There is a lot of resistance to genetic modification and the use of genetically modified crops. What is the science? This unit helps to provide some background in cell function and DNA properties, helping students to understand how genetic modification can make a difference. The developments in biotechnology are highlighted and students create a marketing campaign for GMO’s. This unit features 6 lessons and 7 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

This pathway provides an introduction to heredity and how the biological process of meiosis leads to genetic diversity. The foundational concepts of Mendelian genetics are also reviewed. For a deeper look at this topic, we recommend the pathways Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction, Mendel's Experiments and Heredity and Modern Understandings of Inheritance from the OpenStax textbook Biology for AP® Courses.

Students randomly select jelly beans (or other candy) that represent genes for several human traits such as tongue-rolling ability and eye color. Then, working in pairs (preferably of mixed gender), students randomly choose new pairs of jelly beans from those corresponding to their own genotypes. The new pairs are placed on toothpicks to represent the chromosomes of the couple's offspring. Finally, students compare genotypes and phenotypes of parents and offspring for all the "couples" in the class. In particular, they look to see if there are cases where parents and offspring share the exact same genotype and/or phenotype, and consider how the results would differ if they repeated the simulation using more than four traits.

Learn the processes that happen in interphase to prepare the cell for division on this webpage. Webpage includes an audio lesson as well as an image. [0:23]

This cell biology lesson explains and illustrated the different phases of meiosis. Includes vocabulary and assessment links as well as othe related resources.

Drawings and animations, are used to help participants understand the differences between and steps involved in mitosis and meiosis. The cell cycle as well as individual steps of mitosis and meiosis are included in this learning material.

Meiosis is used to make sperm and egg cells. During meiosis, a cell's chromosomes are copied once, but the cell divides twice. During mitosis, the chromosomes are copied once, and the cell divides once. For simplicity, cells are illustrated with only three pairs of chromosomes.

Students learn about mutations to both DNA and chromosomes, and uncontrolled changes to the genetic code. They are introduced to small-scale mutations (substitutions, deletions and insertions) and large-scale mutations (deletion duplications, inversions, insertions, translocations and nondisjunctions). The effects of different mutations are studied as well as environmental factors that may increase the likelihood of mutations. A PowerPoint® presentation and pre/post-assessments are provided.

Slideshow of mitosis and meiosis side-by-side. It is a summation of the two processes and the differences between them are clear.

In a class discussion format, the teacher presents background information about basic human genetics. The number of chromosomes in both body cells and egg and sperm cells is covered, as well as the concept of dominant and recessive alleles. Students determine whether or not they possess the dominant allele for the tongue-rolling gene as an example.

An indepth introduction to genetics as a whole with sample lessons, vocabulary, and bibliography. From the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.