Teacher: Taylor Scruggs

12/3/15
School:
Rocky Mountain High School
Content Area: Biology

Date:
Grade Level: 9th

Title: Patterns of Inheritance

of 1

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

directly from the standard)

Lesson #: 1

(Write Content Standards

Standard 2.7: Physical and behavioral characteristics of an organism are influenced

to varying degrees by heritable genes, many of which encode instructions for the
production of proteins
2.7 d. Evaluate data showing that offspring are not clones of their parents or siblings due to
the meiotic processes of independent assortment of chromosomes, crossing over, and
mutations (DOK 1-2)

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

Students will understand different types of gene expression and how alleles interact
with each other.
Students will be able to differentiate between dominant, recessive, and sex-linked
forms of inheritance.
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of
instruction, select applicable questions from standard)
What is the possibility of passing on certain genetic disorders?
Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)
Every student will be able to:
1. I can survey and evaluate three real examples of genetic diseases to determine
the probabilities of inheritance based on the given inheritance pattern.
2. I can explain the difference between autosomal dominant and recessive and sexlinked traits, and use the information from the lesson to discuss these with a
partner.
List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with
each assessment)
Students will be given a formal formative assessment as they complete a case
study and fill out questions to determine their understanding based on the activity.
This will assess learning target 1. Students will be informally assessed through
partner discussions, as I will walk around to check for understanding as students
answer provided questions. This will assess learning target 2.

List of Significant Vocabulary: heredity, genotype, phenotype, gene, allele, trait,

recessive, dominant, autosomal, sex-linked, heterozygous, homozygous, disease

Planned Lesson Activities

Name
and
Purpose
of Lesson

Approx.
Time and
Materials

Name: Patterns of Inheritance

The purpose of this activity is to delineate the different types of gene
expression and how alleles interact with each other. Students will be
working on exercises to help solidify the concepts of dominant,
recessive, and sex-linked inheritance. The exercises will involve
determining probabilities of inheritance through case studies.
Time: 90 minutes
Materials: colored poker chips or colored paper, paper lunch sacks,
case study worksheet
I will need to prepare enough copies of the case study worksheets to
provide for each pair of students ahead of time, as well as create the
questions for students to answer and turn it.

PreAssessm
ent

Students will complete a short pre-test. This pre-test will consist of 5

multiple choice questions concerning different patterns of inheritance.
The test will be given through a Google Form online.
(5-10 minutes)

Anticipat
ory Set
(Hook)

Ask students the following question:

How much do you want to know about what you could pass on to your
offspring? Should you be as informed as possible or is there such thing
as too much information?
Discuss these ideas as a class.

Procedur
es

Have students read a short article titled Making Better Babies on the
Our Genes/Our Choices website.
(10 minutes)
Input: Students need to understand that different patterns of
inheritance lead to different phenotypes in resulting offspring. They will
need to know that in autosomal dominant inheritance, the phenotype
associated with a gene is observed when the offspring has only one
copy of the allele. The allele is autosomal recessive if two copies of the
allele are required for the phenotype to be seen. When inheritance is
sex-linked then the gene that encodes for the trait is located on the X
chromosome. Students will also need to understand that genes from
the mother and father can be recombined in the offspring and affect
the probabilities of passing on an inherited disorder. (10 minutes)
Guided practice: Students will engage in a group discussion concerning

the different types of inheritance. Real life examples will be provided to

students and they will need to characterize them based on the pattern
of inheritance that they follow and then explain their reasoning. (10
minutes)
Independent Practice: Students will complete a case study activity. The
worksheets will be provided to each pair of students, and students will
be paired based on whom they are seated next to at their tables.
An overview of the activity will be provided to ensure that students
understand the goal of the activity and what they need to fill out to be
turned in.
Explanation will be given about how the students will be investigating
three inherited disorders: Huntingtons Disease, Fragile X Syndrome,
and Cystic Fibrosis. Information about the symptoms of each disease is
provided in the article students were asked to read earlier in the class
period.
Students will gather their materials- colored poker chips or colored
slips of paper and two paper bags per pair.
In the pair, one student will contribute the genes of the mother and the
other will contribute the genes of the father for the activity.
Students will discover the probabilities of passing on the three certain
genetic disorders.
For the activity, one paper bag will be labeled Mother and the other will
be labeled Father.
For the Huntingtons disease case study, a white chip will represent a
normal gene and a red chip will represent a gene with the disease. Two
white chips will be placed in the Father bag and one white and one red
chip will be placed in the Mother bag, since the mother has the disease
in this example. Then one chip will be drawn from each bag to illustrate
the genotype for the offspring. Since Huntingtons is inherited
dominantly, then two white chips would be needed to illustrate no
disease. This will be repeated 9 times and the results will be recorded
in a data table.
For the Fragile X Syndrome case study, a white chip will represent the
normal X chromosome, a red chip will represent an affected X
chromosome, and a blue chip will represent a Y chromosome. One red
chip and white chip will be placed in the Mothers bag, to represent her
as a carrier of the disease. One white and one blue chip will be placed
in the Fathers bag. One chip will be removed from each bag. Two white
chips = normal female; one red, one white = carrier female; one white,
one blue = normal male; one red, one blue= affected male. This will be
repeated 9 times and results recorded in data table.
For the Cystic Fibrosis case study, a white chip will represent a normal
gene and a red chip will represent a gene with CF. One red chip and
one white chip will be placed in both the Mother and Father bags to

