Bfifim?
§2 :61. . L

n... .
...... . .u .
...... .3. a 1.
1.0.1.]... 4 1. . is
00 1.. c. .a: Mama...

1...:
~svi 1‘
:7.

 

2&3».

.: .LL . 1.1.... .
, t... Liza...
. . (E.

.1 . l.

531m? .1 .
x .1 2 S
. . 5%. :7
, . 5 06.; , . .
. In}... M ... .M u?
$.«fih ..
. Am“? ~ . .
. I. .i~ . 31....
3’11! .. : . . .
locus. . . .

“.1...
i,“ luv 3

I».
i.

 

. .Ill- H1“! J.
. . .132... .
2%.;
:fimeinmmw. nu. ..
oj‘ “39”.,
Km. .13.“.

.i' -
£23256:
. 13C. 1..

.C'.
. {Viiu .2.-cl.
um“ Inca-AA! 1.1.1.... . .
7.9 '
3.. £253.58” 3
4.. I! k N .m n.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iflinllsi'l’. v

...... .2!
{3&1}.

1‘

5.5.... . H... 3...
$28.-..h2
2...... ..-. .

. . .E. will. - um

 

 

THEmS

’7

[A

“'3

J I Ilill'lllil ill] Illlfllllillll'llllllll

3 1293 02074 1744

 

L! =7 RARY
Michigan State
University

 

 

 

This is to certify that the
thesis entitled

Teaching An Introductory Unit To Genetics Using An
Investigative Approach With Wisconsin Fast Plant

presented by

Colleen Raye Pringle

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

 

masters degree in Biological Science

g/f Ag'éctmw

Major professor

Date_Le_c§m12§LI_LQ.._l.9.99

0-7639 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution

PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record.
To AVOID FINE return on or before date due.
MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested.

 

 

DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE
E12701
NOV 2. 62:21 11* 9 E mi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

woo mmpesp.“

TEACHING AN INTRODUCTORY UNIT TO GENETICS USING AN INVESTIGATIVE
APPROACH WITH WISCONSIN FAST PLANTS

By

Colleen Raye Pringle

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Masters of Science
Division of Science and Mathematics Education

1 999

ABSTRACT

TEACHING AN INTRODUCTORY UNIT TO GENETICS USING AN
INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH WITH WISCONSIN FAST PLANTS

BY

Colleen Raye Pringle

I designed a genetics unit in which the students conducted an investigation
using Wisconsin Fast Plants 0 to discover how the characteristics of living things
are passed on through generations. I employed a constructivist approach so that
the students’ learning was a process of personal and intellectual construction of
knowledge based on their activity in the classroom. After observing, identifying,
comparing and contrasting traits, collecting data and drawing conclusions, students
were able to explain why organisms within a species showed similarities and
differences from one another. The Gibberellic acid experiment applied to the
Wisconsin Fast Plants demonstrated this idea. The students explored the role
environment plays in the development of living things and considered whether
environment affects an organism as strongly as heredity. The results of the item
analysis showed improvement in the students understanding of the genetics
concepts assessed. The unit concluded with a discussion and activity

demonstrating what can happen when something goes wrong with the genetic code.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are many people that I would like to recognize for the continued
support and encouragement for the completion of this masters thesis. I would
like to thank the division of science and mathematics at Michigan State
University. To Dr. Merle Heidemann for all of the instruction, guidance, and
encouragement to finish my thesis and masters degree. Dr. Clarence Suelter,
Dr. Joyce Parker, Dr. Ken Nadler, Dr. Howard Hagerman, and Dr. Marty
Hetherington, thank you all for your expertise in the field of biological science.
To Helen Waldo and Becky Murthum for patience and answers to all of my
clerical questions. Thanks to the Towsley Foundation for the financial support.
A big thanks to all of my colleagues both in the program at M.S.U. and at Haslett

Middle School for their input and encouragement.

I would like to thank God for the guidance in my life and for blessing me
with such great family and friends. I appreciate the support my parents have
given me and the valuable tools to persevere. Thanks to my husband, Doug, for
all of the help and support he has given me. And finally, thanks to all of my

friends. I love you all.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................ vii

INTRODUCTION

I. Rationale .................................................................. 1

Il. Constructivism .......................................................... 2
IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIT

I. Overview .................................................................... 10

ll. Objectives of Unit ....................................................... 11

Ill. Weekly Outline of Unit ............................................... 12
EVALUATION

I. New Techniques ......................................................... 18

ll Overview ..................................................................... 23

Ill. Analysis of Individual Essay Questions ...................... 24

IV. Analysis of Data ......................................................... 38
DISCUSSION

I. What was effective ...................................................... 40

ll. Conclusion .................................................................. 42
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................... 45

iv

APPENDICES

I. Appendix A
II. Appendix B
Ill. Appendix C
IV. Appendix D
V. Appendix E
VI. Appendix F
VII. Appendix G
VIII. Appendix H
IX. Appendix I
X. Appendix J
XI. Appendix K
XII. Appendix L
XIII. Appendix M
XIV. Appendix N
XV. Appendix O

“For Your Journal” .................................. 48
"Wisconsin Fast Plants®" ...................... 49
“Family Likeness” ................................... 55
“Genetics Survey” .................................. 56
“Environment or Heredity?” .................... 58
“Plant & Animal Cells” ............................ 60
“Mitosis & Meiosis” ................................. 61
“Genetics Unit - Quiz” ............................ 62
“Punnett Square Worksheet” ................. 64
“Chromosome Line-up” .......................... 65
“Blood Typing” ....................................... 67
“Science Sleuth - Twins or Not?” ........... 70
“Genetics Unit - Test” ............................ 72
“Genetics Test - Essay Rubrics" ............ 75
“Self-Assessment & Unit Evaluation” ..... 77

LIST OF TABLES
Table #1 ‘Pre-Test Scores” ....................................................... 26 & 27

Table #2 ”Post-Test Scores” ..................................................... 28 & 29

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

Figure 8

LIST OF FIGURES

“Question 1 - Histogram” ........................................... 30
“Question 2 - Histogram” ........................................... 31
“Question 3 - Histogram” ........................................... 33
“Question 4 - Histogram” .......................................... 34
“Question 5 - Histogram” ........................................... 35
“Question 6 - Histogram” ........................................... 36
“Pre & Post Test Standard Deviation ........................ 39
“Wisconsin Fast Plant® set-up” ................................ 43

INTRODUCTION
I developed and implemented a genetics unit to address three main problem
areas in our 8'h grade science curriculum at Haslett Middle School: 1) the
science curriculum made few attempts to provide any connections between the
ideas that were being taught; 2) the existing heredity unit had no laboratory
component to help the students in understanding the concepts; and 3) there was
no teaching and awareness for the students of biomedical issues and genetic

engineering advancements.

The development of this unit started during my research in 1996 when l was
looking for new methods of teaching as well as activities for the students to do.
A typical unit in my integrated science class consisted of lecturing, introducing
new concepts, assigning homework, conducting a laboratory experiment or two,
and finishing with a test at the end of the unit. This was a very teacher—centered
approach to transmitting the science knowledge to the students. It was difficult
to keep the students interested and motivated and their achievement was low.
The students that missed class at the beginning of the unit often missed the
objective of the lesson, did the laboratory experiment incorrectly, or were trying
to catch up. A new teaching approach was required in order for my students to
correct these problems. It was stated by Matthews (1994), that Jean Piaget's

original work proposed that, “children’s Ieaming is a process of

personal, individual, intellectual construction arising from their activity in the
world.” Inspired by this and other constructivist beliefs, this unit, as well as
others, are based on the constructivist approach. The overarching principles of
a constructivist pedagogy are: posing problems that are important to the learner;
structuring learning around big concepts; getting students” points of view;
adapting curriculum to address students needs; and assessing student Ieaming
in the context of teaching. Some of the constructivism-based strategies currently
used are (Brooks and Brooks, 1993):

“using open-ended questions;

“increasing wait-time;

*accepting all student responses without confirming or rejecting

their answers;

*giving students a chance to pursue their own questions. (Rita,

1998)

*starting units by asking what students think about a topic before

giving input. By unearthing student preconceptions, activities can

be designed to dispel false ideas and to promote student inquiry

and debate, (Brooks and Brooks, 1993); and

*using hands-on activities instead of lectures to start units. This

gives the students something mentally to refer to during lecture,

(Lawson, 1995).

In developing the genetics unit, I wanted activities that connected new ideas with
the ideas that the students already had and those isolated bits of information
that they were getting from the 8'" grade science curriculum within my class. As
Smith (1984) states the criteria for understanding is two fold: connectedness and
usefulness in the social world. The first part deals with the learner appropriately
identifying the concept and connecting it with other ideas. I wanted to help
connect the basic ideas in the genetics unit for the students through a wide
variety of activities that would focus on the three types of Ieamers: audio, visual,
and kinesthetic. These activities included journal writing, laboratory work,

videos, guest speakers, small group projects and science sleuths.

The type of learner will determine what adaptations will be needed in the
curriculum to meet student needs. The learner types are: logical/mathematical,
body/kinesthetic. visual/spatial, interpersonal, verbal/linguistic, intra personal
intelligence and musical/rhythmic. David Lazear (1993) talks about Howard
Gardner’s categories of learning styles and said, “students have different
intelligent wavelengths and all are gifted. We must get all kids to be as
intelligent as we possibly can.” He discussed the importance of the teacher
knowing their Ieamers and valuing all abilities on more levels so that all students
can succeed.

