Genetics - Genetics Honor
BASIC INFORMATION
Genetics is a student-centered, semester-long course. Molecular and classical genetics will be covered using lectures, activities, and labs. Topics covered include the DNA structure. Fruit fly genetics, human genetics, and genomics. Students will also learn how the definition of a gene has changed over time. Learning happens primarily through collaborative exploratory-activities and lab work. Students who elect this course for honors credit will be expected to demonstrate strong academic independence through completion of extra projects.
Grade Level: 12
Number of Meetings per week: 4
Full year or half year: Half Year
Number of Credits: 0.5
Prerequisite/helpful classes?: Physics I, Chemistry I, Biology I
EXAMPLE OF PAST ACTIVITIES
Fruit Fly Genetics
One year, we did some fruit fly genetics. In some classes, like AP Bio and Bio II Honor, they might do some paper experiments with fruit flies or virtual labs, but in this class, students look at fruit flies and examine them under the microscope. They then have to examine the crosses and see what offspring come out and determine if it’s dominant or recessive, or maybe what chromosome it is on.
Mutant Yeast
They had to use ultraviolet light mutagenesis to get mutant yeast. The students then found mutants that looked a different color, and then they had to purify them. There were two mutations in two different genes that could have caused the color change, and they had to determine which of the two genes it were by something called complementation.
Bitter taste gene
There’s a gene involved in tasting bitterness, the PTC gene. We looked at our own gene for that bitter taste to check and see what variant of the gene the person has. Some people can taste bitter very strongly and other people can’t taste bitter very strongly. So we actually looked at the student’s DNA by doing PCR.
Research
Students also do research on a particular disease and then present it.