype in your
example. Describe the offspring genotype and phenotypes. Can you tell what % of the time each
phenotype will show up for your offspring?
Choose one of your examples and together create a different set of parents using the same traits, but
different genotypes. Create a next generation (if one offspring of each set of parents had children).
Write what you would expect their offspring to look like (phenotype).
If students finish early, have them read pp. 156-159 in their text books about the work Gregor Mendel
did with pea plants. It will reinforce the generational relationship of parents and offspring and will
prepare them for work we will do tomorrow.
Turn in one sheet of paper with the Punnett Squares of two parents, their offspring and brief
explanation on your way out the door.
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan Template
Name: Amy Schaible
Date: Day 6
Lesson Name: Mendel’s Experiment
South Carolina
Standards
The Central Idea-
7-2.5 Use Punnett squares to predict inherited monohybrid traits.
Engage
Instructions on the Promethean Board:
Explore
Gregor Mendel:
1. Have students read about Gregor Mendel (p. 156-158) in their SC Science Standards
textbooks.
2. Have a bag of green and yellow pieces of pipe cleaner. In pairs, students should randomly
pull out 2 sets of 2 pipe cleaners and put them on the laminated Punnett Square grid
provided.
3. Students should then “cross” each allele of both parents and lay the appropriate colored
pieces of pipe cleaner on the square. (Checkpoint)
4. Next, students should cross one of their offspring with another offspring in the group.
(Trade one set of chromosomes with another student pair).
5. Record results on lab sheet.
In order to determine how an offspring will look, Punnett squares can be used to organize the traits.
Punnett Squares:
Use PP: Punnett Squares
Step 1: Identify the parent genotypes:
Homozygous Dominant = RR crossed with a white plant that must be homozygous Recessive (rr)
in order to be a white flower
Step 2: Place the parents’ genotypes in place to be crossed.
R
R
r
r
Step 3:
Combine the genotypes for each box.
r
r
R
R
Rr
Rr
Rr
Rr
Step 4:
Write out the genotypes and phenotypes for all offspring
Genotypes (what you have): 100% Rr
Phenotypes (what you see): 100% Red flower
From http://most.org/curriculum_project/Life_Sciences/high/Prior/Pardon_the_PunnettHS.pdf
Explain
What are the phenotypes and genotypes of the offspring of two heterozygous
Scentilia plants who have Red flowers? Explain to your partner. (See if students draw a Punnett
Square to determine traits)
Elaborate
What will the offspring be like from the cross of a white hamster and a brown hamster if the brown
hamster’s mother was white? White is recessive and brown is the dominant trait.
Evaluate
If applicable, ask questions of their results to find their level of understanding. Keep a clipboard
during the week and give students a , - or + for their work.
For the Mendel Lab:
PP: Punnett Squares
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan Template
Name: Amy Schaible
South Carolina
Standards
The Central IdeaEngage
Explore – Day 1
Date: Day 7-8
Lesson Name: DNA & Environmental Influences
7-2.6 Distinguish between inherited traits and those acquired from environmental factors.
Besides our inherited traits, our health and well-being are greatly affected by environmental
influences.
Display PP: Crack the Code on the Promethean Board. Give groups a few minutes to work on the
solution. Did anyone crack the code??
Give the students a list of the mutated sentences. Have them work in pairs to determine what
happened to the sentence “Jack and Jill went up the hill”.
Here are the true explanations of the mutations:
Acquired Mutations
They are those that occur in the DNA of individual cells during their life span. These are also
called 'somatic mutations' as they occur due to the influence of the environmental factors. These
occur at the molecular level due to the presence of certain chemicals in the environment, radiation,
ionizing radiation, radioactive decay, viral infections and ultraviolet radiation. They cannot be
passed on to the affected person's children.
Causes of Mutations in Cells
Mutations can occur due to the mistakes made by the cell when copying or reading the DNA when
it prepares itself for cell division. It may even occur due to presence of environmental agents like
ultraviolet light, nuclear radiation and chemicals. Let us have a look at the various causes in detail.
Errors During DNA Duplication
Before a cell divides, it has to duplicate its entire DNA sequence. This is called DNA replication
that begins after the protein DNA helicase separates the double stranded DNA molecule into two
separate strands. There are many different types that can occur when the protein DNA polymerase
copies these single stranded DNA to make two double stranded DNA molecules. They occur only
when DNA polymerase makes a mistake once every 100,000,000 bases. The bases include adenine
(A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). Adenine always pairs with thymine and guanine
forms pairs with cytosine. Any alteration in these sequences will result in mutations.
