Maria Danica C.

De Villa
MA63 Comprehensive Biology
May 23, 2015
Mendelian Genetics
I.

Introduction

Have you ever wondered where you got your looks? Is it from your father? Or from your
mother? Today, we will be learning about how these inheritance patterns take place through the
help of Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics.
II.

Objectives

Objective:
At the end of the lesson, the students shall be able to discuss the importance and contributions
of Gregor Mendel and his experiments with the garden pea in understanding genetics.
Minor Objectives:
1. Compare a dominant trait to a recessive trait.
2. Compare a homozygous trait to a heterozygous trait.
3. Demonstrate Mendels Law of Dominance, Law of Segregation, and Law of Independent
Assortment by using a Punnett Square.
III.

Materials and Methods Used

Discovery Method
Cooperative Learning Approach (Think Pair Share)
Illustrations/Pictures
Video clips
Powerpoint presentation

IV.

Classroom and Field Activities

Teacher Instructional Strategy

Preparation
Roll call of attendance. Remind students of
classroom rules.
Motivation
Ask the students this question:
Have you ever wondered where you got your
looks? Is it from your father? Or from your
mother? Today, we will be learning about how
these inheritance patterns take place through

Pupils Participation
Students prepare themselves for the class.

the help of Gregor Mendel, the father of

genetics.
Presentation
Do this Activity:
An Inventory of My Traits
Instructions:
1. Begin by giving an example of a trait (chinky
eyes, curly hair, tall, short, etc.) and ask
students who possess this trait to stand. Point
out the relative numbers of students standing
and sitting for the particular trait. Continue this
process with 2-3 more traits.
2. Explain that traits are observable
characteristics we inherit from our parents.
Some traits are common in a population (our
class) while others are not. And, every person
has a different overall combination of traits that
makes them unique.
3. Divide students into groups of four or more.
Have each student in the group determine
their unique combination of the traits as
described.
4.After students complete the survey, have
them tally their group information on the data
table and draw a bar graph
Optional activity:
Ask students to predict how many traits they
would have to look at on the Survey in order to
identify any given classmate as unique.
Select a volunteer who would like to
determine his or her uniqueness. Ask all
students to stand.
Have the volunteer call out one of their traits
at a time, beginning with question 1 on the
Survey and continuing in sequence. For each
trait, direct all students who do not share that
trait to sit down; students who share the trait
remain standing. Once a student sits down,

Students make an inventory of their own easily

observable genetic traits.

Working in small groups, they observe how

their trait inventories differ from those of
others.
Students record their observations in a data
table and make a bar graph to show the most
and least common traits in the group.

they do not get up again.

Continue in this way until the volunteer is the
only one standing. Count the number of
traits it took to distinguish the volunteer from
everyone else in the class. Compare this
number with the students predictions.
Repeat with several additional volunteers

Discussion
(through powerpoint presentation)
For thousands of years farmers and herders Students may ask relevant questions after the
have been selectively breeding their plants discussion.
and animals to produce more useful hybrids It
was somewhat of a hit or miss process since
the actual mechanisms governing inheritance
were unknown. Knowledge of these genetic
mechanisms finally came as a result of careful
laboratory breeding experiments carried out
over the last century and a half.
By the 1890's, the invention of better
microscopes allowed biologists to discover the
basic facts of cell division and sexual
reproduction. The focus of genetics research
then shifted to understanding what really
happens in the transmission of hereditary traits
from parents to children. A number of
hypotheses were suggested to explain
heredity, but Gregor Mendel, a Central
European monk, was the only one who got it
more or less right. His ideas had been
published in 1866 but largely went
unrecognized until 1900, which was long after
his death.
Mendel's Laws are as follows:
1. The Law of Dominance
2. The Law of Segregation
3. The Law of Independent Assortment
When two parent organisms look different for a

trait, and all their offspring resemble only one

of the parents, this reflects Mendels law of
dominance. All the offspring are heterozygous
for the trait, one parent is homozygous
dominant, and the other is homozygous
recessive.

