Students learn how traits pass from parents to offspring through genes and alleles — and use a Punnett square to predict the odds of an offspring inheriting a dominant or recessive trait.
Students will be able to…
Why might two brown-eyed parents have a blue-eyed child? How can we predict which traits offspring will inherit?
Project this and set each parent’s genotype. The square fills in the possible offspring — and shows the dominant/recessive ratio.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Two brown-eyed parents, a blue-eyed child — how?
Students investigate.
Teacher explains.
Apply.
Three quick checks.
Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core literacy. State-standard crosswalks available on request.
Develop a model to describe how changes to genes affect proteins and structure/function.
Develop a model to describe why sexual reproduction results in genetic variation.
Gather information about influencing the inheritance of desired traits.
Integrate visual information with text in a scientific model.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students set up a Punnett square for two traits at once and predict the offspring ratios. A printable Punnett-square sheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.