This was one reason that I felt the need for implementing a variety of activities,

to insure that l was reaching all types of Ieamers.

In the new unit, the students will set daily goals and long term goals to help them
solve problems. Allowing students to help set these goals and objectives,

gives them a feeling of empowerment and investment. By involving them in this
process, it has been recognized to increased interest, commitment, and

effort (Long, 1991 and Frymier,1985). Of course, students cannot decide what

should be taught, but they should be involved in the decision process.

The Wisconsin Fast Plant 0 lab was implemented for the investigation of the
inheritance of gene(s) controlling a mutant trait. The students were to learn
about the principle of unit characters, principle of dominance and the principle of
segregation. Each lab group would determine what genetic trait they would be
studying. The students would also decide what observations were important to
record in order to reach these objectives. As the students performed the
Wisconsin Fast Plant Iab®, they were to make some of their own decisions in
the lab such as what data to collect, what to graph and even how to do the steps
to the scientific method. Students eventually should become proficient enough
to complete an investigation given only basic materials and an objective, similar
to the MEAP investigations that they will do this year. The MEAP investigations
are a simple form of inquiry based learning for experiments. Using the
Wisconsin Fast Plants®, I would expect that the students would be excited about
Ieaming, asking the “why” questions, resolving discrepancies, representing

ideas, discussing information and solving problems.

Basic to inquiry, George DeBoer (1991), conveys the significance of this idea in
his assertion:
“If a single word had to be chosen to describe the

goal of science education during the 30-year
period that began in the late 1950's it would have

to be M.”
According to the National Science Education Standards (1996), “inquiry into
authentic questions generated from student experiences is the central strategy
for teaching science.” The standards encourage teachers to focus on inquiry
because it relates to real-life experiences and guides students to design their

own investigations.

At the start of the genetics unit, my students had conceptions which did not
match those of other students. In order for Ieamers to change their previous
alternative misconceptions about a particular idea, they have to be confronted
with other phenomenon that challenge their misconceptions and allow them to
formulate a new belief. According to Smith (1991), in order for conceptual
change to occur, we simply can not tell students that their ideas are wrong and
expect them to change them. They have to engage in hands-on activities and
laboratory experiments so that they experience a better scientific explanation.
“Hands on Ieaming by experience are powerful ideas, and we know

that engaging students actively and thoughtfully in their studies pays off in better
Ieaming,” says Rutherford (1993).

I also agree with Rutherford in his earlier works that science should be taught as
a process rather than as content. He said that science is often taught

as a body of content or as a set of techniques that would resemble scientific
inquiry. Rutherford (1964) stated that the conclusions of science are closely
related with the inquiry which produced them; that is why we must consider the

close organic connections between process and content in science.

Many times in the classroom, I am guilty of trying to teach too much content and
not focusing on process. As I worked on constructivist-based labs, I noticed that
they seemed to take a bit longer than the traditional ones because I took the
time to revisit ideas a lot more frequently than I had before. Dempster (1993),
says that educators need to recognize that “less is more,” and that presenting
less content to students and reviewing it frequently has significantly positive

effects on their recall and retention.

Another constructivist technique that I continued to work on was allowing
sufficient wait time after posing a question. Cooper (1980), implied that the
importance of wait time is necessary for those students who are not prepared to
respond to questions or other stimuli immediately. He says that they process the
world in different ways. Another reason to have some wait time is that the
questions posed by the teacher are not always those heard correctly by the

students.

Lastly, it was critical to incorporate authentic assessment that relates to real
concerns and problems that the students encounter or have. It is unreasonable
to assess students in a traditional manner. After teaching in a manner that
fostered individual construction of knowledge. In addressing this problem,
Mayer (1961) discussed the rush of weekly quizzes and tests, class work and
homework, recitations and catechisms. Especially in America, students are
made to prove that they have learned their lessons. If the child cannot give back
the information on demand, then it is assumed that they have not Ieamed it.
Therefore, this unit was assessed through teaching, participating in
student/teacher interactions, observing student/student interactions, and
watching students work with ideas and materials. In all activities, I was
assessing whether or not they understood the “big idea” or main concept being
taught. In discussing what they call “assessment while teaching,” Newman,
Griffin, and Cole (1989) profess:

“Many instructional units do not decompose themselves

into a neat sequence of levels to be mastered in an

invariant sequence with a single correct route to mastery.

In fact, appropriable child behaviors come in great variety,

requiring flexible expertise on the teacher’s part to weave
them into a productive instructional interaction.”

Before working on this unit, I did not know how to grade open-ended problem—
solving labs and open-ended essay questions. However, after reading an article

by Lundberg (1997), l was willing to make the change to student generated

scoring rubrics. The students would help devise the criteria for each of the six
test questions on how to “hit a target” or answer the question correctly.
Authentic assessment through teaching seems natural, but not particularly easy
like a multiple choice test. The biggest advantage to meaningful assessment is

that Ieaming continues while assessment occurs.

The genetics unit discussed in this thesis was taught to an eighth grade class of
30 students. The ability of these students in my class ranged from gifted to at-
risk to Ieaming disabled to basic classroom students. It is the largest range of
students that I will taught in my eight years at Haslett Middle School. I had
confidence that this unit was the best one to encompass all of the Ieaming
styles. The school is in a suburban area in mid-Michigan, made up of mostly
middle class Caucasian pupils. The school is average in size, rated class B for
its athletic programs. The middle school has approximately 700 students and is

growing rapidly.

IMPLEMENTATION

IMPLEMENTATION
Overview
The new genetics unit, taught to the eighth grade students in the Science Plus
curriculum, was a five week unit developed in the summer of 1996 during
research. Laboratory experiments and activities were developed to enhance the
genetics unit and resources were collected to implement the constructivist
teaching method. The unit taught before genetics was the Photosynthesis unit
and the unit following was the Weather unit. I taught the new and improved
genetics unit in 1997 as a trial run and then again in 1998. In the second year,
the unit flowed much more smoothly and the data in this thesis are taken from

my 1998 teaching experience.

Although, the students worked on a variety of activities in this unit, the ongoing
project was the Wisconsin Fast Plant 0 lab. The students were provided with
seeds of the Brassica rapa plant with different traits to study, such as wild type
and a mutant, rosette (short), anthocyanin and anthocyaninless, and hairy and
hairless. Students were to form a hypothesis about the inheritance of a trait and
test that hypothesis by collecting phenotypic data through two generations. The
genetics unit began in April and continued for six weeks. However, the study of

the second generation of plants extended into the weather unit.

10

Objectives of Unit

The overarching objective of this genetics unit was to have the students become
“knowers” of science. What we know about genetics is constantly changing. As
students encounter new information through reading, personal experience, or
active investigation they should have the desire to understand the world around
them, (Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives, 1991). The students should
master the Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives for Science Education
about genetics/inheritance and demonstrate what they have learned through

embedded assessment, as well as pre and post tests.

The student objectives for the genetics unit were:
1. Genetics MEGOSE Objectives

*How are characteristics of living things passed on through
generations?

“Why are organisms within a species different from one another?
*How can new traits be established by changing or manipulating
genes?

The teacher objectives for the genetics unit were:

2. Constructivism Objectives
*Posing problems that are important to the learner.

*Constructing Ieaming around big concepts.

11

*Obtaining students point of view.
*Adapting curriculum to address the students needs.

*Assessing student learning in the context of teaching.

3. Students will demonstrate what they have Ieamed by written work,
(essays, book questions, lab analysis & conclusions) and oral discussion
with the whole class and in individual interviews and the end of the unit
survey.

Weekly Outline of Unit

Note: All activities are referenced to a specific Appendix;

All activities new to the unit are noted with *.

Week One:

Two weeks before starting the genetics unit I interviewed six of my eighth grade
science students. I choose the students by the grades that they had received in
previous units and picked two students who received excellent grades, two
students that received average grades and two students that scored really low.
The interview questions that I asked came from the pre-test but if the students
had incorrect answers then I inquired further to find out about their
misconceptions.

At the start of the genetics unit, the eighth grade students took a pre-test. They

wrote the answers in their science journals, titled *“For Your Journal”, (Appendix

12

A). At the end of the unit they reflected on their answers to the

journal questions and rewrote the answers to correct any misconceptions and
included knowledge and terminology gained throughout the unit. The students
*set short-term, daily goals and long range, unit goals for themselves and their
small working groups. The students started the *Wisconsin Fast Plant lab 0,
(Appendix B), in order to observe and conduct some of the genetics experiments
in the new unit. Then the students did a Family Likeness activity (Appendix C),

to help them recognize common traits among family members and observe how

they were passed on from one generation to the next. From here, the students
looked at characteristics shared by members of their eighth grade class in a
survey, (Appendix D), distributed, collected, and analyzed by them to determine

how many members of their class share specific physical traits.

W:

In the second week of the Wisconsin Fast Plant 9 Lab, day 6 to 11 of the
grower’s calendar (Appendix B) reminded the students to check the plants and
reservoir water level each day and observe growth and development. On day
eight, and every other day until the plants flowered (about day 16) the students
applied one drop of Gibberellic acid or water (see Appendix E), according to the

treatment labels, to each leaf on their plants. They also recorded plant height

13

(distance along the stem from the point of cotyledonary attachment to the very

tip of the plant).

