Unit 04 · Genetics & Heredity
Why do you look a little like your parents but not exactly? This unit is about heredity — how traits pass from parents to offspring through genes. You’ll learn that DNA carries the instructions, sort out which traits are inherited and which are learned, and use simple Punnett squares to predict how traits show up. Mastery means you can explain where a trait comes from and predict simple outcomes with evidence.
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traits, genes & DNA | Thinks traits appear at random with no cause. | Says genes carry traits but can’t explain DNA’s role. | Explains that genes are instructions carried by DNA and passed from parents to offspring. |
| Inherited vs. learned traits | Calls every trait, even a skill, something you’re born with. | Sorts most traits but is stumped by tricky ones. | Sorts inherited traits from learned ones and explains why only genes are passed on. |
| Dominant & recessive traits | Doesn’t know that some traits can hide others. | Uses the words dominant and recessive but mixes them up. | Explains how a dominant trait can mask a recessive one and reads a simple genotype. |
| Punnett squares & prediction | Can’t set up a Punnett square. | Fills in a square but misreads the results. | Sets up a one-trait Punnett square and predicts the chances for the offspring. |
| Lab technique (trait survey & Punnett squares) | Collects trait data carelessly or skips recording it. | Gathers trait data but can’t connect it to a prediction. | Runs a clean trait survey, records the results, and uses a Punnett square to explain the pattern. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Treats the science as isolated facts; makes no cross-domain connection. | Names a link to history, reading, or writing but cannot defend why it matters. | Connects the unit to its anchor across History · Reading · Writing (plus chosen electives) and defends why the connection matters. |
“Both my parents can roll their tongues, but my little sister can’t — so tongue-rolling must be recessive, and our parents each carry a hidden copy. I made a Punnett square and it showed a one-in-four chance of a kid who can’t roll their tongue.”
“You get traits from your parents somehow. DNA is in your body. I’m not sure why my sister looks different — maybe she just does.”
You demonstrate this unit through trait surveys and Punnett-square activities — collecting real data and predicting outcomes — explaining your reasoning aloud, not on a multiple-choice test. A criterion counts as mastered only when you can both make the prediction and explain the genetics behind it. Mastery is demonstrated, not awarded.
A 5-page clipboard packet — unit overview, key terms, the mastery rubric, anchor examples, and a score sheet you can print and grade against.