Point Mutation
It is a single change in the one base of the gene sequence. For example, let us suppose that DNA
polymerase was to read the following sentence for replication:
Correct Sequence: Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill
Point Mutation: Jack and Jill Went Yp The Hill
The simple change from 'U' to 'Y' results in point mutation in the progeny.
Frame-shift Mutation
They are those where one or more bases are either inserted or deleted. When DNA polymerase
reads the DNA, it reads it in three 'words'. This means, any changes, shifts, additions or deletions
renders that sequence meaningless. Thus, the protein formed from that sequence is shortened or
abnormal. For example:
Correct Sequence: Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill
Frame-shift Mutation: Jack and Jill Went Yo hTe Iill
Deletions
When just one base or chains of bases are deleted from the DNA sequence, it results in deletion
mutation. These deletions can also result in frame-shift mutations. A number of genes are affected,
thus, the DNA is rendered meaningless. For example:
Correct Sequence: Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill
Deletion Mutation: Jack and Went Up The Hill
Insertion
Just as bases can be deleted, extra bases can be inserted in a sequence. The result is the same mutations in the cells that lead to non-functional proteins. For example:
Correct Sequence: Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill
Insertion Mutation: Jack and Jill Went Up Down The Hill
Inversion
This is a type of mutation that leads to reversal of the entire sequence of the DNA. For example:
Correct Sequence: Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill
Inversion Mutation: Jack and Jill tneW pU ehT lliH
Environmental Factors Affecting DNA Duplication
Environmental factors such as chemicals like hydroxylamine (NH2OH), alkylating agents, DNA
adducts, DNA intercalating agents, DNA crosslinkers or radiations like UV radiation, ionizing
radiation, radioactive decay or presence of a viral infection can lead to mutations in DNA. These
are caused by environmental agents and occur as follows:
Modification of Nucleotide Bases
When the nucleotide bases are altered, the DNA gets damaged. This can take place in the presence
of UV light, nuclear radiation or certain chemicals that have the ability to modify the bases. For
example, an altered base T will form a pair with C instead of A, thus, resulting in a mutation.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-do-mutations-occur-in-human-cells.html
Explain – Day 1
Have students answer the following at their tables and be prepared to share their ideas with the
class.
 What are two ways a DNA sequence can mutate?
 What might happen as a result of a mutation?
 Why is gene mutation a problem?
Show the double helix portion of the PP page 2 on DNA.
 Have students discuss what the molecule looks like.
 How would they describe it?
 Show the right side of the page and ask students to read it aloud.
 Have several other students restate the explanation in their own words.
Have students write questions they would like to ask a doctor about genes and diseases. I will
email them to Dr. Jay Bearden head of oncology at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center where
they are developing a genomics research center and use the results from the Human Genome
Project to treat cancer.
Explore – Day 2
Go to the computer lab/have laptops brought into class:
Online research of genetic diseases caused by environment: smoking, radiation, chemical exposure,
air pollution.
Online research of genetic diseases caused by heredity: Cystic Fibrosis, Tay-Sachs Disease,
hemophilia, Fragile X Syndrome, Marfan’s Syndrome, or sickle cell anemia.
Students should be prepared to share the following:
 Briefly describe (in your own words) what the disease is.
 Who is normally affected by the disorder (male/female, young/old, etc)?
 What are symptoms or characteristics of the disease?
 How is it diagnosed and treated?
 Is it life threatening?
Explain – Day 2
The class will work in jigsaw fashion with one table of approximately five students learning about
one type of disease. They will then split up so that one person that has learned about each disease
is present at each team table and they will share out what they learned from the online research.
Elaborate
Day 1:
Direct Instruction: Show PP: DNA page 1. Explain
formation and shape. Show physical example of DNA
strand (at right) to students. Discuss how the combination
of the four colors forms a code. Like our code we had to
crack, scientists continually crack DNA codes to give us
more information about our bodies. We also need to crack
DNA codes for diseases and food sources.
Day 2:
Show PP: DNA page 3. Explain how a drug to treat a
disease might react differently because of your genome.
We will Skype with Dr. Bearden for a few minutes during
class so that he may answer and address questions the students have about cancer and genetic
research.
Evaluate
Students will receive a team grade for their work during the last two days.
