Sasha’s panganog, Dashwood, has just had twin noglets. But who is the father? Players help Sasha find clues about the panganog who fathered the twins using heredity and genetics. They learn about the genes of Ovonian plant and animal species, and how traits are passed down from parents to offspring.
MS-LS3-2. Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation. MS-LS1-5. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
family traits; inheritance, alleles, genetics, DNA, phenotype, genotype
This storyline is grounded in the phenomenon of heredity of traits within families and introduces heredity, alleles, genes, dominant traits, and recessive traits.
One of the noglets is yellow, while the other is brown. If Dashwood and all of the male panganogs in her band are also brown, where did the yellow come from? Players use their knowledge of similarities within family groups to convince Cherie that her blond panganog, Mr.Tipps, is the father.
With a newfound interest in genetics, Cherie digs up some of her old notes on heredity and asks the player to help her make sense of them. What does it mean when a trait is "dominant" or "recessive," again? And how are these differences written out scientifically?
Students close out this storyline by learning about how phenotype plays a role in inheritance for certain birds. Why are there more bright-colored birds than dull ones in the Student District?
