Free Genetics: Inheritance-Mendelian Genetics Lesson Plan for 5th Grade Students

Topic: Genetics: Inheritance-Mendelian Genetics

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the concept of inheritance and how traits are passed from parents to offspring.
• Students will be able to apply the concepts of Mendelian inheritance to predict the outcome of genetic crosses.

Materials

• Plants (either seeds or small plants) that exhibit different traits or characteristics (e.g. blue vs. white flowers, flowers with petals vs. flowers without petals, etc.)
• Container or small pot for each plant (can be transparent or opaque)
• Soil or growing medium for plants
• Watering device (e.g. spray bottle, water bottle, etc.)
• Graph paper and pencils/pens for recording observations

Warm-Up

• Begin the lesson by showing the students a number of the different plants and asking them to observe and describe the traits or characteristics that each plant displays. Then, ask the students to brainstorm and come up with a list of all the different traits or characteristics that the plants might have.
• Next, reveal the traits or characteristics of each plant one at a time and have the students guess if each trait is dominant or recessive.

Direct Instruction

• Next, provide a brief overview of the principles of inheritance and genetics, explaining that traits are determined by genes, which are located on the chromosomes in the cells of the body. Explain that genes can be either dominant or recessive, and that a person inherits one copy of each gene from their parents.
• Explain that when a person inherits the dominant gene for a particular trait, that trait will be expressed or seen in the person. However, if a person inherits the recessive gene for a particular trait, that trait will be hidden or not seen in the person.
• Using the plant examples from the warm-up, demonstrate how the inheritance of dominant and recessive genes results in the expression or hiding of certain traits in offspring.

Guided Practice

• Provide each student with a set of colored pencils and a sheet of paper.
• Have the students arrange the colored pencils in rows, with each row representing a different parent.
• Have the students label one row "dominant" and one row "recessive."
• Have the students use their colored pencils to draw a plant that represents their dominant trait, and another plant that represents their recessive trait.
• Have the students illustrate how their dominant and recessive traits are passed on to their offspring.

Independent Practice

• Have the students work in groups to create a short skit or poster that illustrates a simple pattern of Mendelian inheritance.
• Have the students present their skit or poster to the class.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, including the different patterns of Mendelian inheritance and how they relate to gene dominance and recessiveness.
• Ask the students to share something they learned during the lesson.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the guided practice and independent practice activities to see if they are able to correctly use the terms dominant and recessive and explain how they relate to gene expression.
• Collect and grade the students' class charts and family trees as a formative assessment of their understanding of the concepts.
• Administer a test or written assignment to assess the students' understanding of the concepts taught in the lesson.