represent them as carriers of the disease. One chip will be drawn from
each bag. Two white chips will represent normal, one red and one white
will represent a carrier, and two red chips will represent having cystic
fibrosis. This will be repeated 9 times and recorded in the data table.
Students will complete questions to reflect on the data gathered for
each inherited disease and turn this in as an assessment.
(40 minutes)
Closure

Students will finish the follow-up questions based on the activity.

Several minutes of class will be used to do a pair review. Students will
be asked several questions and switch back and forth answering the
question and telling their partner. For the first question, student A of
the pair will answer and tell student B and for question 2 then student
B will tell the answer to student A. For each question, a couple of
students will be randomly called on to share what they came up with to
the class.
Questions:
1. How much does each parent contribute to a childs genetic
make-up? (Level 1)
2. Define recessive in your own words. (Level 1)
3. Explain the difference between autosomal and sex-linked
inheritance. (Level 2)
4. What conclusions can you draw about the value of genetic
testing? (Level 4)

Differenti
ation

Assessm
ent

After this review, students will then complete a post-test. This post-test
will consist of the same 5 question Google Form that made up the pretest. These results will then be compared with the pre-test to check for
student understanding.
(15 minutes)
To modify: Students that need extra support will be provided with the
opportunity to work with another student to answer the follow-up
questions. Another way to assist students is by having the designated
readers in each group take turns reading the problems in the
assignment.
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a student, then I will provide
them with deeper level questions on the analysis sheet.
Students will be given a formal formative assessment as they complete
the case study activity and fill out questions to determine their
understanding based on the activity. Another formal formative
assessment will be given in the form of a pre-test and post-test to
analyze understanding of the taught material. Students will informally
assessed through partner discussions, as I will walk around to check for

understanding as students answer provided questions.

Resourc
es

http://www.pbs.org/inthebalance/archives/ourgenes/lesson_
probabilities.html

Genetic Inheritance Quiz

Name *
Include first and last name
When the genotype consists of a dominant and a recessive
allele, the phenotype will be like _________________ allele. *
o

the dominant

the recessive

o
neither
If two parents are heterozygous for a genetically inherited
dominant trait, what is the probability that they will have a
child together who has this trait in his or her phenotype? *
o

25%

50%

75%

o
100%
If two parents are homozygous for a genetically inherited
recessive trait, what is the probability that they will have a
child who does not have this trait in his or her phenotype? *
o

0%

25%

50%

o
100%
If a gene is sex-linked, then ______ *
Select all that apply
o

It is found on the Y chromosome

It is found on the X chromosome

Females will have two copies

Males will have two copies

o
Males will exhibit the trait if they have one copy of the gene
Certain types of muscular dystrophy are sex-linked. If a women
is a carrier for the disease, and the father has the disease,
what is the probability their children will get the disease? *
o

50% for boys and 50% for girls

50% for boys and 0% for girls

100% for boys and 50% for girls

100% for boys and 0% for girls

Name:

Patterns of Inheritance
I. Weighing a Parent's Right Against a Child's: Huntington's Disease
Huntington's is inherited through a dominant gene, which means if someone
inherits a single gene with the defect on it then they will have the disease. In the
case study, the mother has the disease, which means she has the "bad" gene. She
also has a non-affected gene. The father has two non-affected genes. The mother
can pass on either the good gene or the bad gene to her offspring.

White chip = non-affected normal gene

Red chip = gene with Huntington's disease
1. Place one red and one white chip in the bag labeled Mother. Place two white
chips in the bag labeled Father.
2. Without looking take one chip out of each bag. One red + one white =
Huntington's disease is present. Two white = normal, no disease.
3. Record what you drew out in the data table and return the chips to the bag.
4. Repeat this procedure 9 more times, recording after each draw.
Trial

Mother's
(W or R)

Father's
(W)

10

Huntingdon's Present or Absent?

Questions:
1. How many times did the offspring have Huntington's disease?
2. How many times was the offspring healthy?
3. What's the percent chance of passing the defective gene to the offspring,
from 10 total trials?
4. How does the percentage above compare to the percentage you get when
you calculate using a Punnett Square approach? 5. Do you think that the
parents have the right to have their children tested for Huntington's? Explain
your answer.

