Investigating Selective Breeding
kit #905
In this series of two activities students explore inherited traits. They analyze Lab-Aids© simulated corn ears then use Punnett squares to gather data on, interpret, and predict the probability of traits being passed from parent to offspring. They then read about “survival of the fittest,” natural selection, selective breeding, and the relationships between these concepts.
- Physical differences between parents and offspring can accumulate in successive generations so that descendants look very different from their ancestors
- Humans can control some characteristics of plants and animals they raise by a process called selective breeding
- Because of the way traits are passed from parents to offspring, selective breeding for particular traits can result in new varieties of plants and animals
- "Survival of the fittest" describes how in any particular environment individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and have offspring
- Natural selection describes how different species have, over generations, obtained traits that are well adopted to the environment in which they live
Content List in Investigating Selective Breeding is as follows:
| Quantity | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Teacher’s Guide |
| 28 | Student Worksheet and Guides |
| 12 | Sets of two LAB-AIDS Corn Ears (A and B) |
| 1 | Transparency: Four Cattle Breeds, Color |
- Number of students
- 24
- Number of groups
- Maximum 12 groups per period
To complete the two activities in this kit requires two to three ~50-minute class periods.
