Create-A-Kid
- Teacher: Joan E. Bennett
- Subject: Human Diversity
- Grade Level(s): 7 8 9 10
- Target Audience: Biology I, Life Science
- Materials Needed: white paper, colored pencils, markers
- Class Time: 45 minutes
- Brief Summary:
Students flip a pair of coins to determine what genotype
and what phenotype their child will have for 29 given
traits. They then draw a picture of their kid based on
their coin flip phenotypes.
- Student Objective(s): Students will learn the difference between a genotype and a phenotype. They will demonstrate
that recombination of gametes (coins) will result
in the formation of unique individuals.
- Integration (tying it all together): Discussion Questions:
1.) Does your child resemble anyone
else's in class? Why or why not?
2.) Can you think of instances in
your family or a friend where the
offspring look very different from
the parents? 3.) What do you
think would happen to the variety
of children if we made one parent
homozygous dominant (or recessive)
for all the traits?
- Description of Activities: 1.) Give each student a worksheet, a packet containing the 29 trait descriptions, and a piece of white paper. 2.) Help them determine the sex of their child by having them flip their 2 coins. A head/tail combination will represent a female and a head/tail combination will represent a male. 3.) Then demonstrate the first flip for face shape and show them how to draw that on their paper to begin creating their kid. 4.) Have them work in groups of two as they work through the 29 flips to create their child. 5.) Hang the finished pictures and discuss what this lab has shown them.
- Further Information and References: This lab was created by Barb Salvo from materials I obtained from a biotechnology workshop at University
of Wisconsin, River Falls, WI
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