Excellent (95) Good (90) Fair (85) Tolerable (80) Poor (70)
 Briefly meet with each jigsaw group and listen to discussions to check for understanding before
they go back and explain to their teams.
 Did the students participate in class discussions?
 Were the students respectful to Dr. Bearden?
Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill
What happened to these?
Work with a partner to describe what happened to the sentences below to make them different from the title of
this page.
1. Jack and Jill Went Yp The Hill
2. Jack and Jill Went Yo hTe Iill
3. Jack and Went Up The Hill
4. Jack and Jill Went Up Down The Hill
5. Jack and Jill tneW pU ehT lliH
PP: DNA page 1
PP: DNA page 2
PP Page 3
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
South Carolina
Standards
The Central Idea
Evaluate
Date: Day 9
Lesson Name: Summative Assessment
7-2.4 Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms
genes, chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
7-2.5 Use Punnett squares to predict inherited monohybrid traits.
7-2.6 Distinguish between inherited traits and those acquired from environmental factors.
Once students have had a variety of formative assessments, a summative assessment is a good way to
determine if the material was understood. This assessment uses a variety of question styles allowing
students of varying abilities an opportunity to succeed.
Students will complete the summative assessment individually.
Name: _______________________
GENETICS TEST ~ Chapter 6
1. Select the word that matches each definition and put its letter in the answer column. (16 pts)
Answer
Definition
Vocabulary Words
The way an organism looks and behaves.
a.
Genes
A trait that is passed from parent to offspring.
b.
DNA
A trait that covers another form of that trait.
c.
Chromosomes
The passing of traits from parent to offspring.
d. Phenotype
Structure in a cell’s nucleus that contains hereditary
material.
e.
Genotype
A section of DNA that contains instructions for making f. Recessive Trait
specific proteins.
The genetic makeup of an organism.
g. Dominant Trait
A trait that seems to disappear.
h. Inherited Trait
i. Heredity
2. Using the Punnett Squares below, answer the questions as True or False. (8 pts)
Trait 1: Eye Color
(B= Brown, b = blue)
B
b
b
Trait 2: Earlobe
(R = Unattached, r = attached)
b
R
r
Bb
bb
R
RR
Rr
Bb
bb
r
Rr
rr
Eye Color:
______ a. One parent has brown eyes
Earlobe:
______ c. One parent has attached earlobes.
______ b. One child will have green eyes.
______ d. Most children will have
unattached earlobes.
3. In humans, the widow’s peak allele is dominant, and the straight hairline allele is recessive. If both parents
have widow’s peaks, how could they have a child without a widow’s peak hairline? (6 pts)
(W – dominant)
What are the chances of them producing an offspring without a Widow’s Peak?
4. Describe Gregor Mendel’s contribution to genetics. (3 sentences minimum – 6 pts)
5. Why would doctors want to study our genes? (6 pts)
6. Describe one disease that is hereditary and one disease that came about due to environmental factors. (8 pts)
Name: ANSWER KEY
GENETICS TEST ~ Chapter 6
7. Select the word that matches each definition and put its letter in the answer column. (16 pts)
Answer
Definition
Vocabulary Words
D
The way an organism looks.
a.
Genes
H
A trait that is passed from parent to offspring.
b.
DNA
G
A trait that covers another form of that trait.
c. Chromosomes
I
The passing of traits from parent to offspring.
d. Phenotype
C
Structure in a cell’s nucleus that contains hereditary
material.
e.
A
A section of DNA that contains instructions for making f. Recessive Trait
specific proteins.
E
The genetic makeup of an organism.
g. Dominant Trait
F
A trait that seems to disappear.
h. Inherited Trait
Genotype
i. Heredity
8. Using the Punnett Squares below, answer the questions as True or False. (8 pts)
Trait 1: Eye Color
(B= Brown, b = blue)
B
b
b
Trait 2: Earlobe
(R = Unattached, r = attached)
b
R
r
Bb
bb
R
RR
Rr
Bb
bb
r
Rr
rr
Eye Color:
__T__ a. One parent has brown eyes
Earlobe:
__F___ c. One parent has attached earlobes.
___F__ b. One child will have green eyes.
__T___ d. Most children will have
unattached earlobes.
