Intrigue the class by completing a lesson on meiosis, filled with challenging and insightful activities to spark the interest of every person in the room. Each member of the class learns about genetic disorders due to faulty meiosis, and...

Biology beginners observe traits in a collection of plant parts to realize the tremendous amount of genetic variation within a species. They consider rules of nature and discuss what would happen if they changed. They also examine data...

Students predict traits of future offspring. In this biology lesson, students study karyotyping to predict genetic disorders. They research an assigned karyotype and present information about it.

Students spend the lesson reviewing for their Genetics exam. In groups, they compare and contrast the structures of DNA and RNA and discuss how DNA can cause mutations. To end the lesson, they share their knowledge on the contributions...

Students review the basic concepts of genetics, such as Mendelian inheritance and pedigree construction and analysis. They use an activity that uses recent findings in cancer genetics to present. Students use a pedigree in a "real...

Students use this activity prior to the introduction of materials on Genetics. They read the article "Becoming a Male, Becoming a Female" in the publication From Egg to Adult. Students then complete the assignment in order to better...

Students research simple and complex inheritance patterns, fetal development and the potential complications of teratogens, fetal and genetic testing, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic counseling.

The pocket mouse can be light brown like the sands of the desert, or dark brown like the volcanic lava flows that are interspersed throughout New Mexico's Valley of Fire. It seems that predators have weeded out light colored mice in this...

High schoolers navigate the National Center for Biological Information (NCBI) website and BLAST program to conduct a variety of biological assignments.

Ninth graders complete a monohybrid cross and a dihybrid cross. In this biology lesson, 9th graders predict the traits of offspring using the Punnett square. They differentiate recessive and dominant genes.

Research how DNA, the genetic blueprint of living organisms, plays an essential role in the continuity of life. High schoolers will summarize how their influence may very well effect the destiny of the population from one generation to...

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...

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...

Students examine DNA replication and how proteins are synthesized from DNA codes and continue to explore the effects of genetics in additional lessons. Among the topics covered are: protein synthesis, cell chemistry, environmental...

Students analyze DNA sequence differences between organisms in order to establish a reasonable picture of the evolutionary relationships between them. They take the role of molecular biologists and make genetic changes and constructing...

Students consider the factors that relate to decisions regarding genetic disorders. They read case studies and complete a provided Bio-Ethical Decision-Making Worksheet.

Students use the Internet to gather information about genetics, then research a genetic disorder. In this biology lesson, students listen to an interview with a geneticist, watch an animation of "chromosome coiling", then research and...

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...

Environmental science enthusiasts show what they know at the end of the year by taking this full-fledged final exam. They answer multiple choice, graph interpretation, and essay analysys questions, 73 of them in all. Topics range from...

Students review terms related to DNA structure and function. They complete a variety of worksheets in small groups or in pairs reflecting the unit's concepts regarding DNA. They submit their worksheets for grading.

Students construct various virus models using Fruit loops and Alphabits to represent nucleotides and molecules. They constructs capsomeres using shoes as the capsomeres and discuss various viruses.

Tenth graders work on a project about cellular biology and genetics. In this biology lesson, 10th graders research about the assigned human body system and genetic disorders that affect it. They create a multimedia presentation and...

Students identify and illustrate how changes in DNA cause mutations and evaluate the significance of these changes. They illustrate a chromosomal mutation such as duplication, deletion, inversion, and translocation.

Middle schoolers gather information about gene banks. In this biology lesson, students work in groups to complete an activity sheet about genetic databases and organism genomes. Lesson includes extension ideas.