5-E Model Lesson

Title Human Inheritance and Modern Genetics

Purpose/Rationale Students will use chromosome and gene models to create

offspring and determine their genotypes and phenotypes.
Students will be able to track and record traits and genetic
disorders through generations in pedigrees. Students will
observe that traits are passed from parents to offspring, and
that siblings each receive a different combination of the
genetic makeup of their parents.
Community Resources During the Pipe Cleaner Babies activity, students will
and meeting needs of practice autonomy by selecting two different traits from the
particular population Classroom Traits Data Table that they will cross. The
of students students have already completed the table by discussing what
traits they could see in themselves including widows peak,
ear lobe attachment, hair texture, cleft chin, dimples, and hair
on fingers.

This lesson can be modified to meet the needs of exceptional

learners by:
o Ensuring that all students have the capability to
participate in the class activity
o Ensuring that vocabulary, tone, volume, and rate
of speech is conducive to concept mastery for all
students
o Ensuring that all students have a sense of
belonging and autonomy within the classroom and
within the scope of the lesson

Students will be working with their peers as well as the

teacher to produce their best work and in turn, understanding
of the key and overarching concepts.
Virginia SOLs This lesson plan is designed for a 7th grade life science
classroom. It is formulated to meet the following Virginia
Life Science SOLs:
LS.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding
of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science
by planning and conducting investigations in which
o LS.1i) patterns are identified in data and are
interpreted and evaluated.
LS.12 The student will investigate and understand that
organisms reproduce and transmit genetic information
to new generations. Key concepts include
o LS.12b) the function of genes and
chromosomes, and
 o LS. 12c) genotypes and phenotypes.
Materials Pipe Cleaner Babies: baggies, pipe cleaners, beads, activity
sheet
Turkey Generation of Traits: pom-poms, colored pencils,
activity sheet
Safety and Class Students will use the materials provided to them in only
Management Issues appropriate and educationally conducive ways. The teacher
will continuously be in hearing range and eyesight of the
students.
Procedures for Teaching (numbered with time frame)
Engage Human Inheritance
(5 mins) 1. Students will first look at the Question of the Day.
2. How are traits inherited from one generation to the next?
Do humans only cross one gene at a time? Students will
take a few moments to think about the questions, then will
talk to their shoulder partner about what they think, and
then a short discussion as a class will commence.
Explore Pipe Cleaner Babies Activity
(25 mins) 1. Teacher will make prepare sets of baggies using white,
green, pink, and blue pipe cleaners and multicolored
beads. Each male bag will have: 1 shorter white
chromosome with ivory bead, 1 shorter white
chromosome with red bead, 1 long white chromosome
with blue bead, 1 long white chromosome with brown
bead, 1 pink chromosome with purple bead, 1 blue
chromosome with no bead. Each female bag will have: 2
long white chromosomes with ivory bead, 1 short white
chromosome with blue bead, 1 short white chromosome
with brown bead, 1 pink chromosome with purple bead,
and 1 pink chromosome with white bead. The beads can
vary depending on amount available and how extensive
the lab could be.
2. The students will break up into pairs (and group of three if
needed) and receive one male and one female baggie. The
teacher will explain that there are 23 chromosomes and
thousands of genes in the human body. Students should
answer questions 1-5 before opening the bag.
3. Students should remove the chromosomes from the bag.
The teacher will emphasize the need to keep the
chromosomes separate in the partnership. The students
will arrange the chromosomes in order of size.
4. Students will read through the information given and
decipher the traits of the mother and father including eye
color, hair color, and presence of hemophilia. Then, the
students will determine which traits from the Data
Table worksheet they would like to cross. They will
 write down what trait was chosen, what the mothers
genotype/phenotype and fathers genotype/phenotype
were.
5. After the students determine the phenotype and genotype
of each personal trait, they will raise their hand and be
given beads that correspond to the genotypes to keep track
of the chromosome type.
6. The dad student places on set of homologous pairs
behind his back, with a chromosome in each hand. The
mom student picks which hand she wants for the child.
The dad lays the picked chromosome on the table in
front of the group and sets the other in the baggie.
7. This procedure is repeated for the other homologous pair
and for the sex chromosomes. Note: the students should
understand that if the blue chromosome gets chosen from
the sex chromosomes, the child in the cross is going to be
a boy.
8. The mom student places one set of homologous pairs
behind her back and the dad student chooses.
9. The chromosome chosen is set on the table and the other
is put aside.
10. Students should arrange the childs chromosomes into
homologous pairs and determine which phenotypes are
seen in the offspring. They will discuss in their groups
what they think the traits are. The pairs will record the
data in the table on their activity sheet.
11. Students will repeat steps 5-9 for the second child, making
sure to record the data.
Explain Pipe Cleaner Babies Activity Continued
(20 mins) 1. The teacher will instruct the students to answer the
questions on the activity sheet after recording their data in
the table.
2. Students will discuss their children and the how their
traits were decided in pairs of groups. The teacher will be
walking around the room, listening to the separate
discussions and bringing up some ideas.
3. A discussion will be started to determine the difference
between normal trait and sex linked trait inheritance, what
carriers are, disease inheritance, etc. The teacher will also
bring up the importance of pedigrees.
Key Vocabulary
Homologous chromosomes
Polygenic traits
Sex linked chromosomes/traits
Dominant vs. recessive
Hemophilia
 Pedigrees
Elaborate Before the activity:
(Day 2) 1. Students will look at the Question of the Day.
(Before activity: 10 2. The teacher will review traits and heredity, concepts that
mins) were explained yesterday.
(Activity: 30 mins) The Turkey Familys Generation of Traits Activity
(Exit slip: 10 mins) 1. The teacher will introduce and lead a discussion about the
role of pedigrees in genetics.
2. Students will be placed into pairs by the teacher.
3. Students will receive six cups as Grandfather A,
Grandmother A, Mother, Grandfather B, Grandmother B,
and Father to use in pairs (or groups of three).
4. The students will place eight pom-poms in the cups,
following the directions below:
a. Grandfather A-red
b. Grandmother A-black
c. Grandfather B-white
d. Grandmother B-green
5. The teacher will explain that pom-poms are the traits of
each grandparent. The students will then color the tail
feathers of each grandparent on the Turkeys Pedigree of
Traits Activity sheet according to the directions to show
the traits for each grandparent.
6. The students will close their eyes and pick four traits from
Grandfather A and four from Grandmother A and place
them in the cup labeled Mother. The teacher will explain
that those are the traits the Mother inherited from her
parents. The students will then color the tail feathers
according to what color the pom-poms were that they pick
to show the traits that the Mother has.
7. The students will close their eyes again and pick four
traits from the Grandfather B and four traits from
Grandmother B, then place them in the cup labeled Father.
The students will color the tail feathers according to what
color the picked pom-poms were.
8. The students will see that the Mother and Father have four
children: Terry, Tommy, Tina, and Theresa. Students will
determine the traits that Terry will inherit from his mother
and father by closing their eyes and taking four pom-poms
from Mother and four pom-poms from Father. They will
color the tail feathers to show those traits that Terry
inherited.
9. The students HAVE to return the traits back to the Mother
and Father cups. They should look at their diagrams if
they forget where each trait came from. They will close
their eyes again and choose the traits that Theresa will
 inherit (4 from Mother, 4 from Father). They will color
the tail feathers to show Georges traits. The students will
return the traits back to the cups and repeat the process to
find the traits of Tommy and Tina.
10. The students will then answer the questions from the
activity sheet (attached).

