From crime to paternity, DNA fingerprinting has revolutionized how the world views inherited traits. Science sleuths investigate the facts about DNA profiling through a variety of activities. The Teacher's Guide includes printable materials and helpful hints for getting the most out of the lesson plan.

Concepts

dna, dna fingerprinting, law enforcement, genetic testing, inherited traits, chromosomes, making inferences, genes

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Place the activities near the end of a genetics unit to touch upon genetic testing
• Discover five court cases where genetic testing made all the difference through an interesting article

Classroom Considerations

• Pupils must understand the function of DNA and how parents pass it to offspring 
• Print the materials for the Card Sort activity in color and laminate them for future use

Pros

• The opener is fun and exciting!
• Resource pulls together many different aspects of DNA fingerprinting and profiling into one easy-to-use lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.9-10.2