Students demonstrates the law of dominance

through a punnet square activity.

When two parents have the same phenotype

for a trait but some of their offspring look
different with respect to that trait, the parents
must be hybrid for that trait Mendels law of
segregation.

Students demonstrates the law of segregation

through a punnet square activity.

Different traits do not influence the inheritance

of
each
other.
They
are
inherited
independently

Mendels
law
of
Independent Assortment.

Students demonstrates the law of Independent

Assortment through a punnet square activity.
Evaluation
Students answer the following questions.
Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. Which of the following is a possible

abbreviation for a genotype?

1. Which of the following is a possible

abbreviation for a genotype?

A. BC
B. Pp
C. Ty
D. fg

A. BC
B. Pp
C. Ty
D. fg

2. What is the best way to determine the

phenotype of the feathers on a bird?
A. analyze the bird's DNA (genes)
B. look at the bird's feathers
C. look at the bird's beak
d. examine the bird's droppings
3. Which of the following pairs is not correct?
A. kk = hybrid
B. hybrid = heterozygous
C. heterozygous = Hh
D. homozygous = RR
4. The genes present in an organism
represent the organism's __________.
A. genotype
B. phenotype
C. physical traits
5. Which choice represents a possible pair of
alleles?
A. k & t
B. K & T
C. K & k
D. K & t
6. How many alleles for one trait are normally
found in the genotype of an organism?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
7. Which statement is not true?
A. genotype determines phenotype
B. phenotype determines genotype
C. a phenotype is the physical appearance of
a trait in an organism
D. alleles are different forms of the same gene
8. Which cross would best illustrate Mendel's
Law of Segregation?

2. What is the best way to determine the

phenotype of the feathers on a bird?
A. analyze the bird's DNA (genes)
B. look at the bird's feathers
C. look at the bird's beak
d. examine the bird's droppings
3. Which of the following pairs is not correct?
A. kk = hybrid
B. hybrid = heterozygous
C. heterozygous = Hh
D. homozygous = RR
4. The genes present in an organism
represent the organism's __________.
A. genotype
B. phenotype
C. physical traits
5. Which choice represents a possible pair of
alleles?
A. k & t
B. K & T
C. K & k
D. K & t
6. How many alleles for one trait are normally
found in the genotype of an organism?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
7. Which statement is not true?
A. genotype determines phenotype
B. phenotype determines genotype
C. a phenotype is the physical appearance of
a trait in an organism
D. alleles are different forms of the same gene
8. Which cross would best illustrate Mendel's
Law of Segregation?

A. TT x tt
B. Hh x hh
C. Bb x Bb
D. rr x rr

A. TT x tt
B. Hh x hh
C. Bb x Bb
D. rr x rr

9. In the cross Yy x Yy, what percent of

offspring would have the same phenotype as
the parents?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%
10. In a certain plant, purple flowers are
dominant to red flowers. If the cross of two
purple-flowered plants produces some some
purple-flowered and some red-flowered plants,
what is the genotype of the parent plants?
A. PP x Pp
B. Pp x Pp
C. pp x PP
D. pp x pp
Base questions #11-15 on the following
information:
A white-flowered plant is crossed with a pinkflowered plant. All of the F1 offspring from the
cross are white.
11. Which phenotype is dominant?
12. What are the genotypes of the original
parent plants?
13. What is the genotype of all the F1
offspring?
14. What would be the percentages of
genotypes & phenotypes if one of the white F1
plants is crossed with a pink-flowered plant?
15. Which of Mendel's Laws is/are illustrated in
this question?
16. Crossing two dihybrid organisms results in
which phenotypic ratio?
A. 1:2:1
B. 9:3:3:1
C. 3:1
D. 1:1