The students made a list and studied the characteristics that are necessary for
organisms to live. They focused on the cell as being the basic unit of all living
things. They learned structures and functions of organelles in both plant and
animal cells, (Appendix F). In studying that all processes in a living cell are
controlled by the cell’s nucleus, the students interpreted what happens as cells
divide to make new cells in mitosis and meiosis, (Appendix G). These activities
helped students distinguish sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction. The
students were assessed after these two weeks of the genetics unit with a short

quiz, (Appendix H).

Week Thr :

During this time of the Wisconsin Fast Plant 0 growth, the buds on the plants are
open and the students cross-pollinated for three consecutive days. On the last
day of pollination, the students removed unopened flower buds. In this part of
the unit, the students analyzed one of Gregor Mendel’s genetic experiments with
pea plants. They performed an activity that demonstrated how predictable ratios

of dominant to recessive traits can occur in the offspring of hybrid plants

14

(Appendix I). Later in the lesson, the students worked through Punnett squares,
and concluded that inherited traits appeared in predictable mathematical
patterns in the offspring of a specific cross. Students were then ready to learn
more about the genes and chromosomes that are responsible for carrying the

traits.

Week Four:

The Wisconsin Fast Plants 0 developed seed pods so the students observed
and made drawings of the changes that took place in their plants. The
students continued the chromosome study from week three, by making a
“karyotype to better understand an individual’s genetic make-up, (Appendix J).
Then, they studied disorders that are a result of chromosome abnormalities,
developmental errors and abnormal or lethal genotypes. Onoe students had
Ieamed about many of these disorders, they chose to put eight of the defects on
the chromosomes of the karyotype they were working on. This step helped with
the students understanding in the possibility of passing on an abnormality when
a new offspring is made. The week ended with a genetic counselor speaking to
the class about specific key encounters and jobs they must perform. The

students were allowed to ask questions about genetics to the geneticist.

15

Week Five:

The last week of the Wisconsin Fast Plant 0 study, the seed pods matured. The
students removed the plants from the watering system and allowed the plants to
dry in order to harvest the seeds from the pods. The students had a second
chance to work on Punnett squares when they learned *blood typing and looked
at the blood type of possible offspring. They conducted a lab to determine the
ABO and Rh factors for blood types of four unknown simulated blood samples,
(Appendix K). The class read two articles on identical twins: one dealing with
environmental influences on twins raised in different locations and the other
article on twins conjoined at birth. This prepared students for the upcoming
sleuth activity. The *science sleuth mystery, (Appendix L), using the video disc
is about twins that read a will and find out that there is a third sibling, a triplet,
with whom they must share their inheritance. Three people claim to be the lost
sibling. The sleuths must analyze the evidence to identify the true triplet.
Finally, at the end of the unit, the students looked at Environment vs. Heredity.
Which plays a bigger role in the development of living things?

The *unit test (Appendix M), included true/false, multiple choice, completion,
completing Punnett squares, and six essay questions that appeared on the pre-
test. The students were given as much time as needed to answer the questions

because the team block-scheduled the test for that day.

16

EVALUATION

l7

EVALUATION OF ACTIVITIES

New Techniques

My subjective overall evaluation of the use of several new methods in this
genetics unit is that it raised the interest level and motivated more students in
my class to get started working each day, actively participate in the activities and
achieve a desirable grade in the class. The following are primarily subjective
evaluations of specific new activities that were implemented into the new

genetics unit.

Goal Seging -
Each class, in 1997 and 1998, started the unit by setting short-term and long

range goals for themselves and their small working groups. It was important for
them to determine what needed to be accomplished each day and what they
should have completed at the end of the unit. I listened to the students say that
they felt like they were making their own list of things to do instead of the teacher
instructing them on what they had to complete. It was the first time I tried
student goal setting and I saw better focus and organization out of the majority of
the class. The students were required to turn in their goals and reflect on them

to see if they were reached at the end of the unit.

18

 

 

lrn

Wisconsin Fast Plant® Lab -

The Wisconsin Fast Plant 0 lab, which included the Gibberellic acid experiment,
was the major change to the existing curriculum. This project was to be
monitored daily and gave the students a focus at the beginning of the hour each
day. There was no question about what was expected because each of them
had a grower‘s calendar to follow and measurements to record. This procedure
was very different from the traditional style of reporting to the class and taking
your seat while the teacher took attendance. The students independently got
started on their own and solved problems together in their lab groups. The
Wisconsin Fast Plant 0 lab also had added another aspect to the original
genetics unit; we now not only studied how traits are passed on in animals but

plant species too.

Surve -

The eighth grade genetics students were excited to go to their classmates home
room and present the survey about human characteristics. They were also in
charge of collecting and tallying the results. The survey results were observed
by all on the overhead to see how some of the traits are shared by a large
majority and others may be shared by only two or three people, and still other

traits may not appear at all.

19

Kagotype -

The human chromosome karyotype activity was implemented to help students
learn what a karyotype looks like, understand meiosis better, locate genes on
chromosomes, learn about genetic disorders and their location in the 23 pairs of
chromosomes, how sex is determined and have fun by playing a game. The
concepts in this part of the unit are difficult ones for eighth graders to grasp but

the karyotype activity provides a visual piece for the Ieamers.

Blood Typing -
The blood typing lab is an activity reintroduced to our curriculum. We used to

type our student’s blood when I did my student teaching at Haslett in the 1980's.
Now, students can see the obvious results once again with WARD’s simulated
blood typing activity. They will also determine the Rh factor of these same
unknown blood samples. The lab is a one day experiment and very easy for the
students to perform and observe. They work on Punnett squares for predicting

the blood type of possible offspring.

Science Sleuth -

The “Twins or Not?” science sleuth mystery is an activity that was published with

our Science Plus text book. This laser disc game was a new activity where

20

students worked in cooperative groups to try to solve the case, using knowledge

they had Ieamed in the unit.

The students” mission was to determine which applicant, if any, was the true
remaining triplet. This was a great way to review concepts Ieamed throughout
the entire genetics unit. The students thought this activity was hard work and
required a lot of clue writing. However, after two days of critical thinking and
scientific problem solving they were ready to hear the solution to the sleuth

mystery and the evidence that supported the solution.

Pre & Post Tests -

The pre and post tests essay questions,(Appendix A & M), described in
the implementation, were identical questions and were left open ended so the
students could explain their reasoning and write as many examples as they felt
necessary. The pre—test was written in the students’ science journals so that any
time throughout the unit they could reflect back on them and add important terms
or ideas to them in order to make them complete answers. The students did not
know that the same essay questions were going to appear on the post test at the
end of the unit. After the post test, the students generated rubrics in groups and
then combined them in a class discussion, to form one good, three point rubric,

for each essay question on the test, (Appendix N). Even during this process,

21

real learning was going on amongst the students as they carefully considered

what constituted quality work.

Interviews -

I interviewed six students before the unit and asked them questions about
genetics. I wanted to hear what they already knew before the unit and see if
they had any misconceptions. I interviewed the students during prime time, at
lunch or on my planning hour and it took approximately 20 minutes per student.
At the conclusion of the unit, I interviewed the same six individuals and asked

them the same questions.

Student Self-Assessment & Unit Evaluation -

This unit and self-evaluation was given after the entire unit had been
taught. The students were asked to give their opinion of what activities helped
them Ieam most to least in the unit. It also asked them what they liked, what
concept was hardest and how this unit was different from other units taught this
year. The students evaluated their effort and participation in the unit to help
determine their success. And finally, I had them write a goal for the upcoming

unit.

22

EVALUATION

l evaluated the 1998 genetics unit primarily by pre and post test results but also
implemented were other activity and lesson assessment techniques which are
reported in this document. The 1997 genetics unit was a preliminary trial run
and data was neither compiled nor incorporated in this thesis. The assessment
throughout the unit was ongoing and measured performance in every area. The
quality of the students home work, class work, lab work, journal entries and

performance on quizzes and tests were all factors in assigning grades.

The students were provided with realistic problems to solve and assessment
relied on performance-based strategies, instead of recall-based assessment.
The pre and post test items were consistent with the pursuit of scientific
knowledge. They also encompassed the scientific method: gathering data,
hypothesizing, experimenting, inferring, observing, analyzing data and

concluding. The post test assessed the students” mastery of these skills.

The unit test consisted of true and false, multiple choice, short answer
completion and essay questions. There was no length requirement for the essay
questions and no time limitations for the test. The concepts assessed were
those that had been identified as problem areas for previous students. The

concepts assessed were: 1) how characteristics of living things are passed on

23

through generations, 2) why organisms within a species are different from one
another, 3) how manipulating genes can produce new traits. The topics of the
questions were passing of genetic traits, diversity within species, environmental
influences on traits, chromosomal abnormalities and genetic technology and

manipulation.

Based on responses to the six pre and post test essay questions, students were
scored on a basic rubric developed by students of three points per question
(Appendix N), in an attempt to keep the evaluation as objective as possible. A
score of a three on an individual question showed complete proficiency while a
score of 0 reflected an answer that was totally incorrect. The average student
score from 1998, for all questions on the pre-test was 39.8% (7.17 points earned
out of 18 points possible). On the post test with the same six essay questions
and rubric, the average student score, for all questions was 70.1% (12.63 points
earned out of 18 points possible). These averages show an increase in class
performance and individual growth of students for one class (Tables 1 and 2).
The median for the pre-test was 7 and the median for the post-test was 13.5.
The mode on the pre-test scores were 4 and 5, and the mode on the post-test
scores as 16. The pre-test standard deviation was 3.97 and the post test

standard deviation was 4.28.

