Pedigree Unit Plan

Grade/Subject:

8th Grade Biology/ Genetics

Unit BIG Idea

Changes to genes affect proteins in a variety of ways (ex: structure, shape,

quantity, ect.) causing a beneficial, harmful, or neutral effect in the
organism.

Next Generation Science

Standard (NGSS)

MS-LS: Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to

genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may
result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function
of organisms.

Strand 4: Life Science

Concept 2: Reproduction and Heredity
Arizona Science Standard(s) Understand the basic principles of heredity
PO3: Distinguish between the nature of dominance and recessive traits in
humans
Arizona College and Career
Readiness Standards
(Common Core)

68.RST.7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in

words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in
a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

Culminating Assessment:
How will I measure mastery
of the NGSS?

Students will create a final model of how changes in DNA leads to changes in
proteins, and ultimately phenotype, using posters to draw and explain each
step using examples from the cases of hair color and sickle cell anemia.
Real-Time Calendar

A standard is most likely too complex to be taught in its entirety in one lesson. Therefore, it will be broken
down into daily objectives to scaffold learning for students in order to ensure that they master the entire
standard. List the daily lesson objectives you will teach during a 10 day unit in the calendar below (50
minutes per day). There are those instances where students may not achieve the daily lesson objective in
one day of instruction. You will want to allow time to review the content and practices, as necessary
(factual level reviews, such as Jeopardy are highly discouraged). This section helps you to see the
alignment between the standard, daily lesson objectives, lesson activities, and assessments in real-time.
Days can be added if needed.
DAY
LESSON SUMMARY
LEARNING
List an agenda with description
Formative Assessment*
OBJECTIVE
of each agenda item.
1

Students will
demonstrate
familiarity with
key concepts and
vocabulary of
heredity, traits,

Assess background knowledge:

The teacher reviews heredity,
traits, and alleles.

The students will participate in an open class

discussion, demonstrating knowledge and
engagement.

Introduce puzzling
phenomenon: The teacher

The students are also actively working to

contextualize the content by writing their own

and alleles

introduces the puzzling

phenomenon of how two
parents without red hair can
have a child with red hair.
Build context:
Invite students to write down
background information about
their family hair color ancestry,
speak to their parents that night
and bring the information for
next class.

Students will
construct an
initial pedigree

Students will
correct pedigree

The students will get into

partners and think of a possible
model that could best represent
represent their data. The
teacher leads a class discussion
on what is the best way to
represent the established data.
Students build initial pedigree:
Students construct pedigrees of
their own to show the hair
colors of their family. They
share what they think a
pedigree needs.
Correct models:
The teacher introduces the
pedigree model, gives its
history, and gives examples of
how it is used, set up, and
interpreted by scientists. The
teacher leads the class in a brief
discussion of why the pedigree
model is important and
efficient. The students revise
their initial models and work on
developing a final pedigree.
They will upload their
information to a Google doc, to
be shared with the whole class.
Bridge understanding from
alleles to actual phenotypes:

personal family ancestry.

The students must participate in partner
discussion to develop a possible model,
building critical thinking and problem solving
skills.

The students will participate in open class

discussions demonstrating comprehension
and engagement.
The students will also present their pedigrees
to the class, demonstrating proper pedigree
model set up and ability to communicate
scientific information.

The students will participate in think-pairshare or small group discussions, improving

to meet standard
conventions

Begin
construction of
explanatory
models

Refine
explanatory
model

Expand and
explore
additional ways
DNA influences
proteins

The teacher will give notes on

DNA, RNA, and Proteins. The
notes will be interactive, asking
the students to get into
partners or small groups to
discuss question to further
enhance the notes. They will
also be asked to summarize
their notes at the end of class
Create explanations:
The teacher will revisit and lead
the class in a discussion about
the puzzling phenomenon of
how two parents without red
hair can have a child with red
hair. The students will use their
new knowledge from the
previous days notes to engage
in a class discussion. They will
talk about how amount of
protein affects the hair color.
They will then revise their
pedigree models to incorporate
the new information.
Instruction:
Teacher will give students notes
on codons and types of genetic
mutations. The notes will be
interactive, asking the students
to get into partners or small
groups to discuss question to
enhance the notes.
Model revision:
Students will then incorporate
codons and mutations into their
explanatory model of hair
colors
Expand on related
phenomenon:
The teacher will give the
students notes on codons and
types of genetic mutations. The
notes will be interactive, asking

cognitive skills and further thinking.