9. In the cross Yy x Yy, what percent of

offspring would have the same phenotype as
the parents?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%
10. In a certain plant, purple flowers are
dominant to red flowers. If the cross of two
purple-flowered plants produces some some
purple-flowered and some red-flowered plants,
what is the genotype of the parent plants?
A. PP x Pp
B. Pp x Pp
C. pp x PP
D. pp x pp
Base questions #11-15 on the following
information:
A white-flowered plant is crossed with a pinkflowered plant. All of the F1 offspring from the
cross are white.
11. Which phenotype is dominant?
12. What are the genotypes of the original
parent plants?
13. What is the genotype of all the F1
offspring?
14. What would be the percentages of
genotypes & phenotypes if one of the white F1
plants is crossed with a pink-flowered plant?
15. Which of Mendel's Laws is/are illustrated in
this question?
16. Crossing two dihybrid organisms results in
which phenotypic ratio?
A. 1:2:1
B. 9:3:3:1
C. 3:1
D. 1:1

17. The outward appearance (gene

expression) of a trait in an organism is referred
to as:

17. The outward appearance (gene

expression) of a trait in an organism is referred
to as:

A. genotype
B. phenotype
C. an allele
D. independent assortment
18. In the homologous chromosomes shown in
the diagram, which is a possible alleleic pair?

A. genotype
B. phenotype
C. an allele
D. independent assortment
18. In the homologous chromosomes shown in
the diagram, which is a possible alleleic pair?

A. cD
B. Ee
C. AB
D. ee

A. cD
B. Ee
C. AB
D. ee

19.
The
phenotype of a pea plant can best be
determined by:
A. analyzing its genes
B. looking at it
C. crossing it with a recessive plant
D. eating it
20. Mendel formulated his Law of Segregation
after he had:
A. studied F1 offspring
B. studied F2 offspring
C. produced mutations
D. produced hybrids
21. Which cross would produce phenotypic
ratios that would illustrate the Law of
Dominance?
A. TT x tt
B. TT x Tt
C. Tt x Tt
D. tt x tt
22. The mating of two curly-haired brown
guinea pigs results in some offspring with
brown curly hair, some with brown straight
hair, some with white curly hair, and even
some with white straight hair. This mating
illustrates which of Mendel's Laws?
A. Dominance
B. Segregation

19.
The
phenotype of a pea plant can best be
determined by:
A. analyzing its genes
B. looking at it
C. crossing it with a recessive plant
D. eating it
20. Mendel formulated his Law of Segregation
after he had:
A. studied F1 offspring
B. studied F2 offspring
C. produced mutations
D. produced hybrids
21. Which cross would produce phenotypic
ratios that would illustrate the Law of
Dominance?
A. TT x tt
B. TT x Tt
C. Tt x Tt
D. tt x tt
22. The mating of two curly-haired brown
guinea pigs results in some offspring with
brown curly hair, some with brown straight
hair, some with white curly hair, and even
some with white straight hair. This mating
illustrates which of Mendel's Laws?
A. Dominance
B. Segregation

C. Independent Assortment
D. Sex-Linkage

C. Independent Assortment
D. Sex-Linkage

Expected Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students shall be able to:
1. compare a dominant trait to a recessive trait;
2. compare a homozygous trait to a heterozygous trait; and
3. demonstrate Mendels Law of Dominance, Law of Segregation, and Law of Independent
Assortment by using a Punnett Square
References
References:

Benjamin, Clinton L., et.al.,(1997). Human Biology, International Edition. U.S.A.The McGraw-Hill
Company, Inc.
Campbell, Neil A., Jane B. Reece and Lawrence G. Mitchell. Biology 5 th ed.U.S.A.
Benjamin/Cummings, an imprint of Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Fairbanks, D. J., & Rytting, B. (2001). Mendelian controversies: A botanical and historical
review. American Journal of Botany 88, 737752
O'Neil, D (2013). Mendels Genetics. Retrieved from website:
http://anthro.palomar.edu/mendel/mendel_1.htm
Paul, D. (2000). A double-edged sword. Nature 405, 515.doi:10.1038/35014676
Starr, C., & Taggart, R. (2004).Biology: The unity and diversity of life 10th ed. Singapore.
Thompson Learning Asia.
Stern, K. (1997). Introductory plant biology 8th ed. Botany Visual Resource Library. New
York. The McGraw Hill Companies Inc.