24

Analysis of Individual Essay Questions

The six pre and post test response for the essay questions were compared and
presented as histograms (Figures 1-6). Each question was evaluated using the
assessment rubric in Appendix N. For all test items there were 30 subjects
assessed in 1998. Some of the sample responses of the subjects tested are
included for a subjective assessment. The names of these students have been

changed to protect anonymity.

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 m m N F .. m 2.
N o P F N F N 3.
N o F o o P o 2.
m N N _. N o N Np
v _. F o o P w 2.
v F F o _. F o 2.
v w o o N o _. a
e o F o o N F a
m _. o o F N F N
m N F P N o N o
m P F o o N F m
or N N _. F N N v
NF m N N P P m n
N v _. F N o N N
m N _. N v _. N r

c m e n N _. .3832

.80... c2325 c2325 c2330 c2330 5:330 5:025 «co—cam

mmmoom hum human.

.2232... .3: 23.32. 852. n. 23:33.. >33 5» 05 so. 333 “08.2: 8.5an u r 2%...

26

 

on

 

aN

 

QN

 

NN

 

0N

 

mN

 

VN

 

MN

 

NN

 

pN

 

0N

 

3.

av

 

up

 

or

t.

 

FNs-ms-v-NNPMva-OO

ONOOFONNOMNUDOPO

OFOGPOFFONOMOPO
PNFNPFFPFMi—MOFO

Fs-Os-NOOOv-NPFFV-OP

ONFNNFNNFMNNONO

or

 

.50...

 

 

o
cease-.0

 

m
3:330

 

v n
cease—.0 c2330

 

 

N
coweoaa

 

..
cones—.0

 

.2.—.5...
«cog.»

 

 

Accuses—u .2. 03.32. 852. n. accrues—s >33 in 05 .3. no.3» 33.2.. £33m "3.30. r 03¢...

mum—Com hwy—Hum...

27

 

0..

In
F

 

3.

V
F

 

C")
F

 

3

N
F

 

N..

F
F

 

O
F

 

NF

 

3

 

m..

 

mp

 

NF

 

0..

 

m..

 

9.

 

m..

”MMGFNNONFNNONO‘)

MMMNNNPNPFNNFNM

”MCQMNMMNNFNMPMCO

NNMNNNNNNNNNFNN

NNOWNFNNNFNNNNN

”MOMMNMMMNNMFMM

FNOVMONGO

 

 

.50...

 

00.3000

 

0030:

G

 

v

00.3030

 

n

00.3030

 

N

00.3030

 

..

00.3000

 

30:52
£830

 

 

mum—00m hawks—.02

30.3000 .00 03.30.. 80.00 9. 000.3030 >30 3 05 .0.— 0203 38.30.. 80003»... .N 0.3...

28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0 o P o .. .. 0 on
N.. o N 0 N N 0 0N
0 .. .. o P F .. 0N
0 .. 0 0 0 0 0 0 ..N
0 .. 0 N 0 N N 0 0N
0.. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0N
0.. .. .. N N N N VN
0? N N 0 0 0 0 0N
N .. 0 N 0 0 0 0 NN
N F F .. N o N ..N
.1. N N 0 N N 0 ..N
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0..
0 r F N N o N 0 ..
0.. N 0 0 N 0 0 5..
0 F .. o .. F .. 0 ..

0 0 v n N .. 505:2

.30... 5.30:0 5.30:0 5.30:0 5.30:0 5.30:0 5.30:0 30030

mum—Cow ..mm......wO0

.5305 .00 0.0.0000 30.00 9 05.305 >300 x3 05 .0. 00.03 38.300 3.5030 .350. N 0.3...

29

The item analysis shows the scores in the form of histograms for the six pre and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

post test essay questions.
Question 1 Scores
Question 1:
25
Explain howtraits are 20 - . .. ,, H , . ., -. "WT—”T
passed on from one 15 ..__, ._ __ 11-1” ._- ___-... m
310 _— — — ——. -
generationtothe next. “' 5 1 H—n. M..-
01 _ 4 _'_ _ "r _ ..
o 1 2 3
Score
DPre-Test [:lPost-Ted

 

 

 

Figure 1: Histogram of pre and post test
scores for Question 1.

The overall performance for question one was that the average score for the pre
and post test was 1.5 and 2.53 (Fig. 1). One student in the class, “Sue”, subject
#5 and an eighth grade student, answered Question 1 on the pre-test, “Our
parents give us our traits so we tend to look and act like them.” For her prior
knowledge, “Sue” received one point because she did mention

where we get our traits but was not specific enough to earn 2 or 3 points. On the
post-test “Sue” answered, “Traits are passed on from one generation to the next
when the fathers sperm, that has 23 chromosomes, with genes on them, that
contain traits, fertilizes the mothers egg, that has 23 chromosomes, with genes

on them, that contain traits, to make a baby with 46 chromosomes. “Sue”

30

received 3 points for this answer because she showed that the traits originated
from the parents, told the correct number of chromosomes, discussed the
process by which a new offspring is made and mentioned the new count of

chromosomes in the young.

Three students, subjects # 3,15, and 25, all knew the number of chromosomes in
egg and sperm cells, the process of fertilization and the resulting number of
chromosomes after meiosis, prior to the unit. They received a score of 3 points

on both the pre and post test.

 

Question 2 Scores
20

92000411.; ._
Why are organisms within a -- ~~

 

 

species different from one
another?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Test [j Post-Test

 

 

 

Figure 2: Histogram of pre and post test
scores for Question 2.

The students scored the lowest on this question on the pre-test. The class
average score was 1.03 on the pre-test and 1.96 on the post-test, (Fig. 2). Most

students realized that there is diversity but couldn’t explain why. It was not

31

uncommon for them to answer like “John”, subject #11: “Organisms are
different because they look different, move differently; like fish, birds, humans,
and sound or communicate differently.” These are all considered traits that are
different in organisms so “John” received 1 point. On the post-test “John”
received 2 points and answered, “Organisms are different because they have
different parents or if they are related, then like all other organisms, they have

different genes on their chromosomes.”

On the post-test, only eight students earned a perfect score of 3 points on this
question. Combinations and recombinations of genetic material was covered in
class for one lesson, as was the structure of DNA. Students did not feel that
they needed to know about combinations and recombinations for the test. They
were very interested in making their models of DNA and discussing ways that
the environment could lead to diversity of traits. Many of the students receiving
0 and 1 point on this post-test question were the learning disabled students that

have reading and comprehension disabilities and struggle with vocabulary.

Question # 3: Where in the living body, does the passing on of traits
take place? Be specific.
The analysis of this question, prior to teaching this unit, showed that a high

number of students knew that the passing on of traits takes place in the cells of

32

the organisms but did not know the process by which this happens. The students
studied the process of mitosis which showed how the passing of traits takes
place in body cells. The study of meiosis showed the students how sex cells
pass on their traits through the process of reduction division. As a result of
conducting the chromosome line-up project, the students Ieamed the process of
cell division and chromosomal activity. The average score for question three pre

and post test was 1.17 and 2.07, (Fig. 3).

 

Question 3 Scores

20‘

 

15 .7. (F ' ““1 5’“ '
10,- » - a- »

5 ‘PIII——ne
o ‘ A

E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

— — 1 — ‘ T —

0 1 2 3

[j Pre-Test [:1 Post-Test

 

 

 

Figure 3: Histogram of pre and post
test scores for Question 3.
“Julie” subject # 3, mentioned the helpfulness of the chromosome activity. She
earned 1 point on the pre-test and 3 points on the post-test. Her post-test
answer was: “We Ieamed that chromosomes are found in the nucleus of cells

and even got to see them pictured in our books and in the chromosome activity.

33

They had dark bands of color across them that were different thicknesses and
those were the genes. The chromosomes are made of DNA and proteins and
the make-up of these determines what type of traits that individual has in order

to pass them on to the next generation.”

 

 

9%: Question 4 Scores

Does environment play a 20 , _

role in the development of g 15 t T, H 1

living things? Explain. E 1: :1 f .. :
O _

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[3 Pre-Test (j Post-Test

 

Figure 4: Histogram of pre and post test
scores for Question 4.

The class average score for the pre and post test for question 4 was 0.80 and
2.3, (Fig. 4). A large portion of the class answered the question incorrectly on
the pre-test. One example was “Pat”, subject # 7, who answered the pre-test
question, “No, Humans cannot change the genetic makeup that they inherit from
their parents. “ After reading the section in the Science Plus textbook called
“Environment or Heredity?” and conducting the “Gibberellic Acid” experiment on

the Wisconsin Fast Plants 0, the students were more familiar with environmental

34

factors that can change the appearance of some particular traits. “Pat” earned
the 3 points on the post-test for question # 4. This was her answer, “Yes,
Environment can change the development of living things and the way they look.
Take your weight, for example, it depends on how much you exercise, what your
diet is and the condition of your overall health. Another example is your hair
style, and that depends on if you color treat your hair, leave it natural, cut it short

or let it grow long.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question 5 Scores
12
Questlon # 5 : 1o li_~----- m J“ 1 ,_.- a,
a” -. ~ 4 -- ___- ,
Whathappens ifthere is g 6T1 * _ -1”. . _rfi -.._.
3 ..__. .. ’ . -
something wrong withthe “‘ z .
1i . . - ‘
traits? Give an example. 0 ’ o: ' 1 * 2 ‘ 3
Score
DPre-Test DPost—Test

 

 

 

Figure 5: Histogram of pre and post test
scores for Question 5.

