Standard 7.L.4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how genetic information is transferred from parent to offspring and how environmental factors and the use of technologies influence the transfer of genetic information.
7.L.4A. Conceptual Understanding: Inheritance is the key process causing similarities between parental organisms and their offspring. Organisms that reproduce sexually transfer genetic information (DNA) to their offspring. This transfer of genetic information through inheritance leads to greater similarity among individuals within a population than between populations. Technology allows humans to influence the transfer of genetic information.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
7.L.4A.1 Obtain and communicate information about the relationship between genes and chromosomes to construct explanations of their relationship to inherited characteristics.
7.L.4A.2 Construct explanations for how genetic information is transferred from parent to offspring in organisms that reproduce sexually.
7.L.4A.3 Develop and use models (Punnett squares) to describe and predict patterns of the inheritance of single genetic traits from parent to offspring (including dominant and recessive traits, incomplete dominance, and codominance).
7.L.4A.4 Use mathematical and computational thinking to predict the probability of phenotypes and genotypes based on patterns of inheritance.
7.L.4A.5 Construct scientific arguments using evidence to support claims for how changes in genes (mutations) may have beneficial, harmful, or neutral effects on organisms.
7.L.4A.6 Construct scientific arguments using evidence to support claims concerning the advantages and disadvantages of the use of technology (such as selective breeding, genetic engineering, or biomedical research) in influencing the transfer of genetic information.