Formative Pipe Cleaner Babies and Generation of Traits Activities will

be take up to check for completion, not accuracy. The teacher
will look for student understanding and areas for
improvement.

Summative An exit slip (which is attached) will be used as a summative

assessment for this lesson plan and the lessons on genetics
that were taught previously. The students will be asked to
explain phenotype, genotype, complete a Punnett square, sex
chromosome differences, and pedigrees.

Authentic The authentic assessment that is used during this lesson plan
is the exit slip. This slip will show the overall understanding
of an entire unit that has been built on the last few weeks,
culminating in the different type of chromosomes and the
traits of which they carry.
Activity Sheet Attached
Name_______________________ Date__________________ Period_______

Piper Cleaner Babies1

In this activity, you will play the role of the parent, your lab partner will play the
role of the other parent. You will use chromosome and gene models to create two
offspring and determine their genotypes and phenotypes.

How to Use the Model

You will receive a baggie with pipe cleaners and beads. The pipe cleaners represent
chromosomes and the beads represent genes located on the chromosomes. In
humans, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes and thousands of genes, but for this
exercise, we will only focus on a few!

Without opening the bag, notice that you have four white, four green, and two
colored pipe cleaners. If you have two pink chromosomes, you are to play the role of
the mother (XX). If you have on pink and one blue, you are to play the role of the
father (XY).