The overall performance of the students for Question 5 was a mean score of
1 .23 on the pre-test and 1.93 on the post test, (Fig. 5). There were no students
with a score of 0 on the post-test which was an improvement from 8 students

with a zero on the pre-test. The most touching answer came from one of my

35

Down’s syndrome students in this class, who had a very good idea about the
story of her genetic make-up. “Shelly” said, “I have an extra 21“ chromosome
and it made me look different than everyone else in my grade. I

am not as smart either. I have Down’s Syndrome.“ ”Shelly” earned 3 points on
this question because she knew the name of her genetic disease, identified the
chromosome abnormality and told us about her developmental errors, (she just

couldn’t use the terminology that the other students had Ieamed).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q__uostion#6= Question 6 Scores
How can new traitsbe 12 .

10 M...“
f... f... ,0. H - -

g 6 ::--...._. .. ..I H.— . ~——«
manipulating or g, _t _ g - -
changing genes? :1” A . Fm .. ~ "1 .

fl—o"1"2'_'3
Score
D Pre-Test] Post-Test

 

 

 

 

Figure 6: Histogram of pre and post test
scores for Question 6.

The results for question 6 were that the mean score on the pre-test was 1.43 and
1.83 for the post test. The scores on the pre-test show that there was not a lot
of prior knowledge on this topic. One student, “Ted”, subject # 2, responded to

question # 6 on the pre-test: “I know that scientists can change the way living

36

things are by playing around with their genes.” “Ted” scored only 1 point for that
answer because he knew that scientists can change the genetic

material in a cell. After studying this concept in the unit, “Ted” answered the
following on the post-test: “Geneticists are the scientist that either add sections
or change the DNA in a cells nucleus to alter the characteristics of the living
organism.” “Ted” scored 3 points for demonstrating how new traits can be

formed by manipulating genes.

37

Analysis of Data:

The distribution of scores on the pre and post tests shows an improvement of
understanding of the genetics concepts assessed. Some students did not
improve on individual questions from pre-test to post-test, (like subjects # 3, 15,
19, 22, 27), as indicated by Table 1 because they were already proficient,
scoring 3 points on both tests. Other students were not proficient, scoring a 0 on
a pre-test question, and didn’t improve on their score for the post-test, (subjects
# 8, 13, 28, 30). Some, in fact, gave an entirely different answer for their post-

test answer that an incorrect response.

The students” mean scores showed improvement from the pre-test to the post-
test at the end of the genetims unit. The mean improved from 7 to 13. The
means for questions 1: Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to
the next and question 4: Does environment play a role in the development of
living things?, showed the largest improvement from pre-test (1.5 and 0.80) to
the post-test (2.53 and 2.3). The median, the score which shows the middle of
distribution of scores increased from 4 and 5 to 13. The standard deviation for
the pre and post test was 4. The pre-test scores deviated 4 points from the
mean of 7, and the post-test scores deviated 4 points from the mean of 13,

(Figure 7).

38

Pre Test Post Test

M

—l-l-l-l-l-l-H+I-l-H—H—

3 4 5 6 7 8 91011121314151617

Figure 7: Pre and post test standard deviation.

The scores on the class and lab work and homework were very high; 90%, 77%,
and 82% respectively. There were 10 assignments not turned in during the
genetics unit or 93% tum-in rate. This was higher than the prior Photosynthesis

unit where the students had an 84% homework tum-in rate.

39

DISCUSSION
What was effective?
I was pleased with all of the new activities implemented into this unit. They
included: goal setting, the Wisconsin Fast PlantO, the genetic traits survey,
karyotype chromosome activity, blood typing lab, the science sleuth, pre and
post tests, students writing rubrics, interviews and self evaluation and unit

survey.

The students wanted to be part of the lesson planning and decision making in
class and it was the goal setting at the beginning of the unit that got them
engaged. I will use this strategy again to give the students an opportunity to

investigate questions that they have and are interested in.

The two laboratory experiments (Wisconsin Fast Plants® and Blood Typing lab),
implemented in the genetics unit involved all of the students. It also instilled in
them excitement about the topics they were investigating and provided them with
a sense of achievement when they discovered the correct blood type and
harvested the seeds from the Wisconsin Fast Plants®. In the self assessment at
the end of the unit, 24 of the 30 students rated the laboratory experiments as the
most helpful tool in their learning and understanding of the material.

The genetic traits survey allowed the students to compare different physical

4O

characteristics and abilities amongst themselves. They enjoyed the peer
teaching as they distributed and administered the survey. When the surveys
were completed the students took great pleasure in reporting the scores that
they tallied. As a whole class we analyzed the data to understand the outcome

of the results.

The chromosome karyotype activity was very challenging for the students and
took a full class period for them to map the chromosomes into the 23 pairs. The
students enjoyed picking out eight disorders to place on the genes of the
chromosomes and completing the activity with a game to make a new offspring.
One student wrote in the unit evaluation, “I thought it was cool how we got to roll
the dice and move the chromosomes. We watched our offspring receive the trait
for breast cancer. The most exciting roll was the 23"‘1 pair, which determined if

we had a boy or a girl.”

The science sleuth is not one of the students favorite activities because they
have to do a lot of writing. However, they are focused and determined to solve
the problem in the mystery. It also piques their interest because I have offered

extra credit for any student who resolves the case.

The interviews before the unit began were a great place to start because one of

the students I interviewed did not answer question 4 on the pre-test in detail and

41

I was not sure how much he knew about the topic. The question was: Where in
the living body does the passing on of traits take place? He answered: “The
passing on of traits takes place in the cells of living things.” In the interview, I
asked him which cells and specifically where in the cells. He replied:

“Traits are passed on in all of your cells that you get when you are formed at
birth. And the traits are found in the nucleus inside a cell.” l was glad that I took
the opportunity to interview some students because I really got a better
understanding of exactly what scientific information some of the students knew

and what concepts I needed to teach them.

I feel that the post-test at the end of the unit was a good tool in assessing
student understanding in genetics. The students generated their own class
rubrics for each test question by brainstorming ideas on the chalkboard and then
together we decided what parts of the answer would be worth points. I then
used these rubrics for grading the test. The process of working together to
create the scoring rubrics led us to many class discussions that involved more
learning from their peers. The students often remarked about answers that they
had not thought of themselves and we discussed them as possible answers.
The students were very successful in designing the rubrics and they knew what

was expected of them in order to score a full three points on each test question.

42

Conclusion

I read a book on constructivist teaching and I really agreed with the title of one of
the chapters of this book: “Coming to Know Ones World” through
constructivism. Based on teaching this unit, I feel that the students Ieamed more
about their world as it relates to heredity by constructing their knowledge. They
were more motivated and interested in their results or outcomes that they got in
this unit than the prior genetics unit that I taught. The old unit had no laboratory
experiments and had paper/pencil activities and lecture style approach. In the
new unit, the groups set their goals and knew what to do each day without my
lead in instruction and they would enter class and begin gather data and
measuring plant height without hesitation. It was nice for me because I was able
to walk around the classroom to help individuals or groups when the need would

anse.

The most challenging part of constructivist teaching for me is allowing student
responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies and alter

content. I improved on the wait time after asking questions to the students. I
found that when I would repeat the question a second time and count to five that

I had more volunteers and students that had time to formulate a good answer.

43

“BIBLIOGRAPHY”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brooks, J.G., and MG. Brooks. (1993). “In Search of Understanding: The Case
for Constructivist Classrooms,” Alexandria, Va.

Cooper, L., D. Johnson, R. Johnson, and F. Welderson. (1980). “The Effects of
Cooperative, Competitive, and lndividualistic Experiences in
InterPersonal Attractions Among Heterogeneous Peers,” The Journal of
Social Psychology, 1 11:243-252.

DeBoer, GE. (1991). “A History of Ideas in Science Education,” New York:
Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dempster, EN. (1993). “Exposing Our Students to Less Should Help Them
Learn More,” Phi Delta Kappan 73, November.

Frymier, JR. (1985). Motivation To Learn. West Lafayette, Ind.: Kappa Delta
Pi.

Goldstein, Philip. (1967). Genetics Is Easy. Lantern Press, Publishers, NY.

Lawson, A.E.. (1995). “Science Teaching and the Development of Reasoning,”
Wadsworth Publishing Co., Belmont, CA.

Long, SH. (1991). Educational Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lundberg, Ramona. (1997). “Student-Generated Assessment,” The Science
Teacher, January.

Matthews, MR. (1994). “Science Teaching: The Role of History and Philosophy
of Science,” Routledge, New York.

Mayer, M. (1961). The Schools, New York: Doubleday and Company.
Milunsky, Aubrey. (1992). Heredity and Your Family’s Health. The Johns

Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

“Multiple lntellengences” - VHS. (1993). David Lazear, Director from New
Demensions in Learning Brains, producer: Agency for Instructional
Technology.

National Research Council. (1996). “National Science Education Standards,”
Washington DC: National Academy Press.

Newman, D., P. Griffin, and M. Cole. (1989). The Construction Zone, Working for
Cognitive Change in School, Mass: Cambridge University Press.

