Summary:
Today we did a quick lesson on Punnett Squares. I don’t like to make this a major topic; in my opinion, Punnett Squares tend to promote an overly simplistic view of genetics. So I like to teach them for what they are, a quick way to make simple genetic predictions.

I started off by telling the story of how Gregor Mendel discovered dominant and recessive genes through his experimentation with pea plants. Then we completed a packet that included other genetics examples, like attached/unattached earlobes, the dwarfism gene, and cystic fibrosis. Students had to figure out which gene was dominant, fill out a Punnett Square, and then make predictions about the offspring.

Resources:
December 4 – Punnett Squares (pg312).docx