Core Knowledge Foundation
Genetics and the Master Race
How did the beginnings of genetic research influence the Nazi party? A thorough, engaging unit incorporates the work of Gregor Mendel, the study of inherited traits, and the use of racism and discrimination during the Holocaust.
North Carolina State University
Exploring Genetics Across the Middle School Science and Math Curricula
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...
Anthropological Association
Race: Teacher Guide: Race
How has the concept of race changed over time? Explore the genetic, cultural, and social aspects of race through a series of impactful activities. Scholars discover how race is influenced by inherited traits, examine census records to...
Columbus City Schools
Heredity: Traits, Genes, Alleles
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...
Intel
Designer Genes: One Size Fits All?
In this STEM group of 10 activities, lesson two focuses on the question, "Just because we can, should we?" when considering genetically engineered food. Classes hear a scenario and, as young scientists and geneticists, must determine if...
Curated OER
Artificial Selection
The second lesson in the series begins with a starter activity discussing wild versus domesticated animals. Then, scholars play a card game, with optional variations, to emphasize artificial selection. Next, they attend a field trip to a...
Kenan Fellows
Unit 4: Bioethics and the Future of Biotechnology
What's the future of biotechnology? Explore a hot topic in the fourth and final unit in a series of Biotechnology lessons. Learners develop an understanding of the many issues in bioethics, then create an argument for or against the role...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dna From the Beginning: Genetic Inheritance Follows Certain Rules
Find out what happened when Mendel crossed two hybrid pea plants. The animations do a good job explaining why these crosses produce a 3:1 ratio of traits.
Vision Learning
Visionlearning: Biology: Genetics I: Mendel's Laws of Inheritance
Instructional module focusing on Gregor Mendel's Laws of Inheritance. Discussion includes Mendel's discovery of dominant and recessive traits as well as co-dominance and incomplete dominance in genetics. Site also includes an interactive...
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
Abpi: Genes and Inheritance
A complete, student-paced lesson on genetics and inheritance. Students work their way through illustrations and animated tutorials, and answer review questions along the way. There is a self-checking quiz at the end of the lesson.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Anatomy & Physiology: Patterns of Inheritance
Students learn about patterns of inheritance including genotype and phenotype, and then learn about the inheritance of autosomal dominant and recessive and sex-linked genetic disorders.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Biology: Genetics
Through informational text, interactive activities, practice problems, and video clips, students analyze how biological traits are passed on to successive generations.
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Don't Hate on the Trait" by Bird Brain Science
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
Vision Learning
Visionlearning: Biology: Genetics Ii: Mendel and Multiple Genetic Traits
Instructional module focusing on Gregor Mendel's scientific legacy and analysis of multiple genetic traits. Discussion includes Mendel's work on his second law, the Law of Independent Assortment, which states that different traits are...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dna From the Beginning: Classical Genetics
This article from DNA from the beginning is loaded with goodies about genetics and DNA. Starting with Mendel all the way through the concept of DNA, you will see how life is given certain characteristics. Some animations and audio clips...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: Polygenic Traits
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Another exception to Mendel's rules is polygenic inheritance, which occurs when a trait is controlled by more than one gene. This means that each dominant allele...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Geniverse
A virtual world where students conduct genetics experiments on a model species called drakes. After the story narrative is introduced, they engage in a quest to heal a sick dragon. As they play, they will learn about the principles of...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dna From the Beginning: Genes Come in Pairs
This animated lesson will explain how genes are inherited in pairs, one from the mother and one from the father.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dna From the Beginning
At DNA from the Beginning, choose from classical genetics, molecules of genetics, genetic organization and control. Each concept is explained through animation, an image gallery, video interviews, biographies and links.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: Non Mendelian Inheritance
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] In all of Mendel's experiments, he worked with traits where a single gene controlled the trait. Each also had one allele that was always dominant over the recessive...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Biology: Genetic Linkage
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Discusses linked genes and why some characteristics are inherited together.
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Boundless Psychology: Nature vs. Nurture
Study what roles genetics and the environment play in human behavioral development. This is a learning module which includes the reading assignment, a quiz, and PowerPoint program.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dna From the Beginning: Sex Linked Hemophilia in the Royal Romanov Family
An animated pedigree clearly explains the way hemophilia was inherited in the Romanov family. Interpreting pedigrees and sex-linked crosses should be much easier to understand after going through this tutorial.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Basic Concepts of Heredity
An introductory lesson on the basics of heredity, and the inheritance of genetic traits. [7:57]