Traits and Heredity

Lesson: Meet Mendel the Monk

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes

This is a brief introduction to the famous work done by Gregor Mendel related how genetics works. It is intended to be a light-hearted way to introduce Mendel. Some teachers will follow this lesson with an In-depth Reading: Mendel's Experiments, but others will opt to simply mention the contributions of Mendel.

A theme that teachers can pursue here is that Mendel made his important contributions to science in part because of his years working on a farm. He became curious about how traits are passed down from previous generations and used knowledge of plants to pursue answers.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will examine two common misconceptions held in the 1800s regarding the inheritance of traits.

Students will be introduced to Gregor Mendel as an important contributor to science whose skepticism and curiosity drove his discoveries.

Teacher Tune-ups

• What is a Punnett Square and how does it relate to dominant and recessive traits?
• What are the big ideas related to Mendel’s experiments?
• Beyond Mendel’s Laws: What else do we know about genetics, beyond Mendel?