II. How Does Genetic Information Affect a Family: Fragile X Syndrome

In humans, two X (XX) chromosomes means female; and one X and one Y (XY)
means male. In some cases of Fragile X Syndrome, a woman can have one good,
normal X-chromosome along with one affected X chromosome. Genes located along
the affected X chromosome may be damaged, and so the processes/traits they
control may not function properly.
If a woman has one normal X and one fragile X, she does not have the disorder--for
her one good X can compensate, or mask the effect of the bad X--but she is
considered to be a carrier for the disease.
If a male gets an X with the defect, then he will have the disorder, because he does
not have another good X to mask the damaged one.
Red chip = affected X chromosome
White chip = normal X chromosome
Blue chip = Y chromosome
1. Place one red chip and one white chip in the Mother's bag (she's a carrier)
and one white and one blue chip in the Father's bag.
2. Without looking, remove one chip from each bag. Two white chips = normal
female; one red, one white = carrier female; one white, one blue = normal
male; one red, one blue= affected male.
3. Record what you drew out in the data table and return the chips to the bag.
4. Repeat this procedure 9 more times, recording after each draw.
Trial

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Mother
(Red or
White)

Father
(Blue or
White)

Offspring
Gender
(Male or
Female)

Fragile X?
(Carrier, Normal, or
Affected)

9
10
Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

How many trials resulted in females?

How many of those females were carriers?
How many trials resulted in males?
How many of those males were affected?
What's the percent chance of having a Fragile X affected male?
If you were a female in the mother's family, would you agree to be tested for
Fragile X? Why or why not?

III. When Current Technology Falls Short: Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is a recessive disease. This means it is inherited only when someone
receives two genes for the disease, one from each parent. If a person has one
defective gene and one normal gene, that person does not have the disease, but is
considered a carrier for the disease. In this case study, assume that both parents
are carriers for cystic fibrosis.
White chip = normal non-affected gene
Red chip = gene with CF
1. Place one red and one white chip in the bag labeled Mother. Place one red
and one white chip in the bag labeled Father.
2. Without looking, remove one chip from each bag. Two white chips = normal;
one red, one white = carrier; two red chips = cystic fibrosis.
3. Record your results in the data table and return the chips to the bag.
4. Repeat this procedure 9 more times, recording after each draw.
Trial

1
2
3
4
5

Mother's
(W or R)

Father's
(W or R)

Cystic Fibrosis?
(Carrier, Present or Absent?)

6
7
8
9
10
Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

How many of the trials resulted in offspring with CF?

How many were normal?
How many were carriers?
How does the percentage above compare to the percentage you get when
you calculate using a Punnett Square approach?
5. In the real-life stories you read at the beginning of this lesson, David and
Shelley were not positive that David was a carrier. Do you think they made
the right decision to use a donor sperm? Why or why not?

Post Lesson Reflection

For this lesson, I had students perform online and hands-on activities.
The students began by taking a short pre-test using a Google Form. After
they all completed this, then we moved on to a brief lecture on three
patterns of inheritance. During this, I had students come up to the board to
work out example problems. This led in to the hands-on case study activity.
For this, students worked in partners to predict the probabilities of passing on
certain genetic diseases. To illustrate this, poker chips were used to
represent the different alleles for a disease gene. I found that the activity
was very engaging for students, and allowed them to understand that
probabilities of inheritance change based on their pattern. After completing
the activity, students took the post-test, which consisted of the same
questions as the pre-test, and then we had a short group discussion. The
group was well behaved for the most part during the class, but a couple of
students continued to cause disruptions and not follow instruction.
I believe that the lesson objectives were achieved. Students were able
to complete the case study activity, as well as answer the follow-up
questions. Data collected from the pre-test and post-test also demonstrate
an increase in understanding after completing the lesson. The closing
discussion allowed students to reflect on the concepts covered, and for any
confusion to be clarified. There was some confusion during the PowerPoint
lecture, but I did my best to explain the concepts and use examples to

enhance understanding. By the end of the class, students seemed to have a

general understanding of the three patterns of inheritance covered and were
able to explain them using specific examples.
If I were to teach again, then I would modify the PowerPoint and be
more familiar with it. When I taught this lesson, I was unfamiliar with the
presentation, as I had not created it. This made it difficult for me to go
through the lecture at times and communicate what students needed to take
notes on. I would also use different strategies to determine student
understanding, rather than ask if there are any questions. Another way that I
would improve the lesson is by projecting my voice when lecturing, and
repeating questions that students ask for the entire class to hear. I also need
to work on classroom management. There are times when it was difficult to
gain the attention of all students, and I need to use wait time before
proceeding.
For the next lesson, I would envision students to engage in continued
practice through several more Punnett square problems with new examples.
Students could work individually to complete these problems. Then students
could go through another activity to look into genetic diseases that are
prevalent in the world that have not been discussed. Students could sign-up
for a disease of their choice, and work in groups of 2-3 to find specific
information about it. This would include the pattern of inheritance that it
follows, symptoms, and percentages of affected individuals. They would also
have to illustrate Punnett squares for each different combination of parents.
This way they can see the percent probabilities of offspring being affected by
the disease. Based on the gathered information, students could create a
presentation in the form of a poster. These posters will then be posted
around the room, and a gallery walk will take place. This would give students
the opportunity to move around, and see the work that their peers did. I
believe that an activity like this would allow students to gather more
information about the importance of genetics and how it affects their lives.