Genetics Super Heros 8th Grade Science PowerPoint

This activity has been a class favorite for many years as students get an opportunity to create their own Superhero(or villain) with the use of genotypes, Punnett Squares, and probability. Students will determine the phenotypes and genotypes of their parent heroes, and create Punnett Squares,

Once students determine the traits of their super baby, they can begin working on their baby announcement which consists of a labeled poster of their superchild with the inherited traits and an announcement to introduce the superchild and their traits to the world.

Learning Standards:

Performance Expectation: HS-LS3-2: Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.

Disciplinary Core Idea: LS3.B: Variations of Traits: In sexual reproduction, chromosomes can sometimes swap sections during the process of meiosis (cell division), thereby creating new genetic combinations and thus more genetic variation. Although DNS replication is tightly regulated and remarkably accurate, errors do occur and result in mutations, which are also a source of genetic variation. Environmental factors can also cause mutations in genes, and viable mutations are inherited.