UPDATE: We started our lesson on Mendel and traits/genetics yesterday using the Cheryl Bardoe and Lynnette Sandvold books listed below. I thought I would include the vocabulary words and definitions we learned yesterday while reading Bardoe.
Offspring – children
Heredity – how parents pass traits to their offspring
Genes – sections of a chromosome that code for a certain protein; basic unit of heredity that gives instruction to cells
Hybrid – offspring of different species that are paired together for breeding
Geneticist – a scientist who studies heredity
Dominant Gene – the trait that will always show itself
Recesseive Gene – a gene that is expressed only when the organism has inherited two copies of it
Gregor Mendel – scientist born in 1822; credited with discovering how traits are passed on to offspring
Universal Laws – explain that some things will always act in the same way even in different settings
Species – a group of plants or animals that are similar and can interbreed
Traits – characteristics of a living thing, such as eye color or hair color
For the first day, we read the Bardoe book and then completed one page of the Punnett Square activities, which you can access here. On day two, they watched a video titled Genetics (Discovery Education) and read Traits and Attributes (Hyde, Natalie) then completed the second page of the Punnett Square activities (on their own). Tomorrow we will finish-up with another book, Genetics (Silverman, Buffy) and the intereactive Punnett Square activities. I was surprised (and relieved) that they picked-up on the concept so quickly!
Original post is below.
Not going to babble; just wanted to share some FREE homeschool resources for teaching Mendel and genetics. While reading about the Scientific Method last week, we came across the word ‘trait’ and Mendel’s name. My 8.5. year-old, being the inquisitive-minded child that she is, asked me “What’s a trait?” So I gave her a quick definition and made a mental note to find some interesting ways to teach about genetics using Punnett Squares. Yes, I still remember working with Punnett Squares. Probably because it was a tangible activity, not just some boring facts I read about in a book. With that being said, here ya go!
Web Site & Downloadable Activities
Exploring Nature Educational Resources
Interactive Punnett Square Activities
Library ThinkQuest: Projects By Students for Students
Books
Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas (Bardoe, Cheryl)
Genetics (Sandvold, Lynnette)
If I come across anything else interesting I will update this post!