45

Rita, Ronald D. (1998). “Integrated Constructivism,” The Science Teacher, Vol.
65 no. 5, May.

Rutherford, F. J. (1964). “The Role of Inquiry in Science Teaching,” Journal of
Research in Science Teaching, 2:80-84.

Rutherford, F. James. (1993). “Hands-on: A Means to an End,” Project 2061
Today, Washington, DC: American Associations for the Advancement of
Science, vol. 3, no. 1, March.

Smith, E.L. & Anderson, CW. (1984). “The Planning and Teaching
lnterrnediate Science Study: Final Report”, (Research Series No. 147).
East Lansing, MI: Institute for Research on Teaching, MSU.

Smith, M.U. (1991). “Toward a Unified Theory of Problem Solving: Views from
the Content Demains,” Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlaum.

46

“APPENDICES”

47

APPENDIX A

“For Your Journal”

In your science journal, answer the follow questions to the best of your
ability. If you do not know an answer, make the best educated guess that you
can. You must have an answer to each question.

1. What is a trait?

2. How are traits passed on from one generation to the next?

3. Name a trait that all of the human species share?

4. Why are organisms within a species different from one another?

5. What is a gene?

6. What is a chromosome?

7. Where at, in the living body, does the passing on of traits take place?

8. Does environment play a role in the development of living things? Explain.

(O

. What happens if there is something wrong with the traits? Give an example.

10. How can new traits be formed from manipulating or changing genes?

48

APPENDIX B

"Wisconsin Fast Plants®"

Background: Wisconsin Fast Plants®, Brassica rapa, belong to the mustard or
cabbage family, (also known as Cruciferae). They are used for research and
education because of their rapid developing life cycle. The principles and methods
formulated by Gregor Mendel provide the basis for studies of inheritance in higher
organisms.

Mendel chose garden pea plants that bred true for one or more easily
recognizable and widely contrasting traits. The Brassica rapa also express strong
contrasting traits.

Mendel’s pea plants lend themselves to controlled crosses because of the
flower structure. Left to themselves, peas will only self-pollinate because both
anther and pistil are enclosed completely by petals. Mendel could cross-pollinate
any two plants by prying open the buds and removing the anthers before self-
pollination. Pollen from another plan is transferred to the stigma of the first plant
via a brush.

Thus, in peas, self-pollination is a certainty and cross-pollination involves
manipulation. In Brassica rapa, these conditions are reversed.

The Brassica rapa plants do not self-pollinate. The Brassica flower structure is
open with the anthers and pistil exposed, but self-pollination is prevented by a
pollen-stigma incompatibility mechanism that inhibits self-pollen germination on the
stigma. Brassica does not have wind-bome pollen. Cross-pollination occurs
naturally by insects carrying pollen from plant to plant. Self-pollination can be
accomplished only by bud pollination. One to three days before the young buds
open, they are pried open and pollen is transferred from a mature anther on the
same plant to the immature stigma. The incompatibility mechanism is not
operational for a short time, and self-fertilization can take place. Thus, in Brassica
rapa, cross-pollination is a certainty and self-pollination involves manipulation.

Objectives: In this lab you will investigate the inheritance of the gene(s) controlling
a mutant trait. You will cross-pollinate F1 plants to produce F2 seeds. Then you
will grow F2 plants and observe segregation.
l. Principle of unit characters- each trait or phenotype
is conditioned by a single gene that occurs in pairs.

2. Principle of dominance- one of the pair of genes may
differ in its expression and be masked by the other.

3. Principle of segregation- during the formation of
gametes, the two factors for a trait must separate.

49

Materials:
* soil with vermiculite
* 100% polyester felt
* film canisters
* tuppenlvare containers
* F1 seeds Rosette (Ros/ros)
* copper sulfate
“fertilizer pellets
* bee wands

Pre-Lab Questions:

I. How can you distinguish whether the mutant trait is inheritable or is the result of
environmental effects?

2. If a single gene controls the mutant trait, how will you
determine the dominant and the recessive expression of the

gene?

3. What is your hypothesis about the inheritance of the
mutant trait?

Procedures and Observations:

First Generation (F 1 Hybrid)

I. Always begin a planting cycle on Monday or Tuesday. This allows three
consecutive school days for watering from above.

2. Prepare the felt water mat for use by soaking it in water and simply lay it on the
top of the tupperware container. A piece should be long enough to extend down

into the reservoir to soak up water. (This watering system is based on capillary
action). Now fill the reservoir half to 3I4 full.

3. Moisten the potting mix until it is slightly damp.
4. Place the 1 1/2 in. pre-cut felt strips (wicks), into the holes of the film containers

so that half of it is inside and the other half is sticking out, (Figure 8).

50

 

Figure 8: Apparatus for growing
Wisconsin Fast Plants®.

 

 

 

 

5. Fill each container half full with potting mix.

6. Add three fertilizer pellets to each cell.

7. Add more potting mix to fill each cell to the top. Do not pack the soil down. Use

the end of a pencil to make a 4 mm depression in the potting mix in each cell

8. Drop three seeds into each depression.

9. Cover the seed with just enough soil so that they are no longer visible.

10. Label each container with the date and type of seed,

(Use a waterproof pen).

1 1. Water gently with a pipet until the water drips from the wick at the bottom of the
container.

12. Be sure to water gently from the top with pipets for the first three days to insure
adequate moisture during germination.

* Follow the grower's calendar for the remaining life cycle of the plants, (see next
page)

** Hint - Wash all materials before each planting with a bleach/water solution to
sterilize them.

*** Note - If there appears to be a lot of algae on the felt or in the reservoir, drop
into the water a small amount of copper sulfate.

Second Generation (F1) Seedlings

 

Date

Age of
Plants

Your #
Wild Type

Class #
Wild Type

Your #
Mutant

Class #
Mutant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

51

 

Second Generation (F2)

The mutant traits, like rosette, are recognizable at the seedling stage. Place one
filter paper disc in the lid of a petri dish. Write your name and the type of seed in
pencil on the filter paper. Add water until the paper is wet and then pour off the
excess water. Place 20 seeds in four neat rows on the upper two-thirds of the filter
paper. Place the cover on the dish and stand the dish in about 2 cm of water
in a reservoir. Tilt the dish slightly so that water collects at the bottom and place
the dish under the light bank. Seed should all be above the water line. On day
three to five, observe and record the number of mutant and wild-type plants.

Third Generation (F2) Seedlings

 

Date Age of Your # Class # Your # Class #
Plants Wild Type Wild Type Mutant \Mutant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion Questions:

I. Describe the plants in the F1. What does this suggest about the inheritance
pattern of the mutant trait?

2. What do the combined class data for the F2 suggest about the inheritance of
the mutant trait?

3. Are the deviations from a 3:1 ratio in the F2 significant? Explain your answer.
4. Do the results agree with your original hypothesis? If not, what is your

modified hypothesis?

5. What additional cross(es) would you do to verify your hypothesis?

52

Extensions

l. Students can take the F2 seeds and instead of germinating them, actually
plant them and take them home for the entire life cycle.

2. Students can do other experiments with the fast plants to prove or
disprove theories that they may have, such as, starch in the soil or water,
pollen studies plants responding to certain stimuli, etc.

'Thlslabwasadaphdfromthersconsln Fast Plentmanual publlshedbstrollnaBloloucslSupplyCornpeny.

53

Calendar Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grower’s Calendar

Day of Cycle
Prep

Day 1

Day2to3

Day4t05

Day6to11

Day 12

Day 13 to 18

Day 17 to 35

Day 36

Day 40

Activities

“Assemble light bank and rack.
“Saturate water mat according to
instructions and set up reservoirs.
“Arrange all planting materials.

“Plan to start the life cycle on a Mon. or
Tues.

“Plant, water from above, label, and set
on water mat, leaving 5 cm from top of
Quads to lights.

“Water from top with pipet.

“Thin plants to one plant per cell.
“Transplant, if necessary, to obtain one
plant in every cell.

“Check the water level in the reservoir.

“Check plants and reservoir water level
daily throughout the rest of the cycle.
“Observe growth and development.

“Make bee sticks. (Flower bud begin to
open)

“During this time, cross-pollinate for 3
consecutive days.

*On the last day of pollination, remove
unopened flower buds.

“Observe seed pod development and
embryos maturing.

“Remove plants from the watering
system and allow plants to dry for five
days.

“Harvest seeds from dry pods and store
appropriately.

“Remove plants, potting mix, and wicks
from quads.

“Clean all equipment and prepare for
the next planting.

54

APPENDIX C

“Family Likeness”

Now it is time to begin a history of a family of your choice. You may use your
family, a neighbors family, a soap opera family or even a famous family. The
family history will feature a diagram like the one drawn for Juan’s family in our
Science Plus textbook on page 441. You must have at least four generations,
however, you should include as many generations as possible. Have a key to
represent male, female, and marriages. Ask questions of family members and
look through family records and photos to assist you in constructing your family
tree.

1. What is meant by a generation of a family?

2. How many generations are included in your family tree?

3. What two members look most alike? How are they related?

4. What two members look least alike? How are they related?

5. Who has more ancestors, a person in the third or fourth generation? Explain.

55

APPENDIX D
"Genetics Survey"

Mrs. Pringle's 8th grade science class is studying a unit on genetics. They
would like to determine how many members of their entire 8th grade class share
specific physical traits.

