Summary
Students participate in an activity which models transmission of a recessive gene.
Materials
Background for Teachers
Time Needed: Will vary depending on what you wish to do with the article
Instructional Procedures
- Read the article. The last couple of paragraphs may be problematic depending on your school situation and you may wish to delete them.
- Have students answer questions such as:
- What is fumerase deficiency?
- What are the symptoms?
- Why is it concentrated in So. Utah?
- Use checkers or other markers and demonstrate in class how a trait can be concentrated though intermarriage of related persons.
- Give 4 students two markers apiece and have them hide them in their hand. They are carriers from the same family.
- Each carrier should be assigned 3 "children". They should give 2 children markers and one not.
- Each of the "children" should pair up with a "child" from another family carrying the trait. They should not reveal whether they have marker or not.
- Count how many of the pairs get two markers and would have a child with the recessive condition.
- For the more normal condition: Give a member of the class outside the "families" a marker and redo the simulation.
- Instead of marrying inside the family, the children should choose a class member outside the family to pair with. Count the number of offspring with two markers under these conditions.
- The model should show students that if they marry outside the "family" they would have had little chance of two markers coming together.
- For a writing activity, ask students to write a paragraph defending a persons' choice to marry within their family or to defend a position that it should be unlawful to marry closely related persons.
Bibliography
Lesson Design by Jordan School District Teachers and Staff.
Created: 12/01/2014
Updated: 02/02/2018
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