Heredity Teacher Resources

Easy-to-read notes about Mendel's Laws of Heredity make up this collection of slides. In bullet-point style, viewers are exposed to Mendel's pea plant experimentation and the rules he developed that govern genetics. There are no graphics...

Mia wishes her blue hair was inherited so that she wouldn't have to dye it, but Sam explains that eye color is. The video does not expound upon the concept of alleles. It does, however, describe inherited traits vs. learned behavior, and...

Young scholars learn that heredity comes down to the flip of a coin with this cross-curricular math and science lesson. Using smiley faces as a model, students toss coins to determine which dominant or recessive traits...

Ear wax, either wet or dry, is inherited on chromosome 16. The narrator of a video about heredity uses ear wax to introduce the concepts of alleles, dominant and recessive traits, and heterozygous and homozygous genotypes. 

Junior geneticists tally eye color and height in their lab groups. They examine certain traits in soybean and corn seedlings. For each activity, they gather data and learn about continuous and discontinuous genetic variation. In another...

If you knew people would pay extra for a bald dragon, could you pick which parents you should breed in order to get the highest number? The unit examines heredity and genetics through breeding dragons, mice, dogs, and tries to figure...

Learners are introduced to the basic principles of heredity. Through discussion and discrimination activities, they review the role of chromosomes and distinguish between those traits that can and cannot be inherited. High schoolers use...

Personality traits and physical appearance traits within families are the focus here. Learners make a poster which lists the shared physical traits they have with their family. Peers look at each poster and write down the traits they see...

Chromosomes, genes, traits ... how are they all related? A short video introduces the many factors involved in heredity. Junior geneticists explore the transfer of chromosomes from parents to offspring, the proteins created by base pair...

Students complete a pre-test on the relationship between heredity and the environment. As a class, they write down descriptions of themselves and identify which traits can be changed and not changed. In groups, they determine which...

In this genetics worksheet, learners complete 9 questions about heredity, genes, and alleles in the form of riddles, word scrambles, word puzzles, and brain teasers.

A brief animation introduces heredity to your beginning biologists. They will meet Gregor Mendel's green and yellow peas, dominant and recessive traits, homozygous and heterozygous alleles, and Punnett squares. In this cartoon animation,...

Six different chromosome activites introduce biology aces to heredity, chromosomal abnormalities, sex-linked traits, and the human genome. The hands-on activites are fairly simple for the teacher to prepare and will prove to be both...

In a sweet simulation, junior geneticists examine the chromosomes of a fictitious Reebop marshmallow animal, combine chromosomes to produce offspring, and then make a model of the resulting Reebop baby. Phenotypes include number of...

Got milk? Only two cultures have had it long enough to develop the tolerance of lactose as an adult. Learn how the responsible genes evolved along with the cultures that have been consuming milk. This rich film is supplied with a few...

In this science worksheet, middle schoolers find the answers to various types of heredity problems. They use the sheet to set goals for completing the unit.

Students choose topics for research based on human genetics and heredity. They conduct research via the Internet and write a brief explanation of the milestone in genetics and heredity and attach it to a class timeline. They share...

Students study genetics and heredity. They explore the structure of DNA and genes through a series of activities that includes watching videos, conducting online research, and making vocabulary books. They investigate DNA, genetics,...

This is a visually attractive PowerPoint that summarizes the life of Gregor Mendel and the genetic traits that he detailed.  Each slide has clear bullet points and lovely images that are helpful and relevant

Himalayan rabbits are black when raised at low temperatures and white when raised at high temperatures. Young biologists participate in an experiment using seeds to demonstrate the ways the environment can influence an...

Students explore genetics and heredity. They study meiosis and view videos and create vocabulary flashcards. They create a graphic organizer that compares and contrasts sexual and asexual reproduction in each of the six kingdoms. They...

A family tree of dogs guides students through this activity, in which students analyze the pedigree. With a key describing the genetic attributes (tall dominant, short recessive, or male/female), students complete five questions about...

Students describe the differences between incomplete dominance and codominant alleles, and between multiple alleles and polygenic inheritance. They describe how internal and external environments affect gene expression. They then...