1. What do the pipe cleaners represent? ______________________

2. What do the beads represent? _____________________
3. Humans have _____________ pairs of chromosomes.
4. If you have two pink pipe cleaners, you are playing the role of _______________
5. The blue pipe cleaner represents the ______________ chromosome

Parents Traits
Remove the chromosomes from the bag, but make sure you DO NOT mix up your
partners and your chromosomes. Arrange the chromosomes in order of size and
color.

The white and green pairs represent HOMOLOGOUS CHROMOSOMES.

The colored pairs represent SEX CHROMOSOMES.

Hemophilia (sex chromosomes, colored pipe cleaners)

The purple bead represents the dominant gene normal

The white bead represents the recessive gene hemophiliac

In girls: HH = normal | Hh= normal (carrier) | hh = hemophiliac

In boys: H = normal | h= hemophiliac

1 Adapted from Biologycorner.com Pipe Cleaner Babies

What is the mothers genotype? _______________ Is she a carrier? _______________
What is the fathers genotype? __________________

Why doesnt the father have two alleles for this trait? ___________________________________

Hair Color Eye Color (longer white pipe cleaners)

(shorter white pipe cleaners)
The red bead represents the
dominant gene- dark hair
The ivory bead represents the
recessive gene - blonde hair
DD= dark hair | Dd = dark hair | dd =
blonde hair
What color hair does mom have ?
_________ What is her genotype? _____
What color hair does dad have?
__________ What is his genotype? _____
Brown bead represents the dominant
gene - brown eyes
Blue bead represents the recessive
gene - blue eyes
BB = brown eyes | Bb = brown eyes | bb
= blue eyes
What color eyes does the mom have
___________ What is her genotype? ____
What color eyes does the dad have?
___________ What is his genotype? _____

Using Your Own Traits

You and your partner each have four green pipe cleaners. You are going to choose
one trait from your Data Table that you completed last week to cross with your
partner. Determine what genotype and phenotype the mom has and what
genotype and phenotype the dad has.

Personal Trait: ____________________________

Moms genotype? _____________ Moms phenotype? _______________ Bead color? ___________

Dads genotype? ____________ Dads phenotype? _________________ Bead color? ____________

Choose another trait from the Data Table that you completed to cross. Determine
the genotype and phenotype for the mom and dad.

Personal Trait: ________________________________

Moms genotype? ___________ Moms phenotype? _________________ Bead color? ___________

Dads genotype? __________ Dads phenotype? ___________________ Bead color? ____________

When you have determined the genotype and phenotype of the mother and father in
each Personal Trait, raise your hand so that the teacher can give you beads to place
on your chromosomes.

Time to Start Your Family

1. The dad places one set of the homologous pairs behind his back, with a
chromosome in each hand.
2. The mom picks the hand she wants for the child. Lay this chromosome on the
table in front of you and set the other in the baggie.
3. Repeat this procedure for the other homologous pair and for the sex
chromosomes.
4. Now, the mom places one set of the homologous pairs behind her back and the
dad chooses.
5. When the chromosomes are chosen, set them on the table in front of you. These
will be the genes that your child receives.
6. After recording your first childs genotype in the data table, repeat steps 1-5 for
your second, and final, child and fill out their traits on the table.

Determine the Traits of Your First Child

Arrange the chromosomes into homologous pairs and figure out what phenotypes
that the offspring has.

What is the sex of the child? ______________

What color eyes does the child have? ________ Genotype? _______

What color hair does the child have? ____________ Genotype? _________

State the two traits that you and your partner chose from the Data Table. Explain
the childs phenotype and genotype of each trait.

Is the child a hemophiliac? __________ Is the child a carrier for hemophilia? ____________

Determine the Traits of Your Second Child

Arrange the chromosomes into homologous pairs and figure out what phenotypes
that the offspring has.

What is the sex of the child? ______________

What color eyes does the child have? ________ Genotype? _______

What color hair does the child have? ____________ Genotype? _________

State the two traits that you and your partner chose from the Data Table. Explain
the childs phenotype and genotype of each trait.

Is the child a hemophiliac? __________ Is the child a carrier for hemophilia? ____________

Data Recording

You will be filling out your childs genotype in the data table below. Make sure to fill
out the two traits that you chose from your own Data Tables in the blank spaces.
Fill out the traits on the table. Make sure to record the genotype and phenotype of
each trait.

Eye Color Hair Sex Hemophilia

Color

Child 1

genotype

phenotype
Child 2

genotype

phenotype
Understanding the Different Traits

1. Create a Punnett square for each of the crosses, using the parent traits that were
given to you in the baggies. (Youll have a square for hair color, eye color,
hemophilia, and both of your personal traits.) Make sure to LABEL your Punnett
square based on the trait being crossed.

