NGSS Phenomena and Outside Resources

Traits Module

• Pick any complex trait (diabetes, skin color, height) and think about all the factors that might affect it. What makes this trait different between individuals?
• Is Height Genetic? ~6:00 video from It’s ok to be smart. The first 3 min are especially useful.
• Use examples to explore the roles of genes vs. environmental factors:
  • Queen bees and worker bees look and behave very differently. But it’s not due to differences in their genes! It all comes from diet. Young bee larvae destined to become queens are fed a diet of royal jelly. This diet activates certain genetic programs and turns them into queens.
  • Identical twins are genetic clones. But differences in their contexts (experiences, environment, etc.) make each twin unique.
  • If you cut up a potato, each eye will grow a new genetically identical plant. But give each plant a different set of environmental conditions (different temperatures or amounts of nutrients, sunlight, water, etc.) and they will grow up looking very different. You can even set this up as a hands-on experiment in your classroom.

Inheritance Module

• Dog Coat Color Genetics — A website with even more information about the traits in Mutt Mixer, and many others

Reproductive Success Module

Dire Wolf Ancestry

• Sci Show: Dire Wolves Were Real! But Not Wolves

Evidence for Evolution: Anatomy, Embryos, and Fossils

Below are some teacher-recommended resources that you might use to explore the evidence for evolution.

• Meet Your Inner Fish — Video clips and other resources from the PBS 3-part series
• NSTA Whales: Walking Into the Past
• NSTA Diatoms: One-Celled Wonders
• Stories From the Fossil Record — Website from UCMP, the UC Museum of Paleontology
• Kessler Science Fossil Inquiry Labs