The students will also write a summary of
their notes, demonstrating contextualization,
literacy, and engagement.

The students will participate in an open class

discussion, where they apply new knowledge
to improve and revise prior knowledge.

Revised model of hair phenotype changes

from DNA through RNA to protein shows
further application.

The students will participate in think-pair-share

or small group discussions, practicing
communication, listening, and cognition skills.
The students will also write a summary of
their notes, helping them to construct

Explore related
phenomena
related to change
in proteins

Demonstrate
understanding of
how a changed
protein can
change a cell

Compile the
topics of the unit
into an organized
listing in
preparation for
the summative
assessment

the students to get into

partners or small groups to
discuss question to enhance the
notes. They will also be asked to
summarize their notes at the
end of class.
Introduce similar phenomenon
needing explanation:
The teacher will introduce the
phenomenon of sickle cell
anemia. The teacher will lead
the students to create an
explanation using what they
learned about how sickle cell
occurs through a class
discussion. The students will
then make a model of a healthy
red blood cell and a sickle cell
to understand the effects a
change in a single proteins
shape can change cells
Apply previous knowledge:
The teacher has the students
construct a pedigree model for
sickle cell anemia. They are now
demonstrating application and
synthesis processing skills.
Students will discuss how a
change in DNA can change
phenotypes, but in different
ways (relative abundance of
proteins, shapes of proteins)
that arent immediately evident
from a pedigree.
A chance to compile and
connect: The students will have
a review day where they are
placed into groups and asked
review questions. The review
questions will include DNA,
RNA, proteins, heredity, alleles,
types of mutations, and reading
and interpreting pedigrees.

information in a way that will help them learn

to the best of their ability.

The students will participate in open class

discussion, demonstrating knowledge and
engagement.
The teacher will also grade the students red
blood cell models to see if they are able to
apply their knowledge.

The teacher will stamp the students papers to

show that they have constructed a proper
pedigree, demonstrating the ability to apply
previous knowledge to new scenarios.
The students will also participate in
discussions, building off of previous
knowledge and applying new information.

The students will use white boards to answer

review questions. This will not only show the
teacher which students know the correct
answers, but also how fast they are able to
come up with the correct answers.

10

Design and
construct an
explanatory
model composed
of the vocabulary
and examples
given in the unit
for the process of
how changes in
genes, and by
extension
proteins, change
an organism

Construction of refined
explanation:
Students will create a final
model of how changes in DNA
leads to changes in proteins,
and ultimately phenotype,
using posters to draw and
explain each step using
examples from the cases of hair
color and sickle cell anemia.
Proper terminology will be
employed, referencing the
students previous models and
the vocabulary in their notes
since then.

There will be no formative assessment

because there will be a summative one, where
the students have to construct a final model
based on previous knowledge.

