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This unit focuses on genetics and how the allele frequency in a population can change over time. Through a simulated selective breeding process mimicking aspects of Mendel’s work with pea plants, students investigate how the alleles in their cow population change by seeing the phenotypes and deducing the genotypes. The students will modify the code and use data to discover the dominant and recessive alleles. The unit emphasizes data collection and how the types of data collected lead to understanding the scientific phenomena of inheritance.
Students will decode the model and then compare it with what they know about the natural-world processes. They will engage in argumentation from evidence using the Claims, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework to assess the validity of the model. Finally, students will have the opportunity to make modifications to the model to match their understanding of processes and/or answer new questions.
Resources available:
- Student materials in Google Documents
- Teacher guide in PDF with pacing guide and standards
- Teacher workbook with answer keys