Laws of Inheritance Teacher Resources

Students analyze genetic characteristics in a given family tree through the F2 generation. Students apply prior knowledge from Gregor Mendel's study with pea plants and his Laws of Heredity to answer questions.

Did you know that selective breeding is behind the food we're eating? Discover the agricultural practice that changed humans from foragers to farmers using an insightful video that is part of the Fuse School playlist on Evolution. Young...

Can just anyone develop cystic fibrosis? Examine the symptoms, treatment, and life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients through a video from an engaging biology series. Topics include the genetics behind the illness, when in life...

Students predict the probable mode of inheritance from a pedigree diagram showing phenotypes. They study the genetic basis for Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment. They give a Power Point slide show demonstrating the...

Imagine a pair of dragons that produce offspring. What percentage of the hatchlings have wings and large antlers? An engaging activity draws genetics learners in, introduces them to alleles, meiosis, phenotypes, genotypes, and...

Reebops are cute, marshmallow-based creatures that can be used to teach inheritance. Beginning biologists draw strips of paper that represent chromosomes from two envelopes, one for the father, and one for the mother. Each parent...

Students create a family pedigree, relate the laws of inheritance to a family pedigree, and determine certain phenotypes and corresponding genotypes of members in their family.

Students model traits on genes using colored paper and tongue depressors to represent chromosomes. In this heredity lesson plan, students use their "chromosome sticks" to understand chromosome pairs, genes, dominant traits, recessive...

Seventh graders describe how the traits of an organism are passed from generation to generation. They distinguish between asexual and sexul reproduction. Students identify traits through genes and those resulting from interactions with...

Why can't mules have babies? Answer this—and other burning animal kingdom mysteries—with a short, sweet speciation video! Zoology scholars examine the ins and out of evolution, the role geography plays in inheritable traits, and, most of...

In this biology worksheet, 9th graders determine whether it is possible for two alleles to produce four genotypes. Then they state how many alleles there are for blood type. Students also determine which blood type is inherited by...

In this traits worksheet, students will write down 2 facts about how traits are inherited and then come to a conclusion based on their facts. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.

Any pattern of inheritance that does not follow Mendel's laws uses non-Mendelian inheritance. The video explains this type of genetics with many guided practice problems. It covers incomplete dominance, codominance, and sex-linked traits.

Two individuals share 99.9 percent of their genetic codes, yet diversity is observed everywhere. Young scientists learn about diversity through hands-on activities and an experiment. They apply the concepts of independent assortment and...

In this genetics learning exercise, students use a pedigree to determine if any of the offspring carry a recessive trait. This learning exercise has 5 fill in the blank and 5 short answer questions.

In this genetics worksheet, students will compare four pea plants with different alleles that control flower color and complete 5 short answer questions. Then students will read 8 statements about genetic mutations and determine if the...

Welcome to Biology! Introduce pupils to a subject conceptualized by Aristotle in 300 BC through a presentation and worksheet. It covers the themes of biology, characteristics of life, the scientific method, microscopes, and measurements.

Help mice beat the odds with an exciting activity about traits. Biologists discover the role of diet and other factors on animal traits by participating in a simulation activity. Teams collect and evaluate data to understand how certain...

Show your class why restrictions aren't always a bad thing. In the third segment of a four-part series, the instructor develops the idea of restriction enzymes. Pupils learn how scientists use restriction enzymes in DNA analysis and DNA...

Use food coloring in electrophoresis. The last segment in a four-part series mimics DNA fingerprinting by using chromatography. Teams conduct chromatography on food coloring to find colors that use similar pigmentation in their makeup.

Mutations have a bad reputation ... but are they always harmful? Junior geneticists explore mutations and their effects in a Fuse School Evolution video. The content features sickle cell disease, its effects on the body, and its ability...

Believe it or not, birds are dinosaurs! Scholars view evidence that connects birds to dinosaurs in a video lesson. The narrator outlines factors that prove birds are descendants of dinosaurs.

We've heard about pygmy pigs—why not pygmy mammoths? Fossil evidence proves their existence, but the dilemma is figuring out where they lived. A video describes different theories on their evolution and migration.

You may struggle to find similarities between humans and many of our ancestors. Fossil evidence finds more and more signs of similarities between humans and many other species. A lesson outlines the fossil evidence and the questions...