Traits

Jennifer Wesley                Scammon Elementary School
4853 S. Kimbark                4201 W. Henderson
Chicago, Il 60615              Chicago, Il 60601    
312-924-4426                   312-794-8175

Objective:

Grade level 6
 
Students will understand that certain physical traits are inherited from their 
parents through the genes. 
                                                        
Materials needed:

posters, chalkboard, collage, and activity handout      

Strategy:

Review with the students Mendel's experiments with the pea plant.

Bring in posters of animals and their offspring.  Students will recognize their 
likenesses and differences. 

Students will turn toward their partners and observe their physical traits such 
as eyes, hair, cheekbones etc. 

Demonstrate to the students the Punnet Square with the use of the chalkboard. 

Discuss the game the "Happy Gologg".

Students will complete the activity sheet using the mirrors in which they will 
check their own physical traits for their own recessive and dominant traits. 

Conclusion:

   This lesson will conclude the unit on determining traits in an organism.

References:

Science: Teacher's Edition - 6, published by Addison-Wesley, 1989, source
  for the game "Happy Gologg"