Wisconsin Fast Plants® 72-Hour Monohybrid Genetics Student Mini Kit

In this single-station kit, students germinate seeds from P₁, P₂, F₁, and F₂ generations. They observe the seedlings from P₁ and F₁ and construct an inheritance pattern model to predict the phenotype and genotype of P₂ and what the F₂ seedlings will look like. After they examine the actual P₂ and F₂ seedlings, they can revise their model and explain the results based on the data they collected. The driving question that students investigate is, "How do trait variations in Fast Plants® seedlings reveal inheritance patterns?"

Time Requirement
Planting time is about 20 minutes. The plants will sprout in approximately 72 hours. Scoring and analysis will take approximately 40 minutes.

Performance Expectation(s)
HS-LS3-3

Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns

Disciplinary Core Ideas
Variation of Traits

Science and Engineering Practices
Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Learning Objectives

• Use evidence gathered from observations and data collection to explain an inheritance pattern.
• Infer from observation how genes code for the purple stem trait expressed in Fast Plants®.
• Develop a model that shows how traits are inherited over several generations.

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
Students should know about Mendelian genetics and how to create and interpret Punnett squares.