Fill out the survey by answering "yes" or "no" and circle the correct response.

Please return these to Mrs. Pringle or to the Genetics student that attended your
Prime Time.

yes no I. Can you see the figure in the picture? This is a test for
colorblindness.
yes no 2. Can you roll up the edges of your tongue?

yes no 3. Do you have free ear lobes? If you don't, then yours are called
attached ear lobes.

yes no 4. Is the last segment of your thumb straight? This is sometimes
called hitch hickers thumb.

yes no 5. Do you have dimples? Not creases.
yes no 6. Do you have hair on the middle digits of you fingers?

yes no 7. When you fold your hands naturally, does your left thumb cross
over your right?

yes no 8. Is your fifth finger (pinky) straight? If not, they usually curve
away from each other to make a "Y".

yes no 9. Do you have an indentation in the middle of your chin? (cleft
chin)

yes no l0. Do you have a widow's peak in your hair line?
yes no Il. Can you wiggle your ears without touching them?
yes no l2. Is your second toe longer than your big toe? (Morton’s toe)

yes no l3. Are you right handed?

56

yes no I4. Do you naturally, fold your left arm over your right?
yes no l5. Do you have naturally curly hair?

“ Other interesting genetically linked traits:
- long eyelashes
- baldness (male - pattern)
- tune deafness (inability to distinguish tones)
- asthma
- eye color
- hair color
- ability to roll tongue (folding up the tip)
- hairy ear rims
- cat eye syndrome
- acute alcohol intolerance
# and many more!

57

IF

APPENDIX E

"Environment or Heredity?"

Background: In this lesson, you will explore the role environment plays in the
development of living things. After identifying a number of factors contributed by
the environment to the development of living things, you will see the effects of
gibberellic acid on a short rossette plant.

The effects of gibberellic acid were first investigated when rice plants infected
with a fungus grew very rapidly, became much taller than normal, and fell over. This
was known as the "foolish seedling disease". The effect was due to the fungus
producing a large amount of a chemical which is normally present in plants in
small amounts as a growth-regulating hormone. The chemical, gibberellic acid,
causes many dwarf or bushy plants to grow tall.

Objective: To treat dwarf plants with gibberellic acid (GA) and observe the results.

Materials:
“ 24 rosette seeds (ros/ros)
* 8 film canisters
“ potting soil
“ fertilizer pellets
* l00% polyester felt
“ 2 disposable pipets
* gibberellic acid (GA)
“ metric rulers
Pre-Lab Questions:

I. What do you predict will happen to those rosette plants treated with GA?

2. What part of the plant will be effected?

Procedures:

I. Follow the procedures for planting Wisconsin Fast Plants®.

58

2. Plant eight containers of rosette type and label four "rosette, water", and

label four "rosette, GA".

3. Also, label one pipet "water" and the other one "GA".

4. On day eight, and every other day until flowering ( about day 16).
Record plant height (distance from the stem from the point of cotyledon
attachment to the very tip of the plant). Measure in cm to the nearest
mm and record. According to the labels, apply one drop of GA or water
to each leaf on your plants, using the proper pipet.

Observations: Measure and record our data.

 

Plant Age Waterl Waterl GA/
Yours Class Avg Class Av

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion Questions:

I. What is the effect of GA on the rosette mutant?
2. What is the effect of water on the rosette mutant?

3. Compare the water treated plant and the GA treated plant. Do your results
prove that the rosette is a gibberellic acid-deficient mutant? Explain.

' This labwas adspbd from the Wisconsin Fast Plant manual. published byWARF and Carollna Blologlcal SupplyCompany.

59

 

APPENDIX F

“Plant & Animal Cells”

l. Define the following vocabulary terms for the plant and animal cell:
“cell wall -
“cell membrane -
“chloroplast -
“vacuole -
“cytoplasm -
*mitochondrion -
“nucleus -
“nuclear membrane -
“ribosome -

“endoplasmic reticulum -

II. Draw, color and label the plant and animal cell.

60

IF

 

APPENDIX G

“Mitosis and Meiosis”

Draw the chromosomes and label the following diagrams:

Mitosis Meiosis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

61

ll

 

APPENDIX H

Name
Hour
Quiz - Unit 8, sec. 1-3

“Genetics Unit”

I. What is heredity? Use some examples that we have studied so far in this unit.

2. Who are Watson and Crick?

Matching:
3. trait a. a type of cell division that produces sex cells.
4. genes b. the division of a single cell into two new cells.
5. chromosomes c. structures in the nucleus of a cell that carry the
hereditary factors.
6. Mitosis d. a type of cell division that produces body cells.
7. Meiosis e. individual sections of chromosomes that control
hereditary traits.
8. sexual f. two cells unite and become parents of the
reproduction next generation.
9. asexual 9. characteristics of a person, i.e. hair color, eye
reproduction color, dimples, etc.

10.-11. Draw and label both a plant cell and an animal cell, include the following
structures: nucleus, nuclear membrane, cytoplasm, cell wall, cell membrane,
mitochondrian, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, vacuole,

62

12.-13. Summarize the processes of mitosis and meiosis. Include diagrams to
make the information as clear as possible.

14. How are mitosis and meiosis similar?

15. How are mitosis and meiosis different?

63

APPENDIX I

“Punnett Square Worksheet”

1, A cattle ranch owner wants to cross a longhorn steer (HH) with a shorthom
cow (hh). Draw a Punnett square to show the possible offspring. Describe what
the offspring will look like, both phenotype and genotype. What is the ratio?

2. A pheasant breeder takes a healthy brown rooster carrying a recessive trait
for black neck feather Bb, and crosses this bird with a black neck hen bb. Draw
a Punnett square and show both the phenotype and genotype. What is the
ratio?

3. What happens when you cross a brown-eyed girl carrying a recessive trait for
blue eyes (£0) with an eligible bachelor having the same characteristics? Draw
a Punnett square and show both the phenotype and genotype. What is the
ratio?

4. Explain how a man having (XY) chromosomes can expect a 50% chance of
having a male baby when married to a woman having (XX) chromosomes. Draw
a Punnett square and show both the phenotype and genotype. What is the
ratio?

5. Cross a tall, round pea plant (Tth) with a short, round pea plant (tth). Tall
is dominant over dwarf. Round seed is dominant over wrinkled. Draw a Punnett
square and show both the phenotype and genotype. What is the ratio?

6. Cross a tall, round pea plant (T th) with another tall, round pea plant (Tth).
Make a Punnett square and show both the phenotype and genotype. What is
the ratio?

APPENDIX J

"Chromosome Line-up"

I. Have each student look at the metaphase spread in their textbook on page
462. Ask the students how they would arrange the chromosomes so they
could be studied more easily.

2. Pass out the Human Karyotype form with attached velcro for the students to
group the chromosomes in pairs. Then give them an envelope filled with the
cut out chromosomes (with velcro on the back) and have them match the pairs
according to

* size of the chromosome (largest to smallest)
“ banding of the chromosomes (to form pairs)
“ position of the centromere (to assure correct groups

Group Chromosomes Characteristics ...............
A I - 3 Very long with metacentric
(median) centromeres.
B 4 + 5 Long with submetacentric (set
off from the middle) centromeres.
C 6-12, X Medium length with
submatacentric centromeres.
D 13 - 15 Medium length with acrocentric
(at or very near to end) centromeres.
E 16 - 18 Somewhat short with
submetacentric centromeres.
F l9 - 20 Short with metacentric
centromeres.
G 2I-22, Y Very short with acrocentric
centromeres.

3. Show the students how to locate the genes on the chromosomes in their
karyotypes, (ex. p and q quadrants).

4. Give each student the gene locations for different human genetic disorders

65

and briefly discuss each trait. Ask them to put 8 of the disorder traits from the
list on their chromosomes so that they are carriers for each of these traits.
Do this with overhead transparency pens.

5. Pair off the students that have pink karyotypes (female) with the students that
have blue karyotypes (male).

6. Now the game begins, to determine what chromosomes will be
passed on to the baby's karyotype. Tell the students to do the
following:

A.) Roll the die to determine which chromosome from a given pair will be
passed on to the offspring, (odd= one chromosome and even= the second
chromosome). This is meiosis I.

8.) Cut the doubled chromosome selected in half and place one of the
halves on the new karyotype form (with velcro). This is meiosis II.

 

C.) Carry out this process for every pair of chromosomes.
7. While your students are working on the karyotype for their baby you can
create other types of chromosomal mutations by walking around and adding
whole chromosomes or bits of chromosomes or by removing chromosomes
from their karyotypes.
8. Journal entry: As the parents of this child, what questions would you have for
your doctor and/or your genetic counselor?

“ This was a modification of a Ball State Activity.

66

APPENDIX K

Name
Hour

 

"Blood Typing"

Background: Around 1900, Karl Landsteiner discovered that there are at least
four kinds of human blood based on the presence or absence of specific
agglutinogens on the surface of red blood cells. These antigens have been
designated as A and B. Antibodies against antigens A or B begin to build up in
the blood plasma shortly after birth. The antibody levels peak at about eight to
ten years of age, and the antibodies remain present in declining amounts
throughout the rest of life. A person normally produces antibodies against those
antigens that are not on his red blood cells but does not produce antibodies
against those that are present on his red blood cells. Thus a person with
antigen A has anti-B antibodies; a person with B antigens has anti-A antibodies;
a person with neither antigen A or B (blood type O) has both anti-A and anti-B
antibodies; and a person with both antigens A and B has neither anti-A nor anti-
B antibodies.