2. Explain why women are carriers for the disease hemophilia. Why do their sons,
but not their daughters get the disease?

3. Describe the difference between how normal traits are inherited and how sex
linked traits are inherited.
4. Talk to two other groups about their children. Do any of the female babies have
hemophilia? Why or why not?

5. If you knew you were a carrier for hemophilia (or your partner was), would you
choose to have children. Explain your reasons by using key concepts including
recessive, dominant, and inheritance.
Name________________________ Date________________ Period________

The Turkey Familys Generation of Traits2

In this activity, you will track different traits
(represented by colored pom-poms) through
three generations of the Turkey Family. You
will be looking at a pedigree, or chart that
tracks which members of a family tree have a
particular trait. In most pedigrees, a square
signifies a male and a circle signifies female.
A female who is affected by the trait is shown
with a shaded circle. A male who is affected
by a trait is shown with a shaded square. This
can be seen in the pedigree to the right.

Directions:
1. With a partner, place eight pom-poms into the cups labelled Grandfather A,
Grandmother A, Grandfather B, and Grandmother B, following the directions
below:
Grandfather A - red Grandfather B - white
Grandmother A black Grandmother B green

The colored pom-poms are the traits that each of the grandparents have.
Color the tail feathers on the The Turkeys Pedigree of Traits Activity Sheet
to show the traits for each grandparent.
2. Close your eyes and pick four traits (pom-poms) from Grandfather A and four
traits from Grandmother A and place them in the cup labeled Mother. These
are the traits that Mother inherited from her parents. Color the tail feathers
on the activity sheet to show the traits Mother has.
3. Place the traits back into the cups labelled Grandfather A and Grandmother A
so that your partner can have a turn. Continue taking turns throughout the
activity.
4. Close your eyes again and pick four traits from Grandfather B and four traits
from Grandmother B, and place them in the cup labeled Father. These are the
traits that Father inherited from his parents. Color the tail feathers on the
activity sheet to show the traits Father has.
5. Mother and Father have four children: Terry, Theresa, Tina, and Tommy. To
determine the traits that Terry will inherit from Mother and Father, close
your eyes and take four pom-poms from Mother and four pom-poms from
Father. Color the tail feathers to show the traits that Terry inherited.

2 Adapted from Generation of Traits Genetic Science Learning Center

6. Next, return the traits that you took from Mother and Father. (Look at your
diagram if you forget where each trait came from.) Now, close your eyes
again and choose the traits that Theresa will inherit (4 from Mother, 4 from
Father). Color the tail feathers to show Theresas traits.
7. Return the traits you took from Mother and Father and repeat the process to
find the traits for Tina and then Tommy.
8. Answer the questions on the Generations of Traits Questions sheet.
Name_____________________________ Date___________________ Period_________

The Turkey Familys Generation of Traits Questions

1. Would Terry, Theresa, Tina, and Tommy look identical to (have the same traits
as) their parents? Why or why not?

2. Did all four children inherit exactly the same traits? Why or why not?

3. Is there a child that didnt inherit a particular trait? If so, which trait (color) was
it? Describe a trait that wasnt inherited in your family that you have noticed.

4. The Turkeys found out that Grandfather B has hemophilia, a genetic disorder
which causes more extensive bleeding, which he can pass down through his
traits to the other generations. Do any of the children have the hemophilia? Why
or why not?
The Turkeys Pedigree of Hemophilia
Name: _____________________________ Date: __________________ Period: __________

Exit Slip

1. For each of the genotypes below, indicate whether it is heterozygous (He) OR

homozygous (Ho).
TT ________ aa ________ Ww _________ Qq _________

2. Terry Turkey is known for his long tail feathers (T), which is dominant over
short tail feathers (t). If he is heterozygous for his long tail feathers and marries
Linda who has short tail feathers, what type of tail feathers might their children
have?
a. List the genotypes for each:
Heterozygous long tail feathers: ___________
Purebred short: __________
b. Complete the Punnett square to show the
possibilities that would result if Terry
had children with Linda. List the possible genotypes and
phenotypes for their children.

3. Describe the difference between how normal traits are inherited and how sex
linked traits are inherited.

4. Albinism is a recessive disorder affecting humans. If someone has this disorder,

they cannot produce skin pigment, and have the genotype aa. The pedigree
below shows people with albinism.

II

III
a. How many people have the disorder?

b. Both generation I-1 and I-2 must have what genotype? _________ How do
you know?

c. If generation III-4 marries an albino woman and has a child, what is the
probability that the child will have the disorder? Use a Punnett square to
justify your answer.