Andrew Asewicz

February 15, 2016

Making Babies lab lesson
Grade: 9-12
Subject:
To get the students to use their knowledge of genetics and create a fake baby, using the
characteristics available in the lab.
SOL: BIO.5 The student will investigate and understand common mechanisms of inheritance
and protein synthesis. Key concepts include:
d) prediction of inheritance of traits based on the Mendelian laws of heredity.
Content outline:
The students will be able to use the knowledge about genetics to create their own fake baby.
The students will follow the directions on the lab to produce babies with varying genetic
diversities, showing how variable genetics is.
Rationale:
To put into practice the students knowledge on genetics, by having them create babies with
varying genetic variations, based on the possibilities provided to the students.
Objective:
After the students finish the making babies lab TSWBAT demonstrate the variabilities that
occur in human genetics.
Lesson Opening:

 The students will start the class by writing down their homework and plan for the day. And
then I will provide them with a question to get them to think about how traits are passed on
based on the information they already know.
Connection:
The past two weeks the students have learned about how genetics were found, how the
alleles are passed on, and what traits humans can pass on.
Instructional Strategies/ Process:
The lesson for this day is to provide the students with a way to put their knowledge about
genetics into practical use.
Go over the question and have the kids copy down the homework and lesson plan for the day.
Pair the students up and handout the packet for the lab to each student.
Give every student a coin to flip to complete the lab.
Explain the lab to the students, including what they should be doing at each step in the
process
Allow the students to begin their lab and start creating their fake babies
Tell the students that their homework for the night is to complete the lab questions for
homework.
Each student has to draw their baby, not to give one drawing per pair.
Product:
The students will produce a drawing of their own genetically diverse child, based on the
information that they were able to determine by conducting the lab.
Assessment:

 The lab is an informal assessment to see if the students understand the basics of genetics and
how they work.
Closure:
Ask the students to tell me what their child should look like, hoping that each group of
students has a different look.
Homework:
To finish the rest of the lab questions for homework, and to turn them in on Tuesday
Differentiation:
This lesson provides both visual and hands on ways to learn.
Materials:
The students will need:
The lab handout
A coin
Paper to draw their child on
Pen/Pencil