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** Google Slides Version and Student-only PDF Just Added! **
Independent Assortment is crucial to understanding high school biology but is a difficult topic to teach, because it is pretty abstract. A good visual is key to teaching meiosis, chromosome genetics, and karyotypes. My students really love having this very visual and hands-on activity to help them. Use this lesson and watch a lot of light bulbs come on as your students embrace this tough concept!
Each student colors a unique karyotype and you could have the students hang up their karyotypes around the room and compare how, even if they were siblings, each karyotype will be different!
I normally use this lesson at the beginning of the mitosis and meiosis unit after a 30 minute lesson on the basics of what a chromosome is, haploid vs diploid, autosomes vs sex chromosomes, gametes vs somatic cells, and what a karyotype is.
This PDF file can be printed easily on 8.5”x11” paper in landscape mode.
Lesson Contents
Page 1: Instructions and Grandparents’ Karyotypes
Page 2: Parents’ Karyotypes and Instructions how to produce their independently assorted chromosomes in their gametes.
Page 3: Large Personalized Karyotype Diagram
Page 4: Questions for Students to answer after their coloring activity. Some are basic, some are more advanced and require longer responses.
Page 5: Challenge Question for Advanced Students, Early Finishers, or as an additional assignment/extra credit for after you teach Meiosis. It is a great way to tie meiosis back to this activity’s concepts. I like to print this separately from the first 4 pages and hand it out separately as desired.
Page 6: Teacher Tips/Answer Key
Page 7: Terms of Use
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(C) Bethany Lau
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