Potato Head GeneticsGina Ford & Jennifer Hladun

Twelve Bridges Middle School – Lincoln, California

Overview~Cumulative Assessment Project

– Assignment Points

(C – cooperatively with classmate)– Assessment Points

(I – Individual application)

~3 Generations of Potato Heads– “Parent” Chromosomes of Mr. and Ms. Potato Head– Mr. & Ms. Potato Head– Spud/Spudette

~ 4-5 days in length

Background Knowledge~DNA ~Dominant~Patterns of Inheritance ~Recessive~Punnett Squares ~Genotype~Genes on Chromosomes ~Phenotype~Karyotype

7th Grade Genetic Standards

2 - A typical cell of any organism contains genetic instructions that specify its traits.

2b – Sexual Reproduction produces offspring that inherit half their genes from each parent

2d – Students know plant and animal cells contain many thousands of different genes and typically have two copies of every gene. The two copies (or alleles) of the gene may or may not be identical, and one may be dominant in determining the phenotype while the other is recessive.

2e- DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material of living organisms and is located in the chromosomes of each cell

Let’s Get Started1. Bag full of supplies (scissors, pencil,

color pencils, glue, hair, sex cells, 7 envelopes with chromosomes, empty baggie, laminated potato head pieces list)

2. Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase3. Construction paper folder – for today’s

short course4. Folder of blackline masters.*Electronic copies can be found on our website-addresses

are in your blackline masters folder

Please take out1. All items out of your bag full of supplies

(scissors, pencil, color pencils, glue, hair, sex cells, 7 envelopes with chromosomes, empty baggie, laminated potato head pieces list)

2. Open your Mr. Potato Head suitcase (need scissors)

3. Using your laminated potato head pieces list – add all of those items into your empty plastic baggie (everything your are not using goes back into your silly suitcase)

Mr. Potato Head (C)1. Pull “parent” chromosomes

(one male and one female from each envelope)

2. Record inherited alleles in genotype column

3. Correctly return “parent” chromosomes 4. Using the table, record the phenotype for

each of Mr. Potato’s genotypes5. Construct Mr. Potato Head 6. Draw Mr. Potato Head’s with his

inherited traits on your worksheet

Ms. Potato Head (C)1. Pull “parent” chromosomes

(one male and one female from each envelope)

2. Record inherited alleles in genotype column

3. Correctly return “parent” chromosomes 4. Using the table, record the phenotype for

each of Ms. Potato’s genotypes5. Construct Ms. Potato Head 6. Draw Ms. Potato Head’s with her

inherited traits on your worksheet

Punnett Squares (I)1. Using your Mr.(blue) and Ms. (pink) completed

worksheets, add the correct genotype for each trait to the correct punnett square

2. Complete each punnett square and the probability data for the offspring.

3. In the marked punnett square box, color code which allele came from Ms. Potato head (pink) and which allele came for Mr. potato head (blue)

4. Circle which phenotype your offspring will have (use marked punnett square) on your probability data boxes

Spud/Spudette (I)1. Using the marked box on your punnett

square record your spud/spudette’s genotype and phenotype on the worksheet

2. Double check your work. Fix any errors!

**Make sure you record the correct phenotype for Hat/Hair depending on if your offspring is male/female

3. Draw in your baby spud/spudette’s inherited traits on the worksheet.

Sex Cells (I)**you can do this before spud/spudette, but

we find they lose the sex cells before they glue them on their poster

1. Using your punnett square worksheet, fill in the male sex cell with the alleles Mr. Potato head passed on to his offspring.

2. Using the same process, fill in the female sex cell with the alleles Ms. Potato head passed on to her offspring.

Poster (I)1. Carefully cut out Mr. Potato, Ms. Potato,

and baby spud/spudette along with their genetic information (gentoype/phenotype chart)

2. Glue mom, dad and baby spud/spudette down on your poster. Make sure the chart is with the correct potato!

3. Glue the sex cells next to your baby spud/spudette

4. Add family name (The____Family) 5. Add first names for all 3 members of your

potato family

Written Summary (I)• Complete using the word bank

• Double check your answers/READ your summary before turning it in!

Written Assessment (I)

• Complete 4 questions

• Grading #1 – 2 pts (what/why)

#2 – 4 pts (1/2 point per allele pair)

#3 – 2 pts (what/why)

#4 – 2 pts (application – drawing connections)

*We also included a copy of a grading rubric in your blackline masters folder.

Feedback/Wrap UpOn the blank mini potato heads…

• Please take a moment to provide us with any feedback or questions you may have.

– If you would like a response to your question,

please include your email address and we will contact you as soon as we can with an answer.

Contact Information~Thank you for attending our presentation.

~You can find the powerpoint and all of the handouts on our websites.

~Please contact us with any questions and/or new ideas.

 

Gina Ford - gford@wpusd.k12.ca.us

http://tbms.wpusd.k12.ca.us/subsites/Gina-Ford/

 

Jennifer Hladun - jhladun@wpusd.k12.ca.us

http://tbms.wpusd.k12.ca.us/subsites/Jennifer-Hladun