Pedigrees Lesson Plan

Class (Grade Level): 8th
Time Length: 50minutes
Big Idea for Learners
Changes to genes affect proteins in a variety of ways (ex: structure, shape, quantity, ect.) causing a
beneficial, harmful, or neutral effect in the organism.
Lesson Overview
The lesson begins with announcements and bell work, taking approximately 10 minutes. The teacher will
review what the students did the previous day and give an overview of what they will be learning and doing
for the day. Bell work will consist of writing and discussing what they learned from the previous nights
homework. This will allow for connections, contextualization, and framing to be implemented. The next step
will be to create a vocabulary word web to review previous content, taking approximately 10 minutes. The
students will define vocabulary words and concepts necessary in understanding pedigrees. This will be done
using padlet.com, which gives the students the opportunity to engage in effective discourse practice,
language development through vocabulary and student interaction. Next the students will receive
instruction on procedures, taking approximately 5 minutes. The teacher will go over the procedures for
constructing a pedigree model. From here, the students build a pedigree rough draft, taking approximately
20 minutes. The students work individually to construct family pedigrees, acting as a means of
contextualization, sense making, and modeling, to show the hair colors of their family. They will also be
required to use punnett squares as evidence for the construction of their pedigrees. Finally, the teacher
administers the lesson closure, taking approximately 5 minutes. This will consist of students completing an Eticket. The teacher will finish by leading the class in a brief discussion about what they learned or had
questions about.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
MS-LS: Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on
chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure
and function of organisms.
Arizona Science Standards:
Strand 4: Life Science
Concept 2: Reproduction and Heredity
Understand the basic principles of heredity
PO3: Distinguish between the nature of dominance and recessive traits in humans
Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards (Common Core):
68.RST.7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
Lesson Learning Objective and Assessment
Lesson Learning Objective: Students will construct a pedigree model and write an explanation using family

ancestry.
Assessment: The students will construct a pedigree model and communicate how the scientific model acts as
means of evidence for demonstrating mode of heredity.
Scientific Practices and Associated Language Functions
Scientific Practices

Receptive Language
Functions

Productive Language
Functions

Key Vocabulary

Developing and using models- Pedigrees/punnett square

Analyzing and interpreting data- Pedigrees
Using mathematics- To find the statistics (punnett squares)
Communicating information- Partner presentations/class discussions
Constructing explanations- How do pedigree models acts as means of
evidence for demonstrating mode of heredity?
Structure/audience/purpose- The students are the audience. It will be set up
as a think-write-pair-share/discuss. The purpose of the partner sharing or class
discussion is to emphasize important vocabulary, practice interpreting
pedigrees, and make connections as to why they are important and effective.
Communicate ideas in writing- The students will have the opportunity to
practice literacy writing during bell work, review, and the closing. During these
times, they will be allowed to reflect on not only what they have learned but
also why they have learned it and why it is important.
DNA- Carrier of genetic information.
Genes- Unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring.
Alleles- One of two or more alternative forms of a gene.
Chromosomes- Carries genetic information in the form of genes.
Dominant traits- Phenotypically visible in the offspring if one of the
parents contributes the trait.
Recessive traits- Not phenotypically visible unless both parents
contribute the trait. It can be carried in a person's genes without
appearing in that person.
Materials

Pen/pencil for notes

Laptop
Resources

Padlet.com
PowerPoint
Document Camera
Prezi
Prerequisite Knowledge

The students will be expected to have a basic knowledge on heredity. This includes DNA, genes, alleles,
chromosomes, dominant and recessive traits, and punnett squares.

Teaching Procedures (5E Inquiry Pedigree Lesson Plan)