9. In humans, the widow’s peak allele is dominant, and the straight hairline allele is recessive. If both parents
have widow’s peaks, how could they have a child without a widow’s peak hairline? (6 pts)
(W – dominant)
W
Both parents carry the recessive allele.
w
W
Ww
Ww
w
Ww
ww
What are the chances of them producing an offspring without a Widow’s Peak?
25% or 1:4
10. Describe Gregor Mendel’s contribution to genetics. (3 sentences minimum – 6 pts)





Father of Genetics
Studied heredity of pea plants
Noticed offspring inherited traits from the parents
Noticed that some traits dominated over other traits
Used scientific methods to study traits instead of just relying on observation and description
11. Why would doctors want to study our genes? (6 pts)




Human Genome Project
Help create drugs to fight diseases
To see if certain diseases were hereditary and by changing our environmental factors we can avoid those diseases
or prolong their effect
To trace evolution by looking at genetic traits across the world
12. Describe one disease that is hereditary and one disease that came about due to environmental factors. (8 pts)
Choose from the list we did in the jigsaw exercise
The 5 E’s Lesson Plan
Name: Amy Schaible
South Carolina
Standards
The Central Idea
Engage
Date: Day 10
Lesson Name: Express Yourself
7-2.4 Summarize how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring by using the terms
genes, chromosomes, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
7-2.7 Use Punnett squares to predict inherited monohybrid traits.
7-2.8 Distinguish between inherited traits and those acquired from environmental factors.
Students should be able to explain the work we have done over the last two weeks through a selfselected, independent project.
*This assignment was given to students on the first day of the unit. As students have learned about
different genetic topics and done different activities, they will have prepared a 1-2 minute
presentation to give in class today.
Assignment::
While we learn about genetics over the next two weeks, you will prepare a 1-2 minute presentation
to give to the class on Friday.
You may choose from the following methods to present:
 Comic strip
 Song
 Rap
 Poem
 Picture(s)
 Come see me for approval if you have an idea for a method not listed
Explore
Explain
Evaluate
You may present on any aspect of genetics that we are learning, such as:
 Heredity
 Gregor Mendel
 Traits
 DNA/Genetic Code
 Dominant/Recessive Traits
 Punnett square
 Genotype/Phenotype
 Environmental factors
 Genetic Diseases
 Genetic Research
 Genetically modified food
 Come see me for approval if you would like to present a topic not listed
Over the two week period, students will have an opportunity to learn about all of these topics. As
they develop questions and wonder about certain aspects of the topics, this project will allow them to
research and explore those aspects.
Students will give their presentations on the unit and answer questions from teacher.
A rubric will be given to the students on the first day of the unit so that they may properly prepare
their presentation.
Oral Presentation Rubric : Genetics
Student Name:
________________________________________
Score:
__________
CATEGORY
Preparedness
4 - Excellent job
Student is
completely
prepared and
followed
assignment
directions.
3 - Good job
Student seems
pretty prepared
and followed
assignment
directions.
2 - Fair job
The student is
somewhat
prepared or
followed
assignment
directions.
1 - Needs improvement
Student does not seem
at all prepared to
present or did not
follow assignment
directions.
Content
Shows a full
understanding of
the topic.
Shows a good
understanding of
the topic.
Shows a good
understanding of
parts of the topic.
Does not seem to
understand the topic
very well.
Presentation Style
The presentation
style is obvious.
The content topic
and style flow
together.
The presentation
style is obvious,
but the content
topic was not
covered.
The presentation style
is not obvious and the
content topic was not
covered.
Creativity
Student produced
a creative and/or
entertaining
presentation.
The presentation
style is obvious.
The content topic
and style do not
seem to fit
appropriately.
Student produced
a fairly creative
and/or
entertaining
presentation.
Student's presentation
did not show an
attempt at creativity.
Visual Aids
All visual materials
are easy to read
and accurate
Visual materials
are either not easy
to read or are not
accurate.
Student's
presentation
showed an
attempt at
creativity or
entertainment.
The visual
materials are not
easy to read and
are inaccurate.
Stays on Topic
Stays on topic all
(100%) of the time.
Stays on topic
most (99-90%) of
the time.
Stays on topic
some (89%-75%) of
the time.
It was hard to tell what
the topic was.
Visual materials are
needed for the style
and not provided.
Appendix A
Resource List
1. Bryant, Richard J. Toothpick Chromosomes: Simple Manipulatives to help Students Understand Genetics.
Science Scope, April 2003, pp. 10-15.
