Best seller! Over 50 copies sold! Perfect for distance learning! No-prep, sub-plan-friendly, lots of interest & critical thinking!

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What is this product?

This is a lesson all about the science of pedigrees and the genetics of addiction. In Part A, students read a free article from Scholastic about genes and addiction and answer comprehension questions to build background knowledge. In Part B, students complete a virtual inquiry lab from the Utah Genetics website, where they create pedigrees to track nicotine addiction through a family by viewing real-life data and artifacts such as video interviews, health surveys, and death certificates. Like real investigative scientists, students must piece together all the clues and decide for themselves whether nicotine addiction is truly hereditary, or simply a product of environment and upbringing. Students get to draw their own conclusions based on the data!

What is included?

• Link to a free Scholastic article on genes and addiction
• Comprehension questions paired with the article to emphasize key ideas and build background knowledge
• Link to a short article on Epigenetics if students are unfamiliar with the concept
• Link to Utah Genetics Pedigree and Addiction inquiry web lab
• Worksheet to help students track data during the lab and form a conclusion at the end

How can I use this product?

My students complete this lab closer to the end of our heredity/ genetics unit after we've discussed epigenetics and nature vs. nurture. However, this could also be completed as a lead-in to those topics. This would also be perfect for any health class discussing nicotine or drug addiction and the impact on families! You could pair with articles on vaping or other modern tobacco issues to explore the long-term impact on generations of families.

Pre-Activity:

I start by showing my students some examples of pedigrees and discussing what they show and how scientists use them- there are some awesome examples using the Simpsons, Harry Potter characters, and other pop-culture families available for free via Google search! The point of this isn't to get students to completely understand everything about pedigrees, but rather to help them start noticing that the different symbols mean something and that pedigrees show family relationships. Teaching virtually? Throw some of the example pedigrees together in Google Slides to share with students!

Article & Questions:

I have my students complete the reading and questions in class with a partner, as several of the concepts are new and can be difficult for my lower-level learners and partners can discuss their answers together. Teaching virtually? I would allow students a full day or two just to complete article questions. Don't want to spend too much time on the article? You could also have students research facts about nicotine or other types of addiction as well!

Virtual Lab:

The Utah Genetics activity does a fantastic job of walking students through all the necessary background information needed to understand pedigrees and track data during the lab. My students tend to try and rush through this part to get to the lab itself, so I recommend paying close attention while students are completing this initial part and maybe even asking them to check in and explain what they learned from the lesson before they jump into the lab. Teaching virtually? Ask students to complete the introductory learning part one day and the lab part the next- this will allow you to make sure they understand pedigrees before they do the lab!

Time/ Length

This lab took my students in pairs about two 60-minute class periods to finish. If you have them do the article in class as well, I'd set aside three class periods but have something ready for your early finishers (there's a lot to explore on the Utah Genetics website, so you could just set them free on that- health teachers, they have a really great interactive about the effects of hard drugs like cocaine on mice).

Extension Ideas

• Have students research and find other epigenetics and health issues, learn about them, and report back to the class (ex: diet/ nutrition, air or water pollution, trauma, etc.)
• Have students create PSA ads on the topic of smoking and nicotine addiction. Canva.com is a great site for this!

This lesson works well in any genetics unit and slots in with my other genetics digital lessons:

• Chromosomes & Karyotypes - A Digital Learning & Exploration Activity
• Genes, Transcription, and Translation: A Digital Interactive Overview
• Mendel, Pea Plants, & Inheritance
• Intro to Traits
• Traits Inventory
• Phenotypes, Genotypes, & Alleles - Distance Learning Lesson for Genetics
• Practice with Dominant & Recessive Traits
• Practice with Homozygous & Heterozygous Genotypes
• Survival of the Fittest - A Genetics Adventure Practice Game
• Build-Your-Own-Pet - A Genetics Practice Activity
• Intro to Punnett Squares Audio-Narrated Slideshow with Notes
• This Lesson

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