Engage (10min)
The teacher will put bell work on the projector for the students to answer. The bell work question will ask
the students to recall what they learned from the previous nights homework. The home work asked the
students to collect data about hair color in their families. They were required to write down the hair color of
their family for at least three generations. As the teacher checks their responses by cold calling and asking
for volunteers, they will guide the students to consider how dominant or recessive alleles are necessary for
the trait to be phenotypically expressed. Follow up their responses by asking for examples and making
connections between their discoveries and important vocabulary and key concepts. Introduce the activity
that you will be completing for that day. Connect with what they already learned from previous units.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Announcements(2min)
Answer bell work on their own (3min)
Circulate and make sure students are on task
Discuss bellwork as a class (5min)
Guide bell work class discussion
Explore (35min)
The students will begin by reviewing vocabulary by constructing a word web using an online website called
padlet.com (10min). The teacher will then tell the students that they will be demonstrating how traits are
passed from one generation to the next by creating a pedigree model. Give the students procedures for
constructing a rough draft and presenting using Prezi. They will be required to provide explanations and
justification (vocabulary/ punnett squares) Show the students a rough draft and Prezi example of how to
model a pedigree, providing a visual representation. (5min). The students will continue by constructing their
family pedigree model (rough draft), using their homework as a resource. They have the option of
constructing their family pedigree model or using an imaginary family, provided by the teacher. They each
have to construct their own, however they may utilize their partners if they require help. The partners will
have guiding questions to encourage explanation and communication (20min).
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Give procedures for constructing a pedigree
Create word wall using padlet.com in
rough draft model (5min)
partners (10min)
Circulate and make sure students are on task
Construct pedigree rough draft in partners
(20min)
Differentiation Strategy
Some students may need to work with their lab partner more closely. Offer those students lab partners that
are excelling in the class, have patience, and are willing to explain the lab to them.
Explain (This will be done at the same time as the explore)
The students will be explain and communicate their models to their assigned partner, via guiding questions
provided by the teacher. This is a fun way for students to get to know more about each other. It also serves
as a way to formatively assess the students understanding of the objective.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Circulate and make sure students are on task
Present rough drafts to partners

Ask follow up questions

Ask questions

Differentiation Strategy
Offer a safe and quiet environment for students to present their information. If you have a IEP or ELL
student that needs further assistance, allow them to work directly with a partner.
Elaborate (5min)
A few students will share their pedigree models, integrating their lived experiences and communicating how
the scientific model acts as means of evidence for demonstrating mode of heredity. The class will elaborate
on what was learned and explain what they still had questions on, while receiving teacher and peer
feedback.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Guid the students in a class discussion and help
Share pedigree models using the
them stay on task
document camera
Participate in a class discussion (5min)
Differentiation Strategy
Provide students with ample time to come up with examples. Some students may need a warning that they
will be called on, to give them time to prepare their responses.
Evaluate
The students will construct a rough draft pedigree model, demonstrating proper modeling.
The students will participate in open class discussions demonstrating comprehension and ability to
communicate how the scientific model acts as means of evidence for demonstrating mode of
heredity.
The students will complete an E-ticket to demonstrate understanding.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Observe students rough draft models
Construct rough draft pedigree model
Ask follow up questions
Answer student and teacher questions
Guide student discussion
Participate in class discussions

Annotated SSTELLA Practices

This lesson will using contextualization by framing the lesson through connections to family ancestry,
drawing on information from their home life and connecting it with the science content they are being
taught. The students will have the opportunity to discuss their family ancestry and experiences.
The lesson will utilize sense-making by students constructing a pedigree model through a student-driven
inquiry lesson.
The lesson will promote opportunities for discourse through student interaction and discussion. They will
have time to interact with their partners when they are presenting their family pedigree. They will have the
opportunity to ask and answer questions through class discussions. They will also explain their models and
how they act as a means of evidence for demonstrating mode of heredity.

They will practice language and literacy by using and understanding the main vocabulary words: dominant
and recessive traits, which will be discussed during the bell work. The students will provide the definittion
and connection the two words have, while the teacher provides feedback. They will also have the
opportunity to address previous vocabulary words and key concepts by creating a word web on padlet.com,
allowing for connections to be established. This online word web will also provide a visual representation for
the students to utilize during work time. The students will have the opportunity to practice literacy writing
during bell work and the closing.
Technology Anotations
The teacher will begin by using a PowerPoint to project bell work. This will also be used for going over
instructions for constructing a pedigree model. There will be example pedigree and punnett square models
to provide a visual representations, supporting multiple learning styles.
Padlet will be used to construct an online word web, for students to practice writing skills. It also makes
multiple student responses available for the whole class to view and have access to reference later during
the lesson.
A document camera will be used towards the end of the lesson, to allow students to explain their models
and how they act as a means of evidence for demonstrating mode of heredity.
Finally Prezi will be used to show the students an example of what their final pedigree model should look
like. The students will be using Prezi to construct their final pedigree model for homework.