Lesson Plan: Inheritance of Genes Science
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to describe the inheritance of genes from parent to offspring and explain the difference between dominant and recessive genes.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- state that a gamete (sex cell) has 23 chromosomes,
- recall that genetic material is passed from parent to offspring,
- recall that the offspring will inherit a mix of their parents’ characteristics, as one copy of a gene will be inherited from the mother and the other copy from the father,
- state the difference between characteristics that are inherited and those that are acquired throughout an organism’s lifetime,
- describe the meaning of the terms dominant genes and recessive genes.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the fact that a child has a mix of characteristics from their biological father and mother,
- the fact that DNA is the genetic material of humans.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- the formation of gametes by meiosis,
- the mechanism of inheritance,
- genetic diagrams/Punnett squares.
