Lesson Planning Template: Molly Sause

Lesson Title:__The Unit of hereditary information, a gene. _______

Grade:__10____

Goals or Objectives: The student will be able to understand the makeup of a gene and the variations of
genes (alleles) that are either dominant or recessive. Students will also be able to use Punnett Squares to
determine the possible outcomes of mixing different alleles.
Grade Level Guide: Content Standards
Content Curriculum Focal Points Common Core State
(ie: NCTM, IRA,)
Standards
NSTA
Life Science Grade 10
Apply the concepts of statistics
Standard 6
and probability to explain the
variation and distribution of
expressed traits in a population.

Interdisciplinary Connections
RST.11-12.9 [ Synthesize
information from a range of sources
(e.g., texts, experiments,
simulations) into a coherent
understanding of a process,
phenomenon, or concept, resolving
conflicting information when
possible]

Academic Language: What Academic Language specific to your content area is necessary for learning
to occur?
Biological vocabulary
Students Needs: What experiences, prior knowledge and/or knowledge gaps do students have that
relate to the lesson goals?
English Language Learners

Problem solving skills

Basic understanding of statistics
Background knowledge of
mitosis/meiosis
Background knowledge of makeup
of chromosomes

Special Needs (can be a group such as

struggling readers or individuals)
Struggling readers-may have trouble with
the new vocabulary, should make analogies
to harder vocab to make it easier to
understand.

Materials: List materials for both Student Needs and Teacher Needs
Textbook
Pen, paper squares
Pennies

Language Function: How will you move your students beyond lower level thinking to engage them in
your content area (ie: thinking like an Historian)? Which of the following are appropriate for

providing evidence of learning these objectives? Describe how you and/or your students incorporated
these terms into the lessons.
I will move my students beyond lower level thinking by incorporating each childs individual genetic
traits. I will question the students to think about all the traits they may possess, they will soon realize
how unique each person is. This idea can be expanded further to examine populations of people and the
statistics of ethnicity etc.
- Describe: students will be able to describe the differences between genotype and phenotype.
- Evaluate and explain: Students will be able to evaluate and explain how some phenotype are
more popular than others based on statistics of Punnett squares.
Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize
Lesson Plan
Before: Describe how you will introduce the activity or problem. Consider questions that will elicit
students prior knowledge needed for the activity, get students curious about the task, and/or relate to
their personal background or interests. In addition, consider giving directions for getting started on the
focus task. Before the activity, I will lecture students on the makeup of a gene. This includes: what a
gene is, what chromosomes are, where genes are stored, and the passing of genes through inheritance.
During: Students will split into pairs for the lab portion of this class. Each pair will have a paper with a
list of dominate and recessive genes on it. These genes will be the makeup of a human person (hair
color, eyes, etc.). Students will obtain a penny in their pairs and decide which side (heads or tails) will
stand for dominate alleles and what side for recessive alleles. Once decided, they will flip the penny
twice to determine the alleles of the father and twice more for the mother. This will be repeated for a
number of genes. Once all the father and mothers genes have been determined, the students are to create
a Punnett square for each of their traits. Analyzing the Punnett square, they students will write on their
paper the probability of the offspring having each genotype AND phenotype on the paper. This will then
be handed in.
After: Since this lesson will be in a lab setting, questions can be asked throughout the activity, this is
preferred. Students will also be encouraged to ask their lab partner when unsure of a technique. I will be
walking around the room as well asking the students how their offspring might look with the phenotypes
they have been determining. I think this would be a fairly relaxed way of determining whether or not
they understand the activity.
Assessment: How will you determine who knows which objectives? Describe the tools and techniques
you will use.
Type of assessment
(formal or informal)

Formal and
informal.

Description of
assessment

Modifications to the
assessment so that
all students could
demonstrate
learning
Students will be
Since all student
assessed by a formal seem to be coming
worksheet on
from different
probability and
levels, students can
genotypes that they write down what
will hand in at the
they have previously

Evaluation Criteria- What

evidence of student learning
(related to the learning objectives
and central focus) does the
assessment provide?
The assessment provides evidence
of student learning in the
probability of the possible
outcomes. It also shows the
students understand the different
alleles as they fill out their

end of class.
Students will also be
assessed informally
as I speak to each of
them as they work
to see their progress.

done with
inheritance on their
paper in order for
me to see what they
actually have
learned in this class
verses another class.

Punnett square and write the

corresponding phenotypes. It
shows that they understand the
symbolism behind the capital and
lowercase letters in dominate
verse recessive traits.

Resources: Punnett square form: http://www.springlakeparkschools.org/blog/khill1/20130124/punnettsquare-practice-videos

Analyzing Teaching: To be completed after the lesson has been taught
What worked?
What didnt? For whom?
Adjustments
What instructional changes do you need to make as
you prepare for your next lesson?

Proposed Changes

Whole class:

If you could teach this lesson again to this group of

students what changes would you make to your
instruction?

Groups of students:
Individual students:

Justification
Why will these changes improve student learning?
What research/theory supports these changes?