LessonTitle:ColorVisionGeneticsEvolutionSimulation

Subject(s):
Whatsubjectareaareyou
teaching?

BiologyGenetics

ContentStandards:
Whatcontentstandards
doesthislessonaddress?

NextGenerationScienceStandards:
Developingandusingmodels

HSLS31.AskquestionstoclarifyrelationshipsabouttheroleofDNAand
chromosomesincodingtheinstructionsforcharacteristictraitspassedfromparentsto
offspring.

HSLS33.Applyconceptsofstatisticsandprobabilitytoexplainthevariationand
distributionofexpressedtraitsinapopulation.

Objectives:
Whatarethespecific
learningobjectivesyou
wantstudentstobeableto
doorlearn?
Attheendofthelesson
studentswillbeableto

1. Modelnaturalselectionbyparticipatinginasimulationusingprobabilityand

TechnologyStandards:
WhattechnologyStandards
areyouincorporating?

UsingthepowerpointaccomplishesStandard1.Demonstratingproficiencyintheuseof
computersandapplications,aswellasanunderstandingoftheconceptsunderlying
hardware,software,andconnectivity.

Inthisactivitystudentswillmakephysicalmodelsonpaperoftheinheritanceofspecific
genes.Afurtheractivityhasthemdigitallymakeorrepresentthismodelusinganimation
orgraphingapplications(stykz,imovie,excel/googlespreadsheets,powtoonetc.)

Materials:
Listofresources,articlesor
manipulativesyouneed.
Thishelpsyouorganize
everythingpriortothe
lesson.

6differentcolorsofpostitnotes.Eachcolorneedsasmanypostitsasstudentsinyour

selectivepressure
2. Learnaboutcolorvisionanditsgenetichistoryinhumansandotherprimates.
3. Understandthedifferencebetweendichromaticandtrichromaticvision
4. Understandhowsexlinkedtraitscanaffectmalesandfemalesindifferent
proportions

class(note:redandgoldenrodarethefirsttwocolorsusedintheexamplePowerPointit
isnotstrictlynecessarytomatch,buthelpful.)

6giantstickiesoralotofblackboard/dryeraseboardrealestate

pennies,1foreachstudent
pensorpencils,1foreachstudent
additionaltape(ifpostitsarenotstickingbythemselves)
powerpointpresentationandprojector

Introduction:
Howwillyouintroducethe
content,learningand/or
activity?

Askaseriesofquestionstogetstudentsthinkingaboutdifferencesinvisionbetween
animalsandpeople.

Whyarebeesabletoseeultravioletlightandwecannot?
Howdidwegettoseethewaywedo?

Activity:
Whatwillstudentsbe
doing?

Eachstudenttakesaprimatepostitofgeneration0(red)fromtheposterandlabelsone
oftheirchromosomesheads,andtheothertails.

Eachstudentfindsapartnerthathasaprimatepostitoftheoppositesex,andinpairs
theyfliptheirpennies(fourtimestotal)todeterminewhichoftheirchromosomesthey
givetotheirtwooffspring.

Theresultingchromosomecombinationsfromstep2arewrittenonthenext
color/generationofpostits(goldenrodforgeneration1).

Studentsthenreplacetheredpostitsonthegeneration0poster.

Repeatsteps14forgeneration2,exceptthattheywillusetheirgeneration1primate
(goldenrod).Studentsmayneedtostartmixingmatings,especiallyiftherearentenough
ofonegender.

Aftergeneration2someoftheirprimateswillexpireduetoselectivepressures,This
meansthatsomeprimateswilldiebeforeproducinggeneration3!Leadstudentsthrough
thisprocesswiththeslidesinthepresentation.

Studentswhoseprimatesexpiredputtheirpostitsonthegeneration2posterthose
genescantbeusedtomakegeneration3!

Creategeneration3!Studentswhoseprimatesexpiredshouldgetbackinthegameby
findingtwonewparentswhoseprimatesarestillalivetomakethemareplacement
primate.

Repeatsteps68forthenextgenerations,usingadifferentselectivepressure(seeslides)
eachtime.Afterthreeroundsofselectivepressure,weshouldstarttoseesomeshiftsin
theproportionsof2and3colorvisionprimates.

WrapUp:
Howwillyouwrapupthe
lessonandsummarize
studentlearningandmajor
studenttakeaways?

Wholeclassshareoutaboutwhatstudentsobservedabouttheactivityandthemodels
theymade.

Studentreflectionontheactivity,makesuretoaddressanyfurtherquestionstheyhave,
andwhatdoesthisactivityhavethemcuriousaboutnow.

Accommodations:
Whatmodificationswill
youincludetosupport
differentlearningstyles
andneeds?Howwillyou
makethislessonaccessible
toallofyoustudents?

Iwillconsciouslygroupstudentsinmixedabilitygroupstoallowforpeerhelpwhile
conductingtheactivity.

Whenproducingtheirdigitalmodelsstudentscanchoosefromavarietyofapplications
dependingontheircomfortwiththeprogram.

Assessment(s):
Howdoyouknowthey
gotit?Howwillyou
formativelyor
informativelyassesswhat
youstudentsknowand
learn?

Formativeassessmentwouldincludeatestorquizrelatedtogeneinheritance.

Informativeassessmentwouldbemyclassroomobservationsofgroupastheywork,
alongwiththeshareoutattheendofclass.