By using toothpicks as chromosomes with paint representing alleles of genes, the author describes how he
discussed and explained basic genetic concepts to seventh graders. He painted purple dots on 16 toothpicks and
white dots on another set of 16 toothpicks for each pair of students in his class. He then had laminated a genetic
cross diagram and Punnett square for the students to use with the lab. He used the pea plant traits studied by
Gregor Mendel to simulate the crossing of plants in various ways to illustrate how traits are passed from parent
to offspring.
2. “Crack the Code – How the Code was Cracked”. Nobelprize.org.26 Nov 2012
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/gene-code/history.html
The chronological path the scientists took to the reveal genetics as we know it today. The article discusses how
the “RNA Tie Club” met and communicated to share and discuss ideas about genetics before they were able to
publish their findings. A non-member, Marshall Nirenberg, actually cracked the genetic code before the
“Club”. Although the article is a bit dry in the beginning, the end of the article explains where genetics is being
used today to produce pharmaceuticals and to do molecular biological research.
3. Cowdin, Nancy. The Alien Lab: A Study in Genetics. Science Scope, October 2002, pp. 24-27.
A detailed outline of a lab that can be done to teach genetics to middle-school aged students. The author urges
us, as educators, to provide information to our students so that they will be more capable of understanding the
usefulness of genetics in our society. The activities in the lab seem rather cumbersome, but a scaled-down
version may be appropriate. This lab also went into more detail than the SC State Standards require.
4. NIH Publication No. 07-6284. October 2007. http://www.genome.gov/20519692
This online article was written by the National Institute of Health to give an overview of the Human Genome
Project. It explains that while we our designed by our DNA, we also are products of our environment. Our
health is impacted by our lifestyle and environment, but understanding your genetic heritage will enable
scientists to develop drugs more specific to treating you effectively. Several other references for more
information were included in the article as well.
5. Website: http://www.cccoe.net/genetics/teacher3.html
The “Gregor Mendel” Tutorial was succinct, but provided a broad overview of his experiments with pea plants
along with pictures. It explains the manner in which he conducted his experiments and noticed certain traits as
well as what the offspring results were from the crosses. The site defines dominant and recessive traits as well
as other relevant vocabulary that exceeds the standards requirements for SC.
6. Web article from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (The Sanger Institute is a Genome Research Institute in
UK) http://www.yourgenome.org/downloads/dgg_basic.pdf
This educational article defines all the components of genetics. It very logically and simply leads the reader
through the genetic vocabulary explaining and describing all the terms along with visuals. The article is
peppered with content that is too detailed for middle school students.
7. Website: Learn. Genetics. Genetic Science Learning Center. The University of Utah.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/tour/
The website has six “tours” that students may take of various elements of genetics: What is DNA? What is a
Gene? What is a Chromosome? What is a Protein? What is Heredity? What is a Trait? They are all several
pages in length with illustrations and explanations. It is written to explain genetics to someone who has no
background in the subject and is at a good reading level for middle grade students. The website will also read it
aloud to the students and they must advance the pages, so they have as much time as they need on each page.
8. Pennisi, Elizabeth. Human Genome is Much more than Just Genes. American Association for the
Advancement of Science. September 5, 2012. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/09/humangenome-is-much-more-than-j.html
In the late 1990’s researches who sequenced the human genome found many genes that apparently didn’t do
anything and termed them, “junk”. The genes that seemed to do all the work made up only around 3% of the
genome. A new project has found that these “junk” genes may play a role in turning on and off genes and may
make one cell a “kidney” cell and another cell a “lung” cell. This information will also advance research into
diseases,
9.
National Geographic. Glencoe Science. South Carolina Science: Grade 7. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2007.
The SC textbook for seventh grade, although becoming out-of-date, has an easy-to-read section on genetics.
The illustrations are helpful and the availability of the text makes it very useful. There were several chapters
pertaining to the information supporting and specifically about genetics. The information provided is far more
than is required for the state standards.
10. Website: DNA from the Beginning. http://www.dnaftb.org/1/
The website has 14 main headings on genetics beginning with the curiosity humans have in how they look all
the way to how the environment effects our inherited genetics. You can drill down into the site under each
main heading to reach manually animated tutorials with the scientist who is credited for the discovery or
experiment describing his methods. Under each heading, the site also has videos on the main idea from Biology
professors on genetics, biographies of the scientists who pioneered a particular aspect of genetics and a short
quiz on the specific topic