4.01 Introduction to Genetics

Are You Ready for Action?

Before we reflect and finish up the front part of the park, we want to head over to the Activity Area of the Mendel Memorial Building and investigate the traits that you have in common with your parents (or guardian).

Inherited traits Activity

Purpose: To investigate a variety of inherited traits.

Procedure:

1. Open and print the Traits page. You will need this to help you identify the traits you do or don't have.
2. Next, open, save, and print the Data Collection Chart. (This will be submitted as a part of the assessment for this lesson. So make sure to save a copy to attach to the assessment later.)
3. Now, get your parents or guardian and go through each of the traits.
   (Note: If you are adopted or live with a guardian, you can still do this activity to see how many characteristics you have in common. You will look at your inherited traits and compare them to your guardian.)
4. Check the yes or no column for each of the traits.

Great Job! You're done!

Don't forget to enter your findings into the saved copy of the Data Collection Chart so that you can submit it.

Time to Reflect

Have you ever wondered why you look the way you do or behave a certain way? Have you ever looked at the features you share with your family? Some of these traits are inherited from your parents and others are learned behaviors that you have acquired. Variety, as you see in the "reflect" photo to the left, is provided by different alleles of various genes. Even though each of the flowers is a tulip, there is a lot of variety in color and petal shape.

Think about what you have learned.

• Genetics is the study of the passing on of traits from parents to offspring.
• Gregor Mendel experimented with pea plants to study how traits are passed on to offspring.
• Traits are the characteristics that you get from your parents.

Tour Debrief

To complete this activity make sure that you have:

• added the new terms and their meanings to your Module 4 glossary page
• completed the information on the inherited traits activity