Another one of my favorite topics to teach is genetics, especially in middle school where students are just learning the basics, and it’s SO exciting for the them! You cannot begin your genetics unit without first talking about Gregor Mendel’s experiments on pea plants. Gregor Mendel’s work with pea plants was crucial to help people understand how traits were passed down through generations. So, who is Gregor Mendel and what did he do? How do you teach this to middle school students? Let’s talk about bringing the WOW Factor!
Gregor Mendel Experiments with Pea Plants
For a long time, people understood that traits were passed down through families; however, how this occurred was unclear. Gregor Mendel’s work with pea plants was crucial to help people understand how these traits were passed down through generations.
He was considered “the father of genetics” and was the first person to track one trait through several generations. In the late 1850s, he grew and studied pea plants. Mendel decided to study how traits are inherited by breeding pea plants. They were easy to study because they can be self-pollinated or cross-pollinated. His work was not recognized until he turn of the 20th century.
He studied these characteristics:
- Seed color
- Seed shape
- Plant height
- Pod shape
- Pod color
- Flower location
- Flower color
Pea Plant Experiment Results
What did Gregor Mendel discover?
This cute little video helps to explain the results of his pea plant experiments.
From his experiments, he concluded that two factors, one from each sperm (father) and one from each egg (mother), control each inherited trait. We now know these as alleles.
We know a lot more about how traits are passed down, but it all started with Mendel!
So, how can we teach such complex ideas to students? He are some of my favorite ways.
Gregor Mendel Pea Plant Experiment PPT and Google Slides
First, I love to use the Gregor Mendel Digital Interactive Lesson. Using interactive lessons in the classroom are a great way to reduce cognitive load. They are extremely engaging and allow students to learn content in chunks and apply it before moving on.
They can be used for individual, self-centered learning, direct instruction, small groups/partners, for ELL students, as science centers, distance learning, enrichment/tutoring, and more!
In this particular lesson, students learn about heredity, genetics, self-pollination, cross-pollination, an overview of Mendel’s experiments, dominant and recessive traits, genes, alleles, homozygous and heterozygous, genotypes and phenotypes, and more!
As students go through the material, there are activities such as matching vocabulary and dragging and sorting, that allow students to digest and practice the material.
These lessons help students to retain their science content!
Gregor Mendel Experiments in the Classroom
Setting up a pea plant experiment could be quite challenging in the classroom, so here are some ideas for hands-on activities to teach this content in the classroom!
- Greenscreen re-enactment: Have your students to create a skit to re-enact Gregor Mendel’s experiments. They can go through each of the generations and explain the results. Greenscreens can be so much fun. At our school, we use the DoInk app to put videos together and we were able to get a greenscreen from a grant. If you don’t have a greenscreen at your school, you can always write a grant to get one, or you can just set up a green blanket as the background.
There are a ton of resources available to help you use a greenscreen in your classroom. Student absolutely love it, and it’s so much fun to see their creativity shine!
- Punnett Squares Animal Project: After students learn everything there is to know in middle school about genetics and Punnett squares, students can create their own animals/creatures and apply their knowledge of genotypes, phenotypes, homozygous, heterozygous, and more!
Students are so creative! I love to see these artists go to work. I’ve seen everything from normal horses, to Spongebob creatures, to who knows what they just drew! Having to make the connections between the phenotype and the genotype and having to use the Punnett Squares correctly is so much fun with this activity. It’s definitely one of mine and my students’ favorites!
- DNA Extraction: You can also get students excited about DNA by extracting DNA from strawberries! This is another student favorite. It can get a little messy, but it’s worth it and smells so good!
More Resources for Teaching Genetics
Interesting in learning more about Mendel and his experiments and how to teach this content to middle schoolers? Check out these resources!
Help your students master science content!
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