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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Trait Accompli: An Introduction to Mendelian Genetics

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scientists learn the laws of genetics through data collection and research. They use discussions and online resources to develop an understanding of the related vocabulary.
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Unit Plan
New York City Department of Education

Grade 8 Science: Genetic Modification of Organisms

For Teachers 8th Standards
Genetic modification is a hot topic in the science and political world. A complete unit gives learners an opportunity to research genetic modification, play an interactive genetic engineering simulation, and interact with the information...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

NOVA Evolution Lab Lesson Plan

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
It doesn't matter if you look on land, in the air, underground, or in water—evolution is everywhere. Scholars complete worksheets with multiple question types as they progress through six online missions creating phylogenic trees. 
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

"Something Old, Something New..."

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scientists learn about DNA replication through a video and model creation. They answer analysis questions before exploring the role of mutations and then complete a summative assessment.
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

Genetics, Genetics, and More Genetics: Exploring Independent Assortment and Non-Mendelian Genetics

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Color Vision Genetics Evolution Simulation

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
At one point, all mammals carried only two color receptors, but now most humans carry three. An informative presentation and hands-on activity demonstrate how this evolved through genetics. By participating in the activity, pupils...
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

Mystery of the Crooked Cell

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Can your class solve the Mystery of the Crooked Cell? Junior geneticists collaborate to learn about sickle cell anemia in a fascinating lesson plan. The included materials help them to examine the genetic factors behind the disease...
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Unit Plan
North Carolina State University

Exploring Genetics Across the Middle School Science and Math Curricula

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Where is a geneticist's favorite place to swim? A gene pool. Young geneticists complete hands-on activities, experiments, and real-world problem solving throughout the unit. With extra focus on dominant and recessive genes, Punnett...
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Unit Plan
Rural Science Education Program

Cells, Genetics, and Biotechnology

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
For scholars tired of reading the textbook, this unit includes nine hands-on lessons. Through group work, lab activities, experiments, and even one inquiry-based lesson, scholars apply knowledge about cells, genetics, and biotechnology....
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Lesson Plan
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Personal Genetics Education Project

Direct-to-consumer Genetic Testing

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If you knew that you were likely to develop Alzheimer's disease in your future, how would it affect your life in the meantime? This and other similar thought-provoking questions are discussed in a lesson plan about the availability of...
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Lesson Plan
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Personal Genetics Education Project

Genetics, history and the American Eugenics Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A poignant 20-slide show introduces high schoolers to the amazing accomplishments of genomics and raises the question of eugenics. This instructional activity is only for mature audiences, as it deals with rape and other sensitive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

How Novel Icefish Genes Can Improve Human Health

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Designed to accompany the 13-minute video The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes, this handout serves as both a viewing guide during the video and an analysis of how the adaptations of the icefish might help treat some...
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Lesson Plan
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Adaptations must be made as environments change. This fabulous presentation features Icelandic icefish, a transparent, scaleless specimen that even has colorless blood. Genetics and adaptations concepts are explored as scientists study...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Theories: Lamarck and Darwin

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare the evolution theories of Lamarck and Darwin. They use self-assessment and a video to increase their knowledge of evolution theories. They research questions and present them to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where'd You Get Those Genes?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Really a unit, this resource exposes middle schoolers to genetics at their level. They read interviews and biographies, trace a family tree, play games that simulate inheritance concepts, and more! Teacher's procedures, student...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Were the babies switched? – The Genetics of Blood Types

For Students 9th - 12th
Human biology or genetics learners apply their knowledge to a unique situation: two newborn baby girls being possibly switched in the hospital. The engaging activity ends with a Punnett squares assignment in which pupils evaluate whether...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Dragon Genetics ~ Independent Assortment and Genetic Linkage

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
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 teaches...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Dragon Genetics - Understanding Inheritance

For Students 7th - 12th
Six pages begin with a detailed introduction to meiosis and homologous chromosome pairs. Instructions guide learners through a simulation in which they draw craft sticks marked with autosomes in order to decode the genes inherited by...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2009

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Emerging ecologists need a full understanding of life, from the inner workings of a cell to the complex relationships among organisms. This examination is meant to assess high schoolers after an entire year course on the living...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2003

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The living environment, from the interior of a cell to the complex relationships among populations, are queried in this final examination. Learners look at air pollution maps, diagrams of cells, population graphs, and drawing of cells....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2005

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The 2005 version of the Regents High School Examination in the area of ecology is as comprehensive as previous years' exams. It consists of 40 multiple choice questions on everything from the structure of DNA to the interactions within...