7th
- Chapter 5 Modern Genetics
Section One - Human Inheritance
In this section students will learn about 3 patterns of
human inheritance. 1) Single genes with two alleles ie: widows peak vs. no widows peak,
2)Single genes with multiple alleles ie: Blood Type A, B, AB, or O
3) Traits controlled by more than one gene ie: human height
Next students will learn about the functions of sex chromosomes and that they determine whether the person will be male or female as well as carry genes that determine other traits in the person. Students will also learn about the relationship between their genes and the environment, which can also effect a person's characteristics.
Section Two - Human Genetic Disorders
Throughout Section Two, students will explore the two major
causes of genetic disorders in humans by researching a disorder in groups of
four (see explanation below). Students will examine different pedigree charts
and learn that they are a tool to help geneticists trace inheritance patterns
through families. We will also cover how genetic disorders are diagnosed and
treated.
Family Puzzle Lab
Problem: A husband and a wife want to understand the
probability that their children might inherit cystic fibrosis. Using
information in a case study of this family, students will create a pedigree
chart of the family to track this disorder and predict the probability of
cystic fibrosis being passed down to the children of our couple.
Section Three - Advances in Genetics
Students will examine three types of selective breeding:
Inbreeding, Hybridization, and Cloning. They will learn that these are three
ways of producing organisms with a desired trait. Students will also be
introduced the Human Genome Project and that its goal is to identify the DNA
sequence of every gene in the human genome. Students will also be shown a short
clip from the Nightly World News titled: Designer Babies. They will be asked
some reflection questions on their feelings of choosing the eye color, sex, and
intelligence of their children before they are even born.
Guilty or Innocent Lab
Problem: A crime scene may contain hair, skin, or blood from
a criminal. These materials all contain DNA that can be used to make a DNA
"Fingerprint". A DNA fingerprint, which consists of a series of
bands, is something like a bar code. Students will be given DNA sequence (bar
code) of a suspect. They will have to examine 12 other suspects (Bar codes of
other products) to try and match up who was at the scene of the crime. After
concluding the lab students will infer why people's DNA patterns differ so
greatly.
Chapter Project - Genetic Disorder Poster Project
Students will work in groups of 4-5 to research one of
the following Genetic Disorders: Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Disease,
Hemophilia, Down Syndrome, Huntington's Disease, or Hypothyroidism. Students
will be graded over their use of class time, including graphics on their
poster, labels on poster, attractiveness, and grammar. Students will also be
graded on including the following research information on their poster: what
the disorder is, what causes it, how it affects the body, if the alleles are dominant
or recessive, who are you likely to inherit the disorder from, who is most
likely to inherit the disorder.