The four blood groups are known as types A, B, AB and 0. Blood type C is
the most common, with 45% of the population in the United States, type A is
found in 39% of the population, type B is found in 12% and type AB is
most rare with a percentage of 4.

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1
ABO System
Blood Type Antigens on ~ Antibodies in Can Give Can Receive
Erythrocytes Plasma Blood to: Blood from:
A Anti-B A, AB 0, A
B B Anti-A B, AB 0, B
AB A and B Neither anti-A AB O, A, B, AB
nor anti-B
0 Neither Both anti-A O, A, B, AB 0
A nor B and anti-B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

67

II

 

Objectives:

1. To determine the ABO blood type of four unknown blood samples.

2. To determine the Rh factor of four unknown simulated blood samples.

Materials:

Procedure: 1.

“ blood typing slides

“ toothpicks

“ anti-A, anti-B, anti-Rh simulated typing serum -
“ 4 unknown simulated blood samples L

-Mr. Smith ”
-Ms. Jones ';
-Mr. Green ,1"
—Ms. Brown '

 

Each lab table will determine the blood type of one of the four
unknown blood samples.

Place 34 drops of the assigned unknown blood in each of the A,
B, and Rh wells of the blood typing slide.

. Add 3-4 drops of the simulated anti-A serum in well A on the

slide.

. Add 3-4 drops of the simulated anti-B serum in well B on the

slide.

. Add 3-4 drops of the simulated anti-Rh serum in well Rh on the

slide.

Use separate toothpicks to stir each sample serum and blood.
Record your observations and results in the

table below.

”ThislabhadapbdfromtheWARD‘SSlmWABOandRhBIoodTyplngKlL

68

Agglutination Reactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data Table
Anti-A Anti-B Anti-Rh Blood What you
Serum Serum Serum Type Observe

Mr. Smith

Ms. Jones
Mr. Green
Ms. Brown

Analysis of Results:

1. What ABO agglutinogens are present on the red blood cells Mr. Green's
blood?

2. What ABO agglutinins are present in the plasma of Mr. Green's blood?

3. If Ms. Jones needed a transfusion, what ABO type(s) of blood could she
safely receive?

4. If Ms. Brown were serving as a donor, what ABO blood type(s) could receive
her blood safely?

5. Why is it necessary to match the donor's and the recipient's blood before a
transfusion is given?

6. Could a man with an AB blood type be the father of an 0 child?

7. Could a Type B child have a mother with Type A and a father with Type A?

8. What are the possible combinations of an offspring when the blood types of
the parents are A and B?

69

APPENDIX L

Science Sleuth
“Twins or Not?”

Student/Group Name:

 

Case:

 

Mission Statement:

 

How to solve the mystery: Watch the scene set and the mission for the sleuthers.
Develop one or more hypotheses to solve the problem using your knowledge
from the genetics unit. Then choose resources to view for clues to support your
theories. At each step, discuss the information Ieamed and build or discard your
theories. At each step, also take notes listing the resources and information
Ieamed. When you have a solution to the mystery, complete your lab reports
with a summary and recommendations for further study.

 

 

Resources Notes/Observations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7O

 

Resources

Notes/Observations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary Findings:

Recommendations for Further Study:

71

 

 

True or False:

oosrlmoilrslpolrol-a

Multiple Choice:
1.

 

2.

APPENDIX M

Name

 

Hour
Science Test - Unit 8

Genetics Unit Test

. Genetics is the scientific study of heredity.

. A recessive trait can cover up a dominant trait.

In heredity, blending is the same as dominance.

. Mendel experimented with Drosophila, (fruit flies).

. A gene is a part of the DNA molecule.

. The union of male sperm cell with a female egg cell restores the
chromosome number of species.

. The Law of Dominance explains the inheritance of all traits.

. Hemophilia occurs in more women than men.

(Meiosis, Mitosis, Asexual Reproduction) produces body cells
which has 23 chromosomes.

Seeds from pure tall pea plants produce (short, tall and short,
tall, medium) pea plants.

The number of chromosomes in an egg cell is (half two times,
the same as, three times) the number of chromosomes in a
body cell.

In a cross between two hybrid traits about (Ms, “A, vs, %) of
the offspring will be expected to show the dominant trait.

In a cross between a pure dominant trait and a pure recessive
trait (25, 50, 75, 100) percent of the offspring will show the
dominant trait.

Genes are located in (chromosomes, cytoplasm, RNA).

DNA is present in (cytoplasm, RNA, genes).

72

 

8. Identical twins have (the same, different, either the same or
different) sex.

9. (Purebred, Hybrid, Crossbred) animals breed true.

 

10. To be sure that he will get the kinds of genes he wants, a plant
breeder controls (pollination, growth).

 

Completion:

1. Every living cell comes from another

 

2. Inherited traits are controlled by pairs of

3. organizes information about the
parents” and offspring” 3 genes and predicts the .
ratio In which offspring will inherit genes. L

4. A sudden change in an inherited trait is called a '

 

 

5. . is an example of a recessive trait.
6. is an example of a dominant trait.

7. is the Austrian monk that announced
his observations on plant inheritance.
8. If there are 26 chromosomes In a species, there
will be chromosomes in the sperm
and chromosomes in the egg.

Punnett Squares:

Complete the Punnett squares and give the phenotype, genotype and
ratio of the offspring.

1. What type of children would a woman having (AO) blood type and a man
having (BO) blood type have?

 

phenotype -

 

73

genotype -
ratio -

 

 

2. Cross a tall round pea plant (Tth) with a short round pea plant (tth). Tall is
dominant over short. Round is dominant over wrinkled.

 

phenotype -

genotype -
ratio -

 

 

 

Essay:

I. Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to the next.

2. Why are organisms within a species different from one another?

3. Where at, in the living body, does the passing on of traits take place? Be
specific.

4. Does environment play a role in the development of living things? Explain.

5. What happens if there is something wrong with the traits? Give an example.

6. How can new traits be formed from manipulating or changing genes?

74

APPENDIX N
Genetics Test - Essay Rubrics

Question 1
Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to the next.

0. Off target

1. The passing of traits from parents to young.

2. When the parent cells (egg and sperm) unite and pass on their
genes to the new offspring.

3. Traits are passed on to the next generation by the sperm cells,
containing 23 chromosomes, fertilizing the egg cell, which also
contain 23 chromosomes, to produce a new offspring with 46
chromosomes. The new young will have inherited traits from both
of the genes that the parents passed on.

Question 2
Why are organisms within a species different from one another?

0. Off target

1. Organisms are different because they have different characteristics
or traits.

2. Organisms are different because they have different genetic make-
up and parents.

3. Organisms within a species differ from one another because of

combinations and recombinations of genetic material within the
gene pool. Environmental factors may also influence gene
expressions.

Question 3
Where at, in the living body, does the passing on of traits take place? Be
specific.

Off target

The passing on of traits takes place in the cells.

Traits are passed on in the genetic material of the nucleus in cells.
Traits are passed on in the nucleus of the cells on the
chromosomes composed of DNA and proteins that are divided into
sections called genes.

9N7“?

75

Question 4
Does environment play a role in the development of living things? Give an
example.

0 Off target

1. Environment changes living things.

2. The environment changes living things like, weight, hair color, etc.

3 Traits of living things can be influenced by environmental factors
such as stress, overall health, nutritional choices, regular exercise,
cosmetic choices, etc.

Question 5
What happens if there is something wrong with the traits? Give an
example.

0. Off target

1. If something goes wrong with the traits then the offspring wont be
fight

2. The young could have birth defects or die if something is wrong
with the traits.

3. Birth defects and miscarriages result from mutations, chromosome

abnormalities, developmental errors, and the inheritance of certain
abnormal or lethal genotypes.

Question 6
How can new traits be formed from manipulating or changing genes?

0. Off target

1. Can change the genetic material in cells.

2. Scientist manipulate the sequence of the DNA strand in order to
get a desired trait.

3. Geneticist can manipulate DNA, in the cell’s nucleus, in order to

alter the organism’s traits, thus performing genetic engineering.

76

APPENDIX 0

Name
Hour

 

Heredity
Self-Assessment and Unit Evaluation

I. Number the following teaching methods from 1-6 in order that you thought
they helped you Ieam the most about the unit?
__individual work
__small group work
laboratory experiments
note taking
class discussions
videos

2. Put a “+” on the activity you liked most and a “-“ on the activity you liked least
in this unit.

8‘" grd. Class survey
Family Tree Activity
Wisconsin Fast Plants
Mitosis/Meiosis
Chromosomes
Blood Typing
Punnett Squares
Genetic Disorders
Science Sleuth

3. How was the unit different from others taught this year?

4. What was the hardest concept for you to understand in the unit?

5. Grade yourself on the following life skill areas, (A-E):
_My homework was completed and handed in on time.
__I follow directions written and orally.
_I am organized.
_My science journal was complete.
_I studied for all quizes and tests.
__I read through all assignments thoroughly.
_I take good notes.
_I participate in class discussions.

77

6. Write an academic or life skill goal that you would like to work on during the
next unit in order to improve your grade.

7. Write a statement, giving your opinion about one thing you liked about the
unit and one thing you would change.

78

   

"II'lllllllllllllllllllllllls