Learning about genetics can be as easy as rolling a dice with the Introduction to Mendelian Genetics activity kit available at OISE Library! Introduce biology students to the concepts of inheritance, homozygous, heterozygous, genotype, and phenotype with this uniquely designed kit. Working in groups or alone, students will use the kit to determine the likeliness of genetic expression. After flipping chips to simulate monohybrid crosses, or rolling double dice for dihybrid crosses, students will record their experimental data and make the necessary calculations for determining genotype and phenotype probabilities. Along the way students will learn about Punnett squares and practice their skills in calculating probability. The Introduction to Mendelian Genetics kit also includes a teacher’s manual, with an introduction to Gregor Mendel and his early experiments with pea plants, a discussion of genetic terms and concepts, and sample lab sheets for students to use in their data collection.
The Mendelian Genetics activity kit is now on display on the library ground floor coffee table, near the circulation desk. You can also view an image of this kit, and other activity kits, in the OISE Library K-12 Manipulatives Database.