1 of 12

The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Monster Genetic Engineering

2 of 12

Monster Genetic Engineering

An 8^th Grade STEM Lesson

Hope Hudson

May 2023

3 of 12

Notes for Teachers

This lesson will take place over several classes following instructions of the standards and will serve as a summative assessment.
Students will work individually to collect data and create their monster.
Creativity and originality will be encouraged, while following the guidelines and specific genetic traits. There is not one correct look to the monster!

List of Materials

This list is not all inclusive, but rather suggested items that can be used- feel free to add/edit and create your own list of items.

Pape tubes (from toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls)
Styrofoam or plastic cups- various sizes
Cardboard boxes- various sizes
Pipe cleaners
Craft sticks
Toothpicks
Rubber bands
Pom poms
Scissors
Paint
Straws
Googly eyes
Tape
Glue (various types of glue would work)
Other craft/building materials as needed

Student packets
1 coin for each student
Writing utensils
Colors (markers, crayons, etc.)

Notes and Materials: This slide can be hidden or skipped when delivering the lesson.

Following the unit on genetics and sexual reproduction- student have an opportunity to develop and create a model, while planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information- utilizing the SEP.

Please note that you can adjust the materials list as you see fit based on what materials you have available to you or what items you can get donated. Students can also be encouraged to bring items from home if you want to allow for a wide varieties of creative freedom. There are many ways this project can be done- you will need to decide what parameters you want to set and what you are willing to relinquish control of to allow for variations in model design.

4 of 12

Standards

Life Science:

8.L3U1.9 Construct an explanation of how genetic variations occur in offspring through the inheritance of traits or through mutations.

In sexually reproducing organisms, each parent contributes half of the genes acquired (at random) by the offspring. Individuals have two of each chromosome and hence two alleles of each gene, one acquired from each parent. These versions may be identical or may differ from each other.

8.L4U1.11 Develop and use a model to explain how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

Core Idea:

L3: Genetic information is passed down from one generation of organisms to another.

Science and Engineering Practices:

● ask questions and define problems,

● develop and use models

● plan and carry out investigations

● analyze and interpret data

● use mathematics and computational thinking

● construct explanations and design solutions

● engage in argument from evidence

● obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

Crosscutting Concepts:

cause and effect

● structure and function

● systems and system models

● stability and change

● scale, proportion, and quantity

5 of 12

Objective(s):

Today the student will collect, analyze and interpret data.

Today the student will provide evidence of inherited traits from parents in offspring.

Today the student will construct a model to describe the outcome of sexual reproduction where two sets of parent traits will be used to determine the offspring’s phenotypes and display genetic variations.

Today the student will use and define vocabulary that include: genotype, phenotype, traits, offspring, dominant trait, and recessive trait.

6 of 12

Agenda

You will need approximately 90 minutes- this can be broken into two 45 minutes sections/classes if needed.

-Engage students with video- ask driving question/s and make connection to activity.

-Model the activity and collection of data. (demo the coin toss and recording of data)

-Discuss questions that students may have.

-Provide guidance on steps and make sure to address the “why”….”Why would you flip the coin two times?” the data represents the genetic material provided by each parent in sexual reproduction.

The lesson can take about 90 total minutes. This can be broken up into two 45-minute classes. This is something that can be tailored to your specific class time frames. You can also add time to the constructions portion of the lesson to give students more time to engineer their monsters after the data collection has taken place.

Introduce topic with the short video
Whole group discussion and observations based on video
Description of instructions/Modeling of the data collection process
Answer questions
Distribute materials/supplies
Student engineering of monsters based on data
Student reflection, trait identification, vocabulary assessment and sketch
Wrap up- Reflection of the process and the feedback from the students.

This process can be altered as you see fit- you can take longer in some areas where more attention is needed, and can also progress through some items faster if the students do not need as much time.

7 of 12

Intro/Driving Question/Opening

-What physical characteristics do you have that makes you different from your classmates? What about your siblings or family members?

-Think about your phenotypes (the traits we can see)…..

Watch the following video and think about how the monsters are different from one another….

Monsters Inc. ad clip: We scare because we care

Today you will go through 4 phases:

Engage: Watch the video

Collect Data: Coin toss/ record monster characteristic information.

Engineer: Start to create your monster based on the characteristics on your data sheet.

Reflect: Students will reflect on their monster’s inherited traits. They will create a diagram and label each phenotype and genotype. Students will also make a connection to inherited traits.

Intro-

I love the intro to this lesson because it starts with a short clip of the Monster’s Inc movie- it allows the students to get a visual of the different phenotypes present in the monsters of the movie. It also allows them to see this movie in a way that they may not have considered before- including the topic of genetics and traits. This clip engages the students and gets them to “buy in” to the following activity and data collection.

The data collection part gives students a hands-on opportunity to see what traits their monster will have. They also have the opportunity to add in a trait of their choice and in things that make their monster more unique- you could also make the connection to mutations that develop in a species with the trait they came up with.

Engineer: Students continue the hands-on process by identifying the supplies needed to engineer their monster. They will start by drawing up a rough draft based on the data. This gives them a road map to follow when the construction begins. Students can use materials provided in class or you could give them the opportunity to bring items from home as well. The catch is that they MUST use the data and their final product should display the phenotypes that their data shows.

Reflect: I love this part because it brings your lesson “full circle”. The students can look back on the process and also write out their thoughts on why the coin was flipped two times, why there were only two possible outcomes for traits, they will practice the skill of identifying dominant and recessive traits, and will also label its on their sketch. There are so many skills found within the whole activity and again in the reflection.

OPTIONAL: I did this for my school- but you do not have to include this in your lessons. I was very proud of my students and their results. I emailed all the teachers on campus and allowed them different time frames to bring their students through the classroom where we have over 80 monsters on display for the younger students to view. We called it “Monsters on Parade”- I got such great feedback from all of the staff on campus- their kids loved going into the 8^th grade classroom and seeing all of the creative designs. While there were specifics in terms of traits, there were so many variations that allowed for creative opportunities.

8 of 12

Hands-on Activity Instructions

Make a connection- Ask Students what they noticed about the video/monsters.
Students will work individually to gather their data by flipping a coin. Students will flip the coin twice to represent each parents' trait/genetic contribution that is passed to the offspring.

Make sure to have enough coins to give one to each student.

Monster Sketch

Students will use the handout to sketch their monster based on the data/traits that were recorded during the coin flips.
This is a good time to brainstorm what types of materials will be needed for the construction of the monster.

THIS A GOOD STOPPING POINT IF YOU ARE WORKING ON 45 MINUTE CLASSES.

Monster Construction:

Students can gather materials that you have supplied (or ones that you allowed them to bring from home)
Students should work on the construction of their monster at their own desk
You can walk through the class at this time to help students who are struggling and provide support if needed.

After students have finished the construction of their monster, they will draw another diagram that identifies the following:

Genotypes- write out each one/label
Phenotypes-Label all the traits
Label dominant and recessive traits
Answer critical thinking/reflection questions at the end of the sketch.

After watching the video- guide students in a whole group discussion that allows them to demonstrate what they observed during the short video.

What was something you saw or noticed during the film?
If you look around the classroom- what sort of genetic variations can you notice?
What are the different phenotypes you can see in their room?

Have the students use the handout and go over the items listed- What traits are listed? What options of traits listed? Remind the students that the result of each flip needs to be recorded on the handout, as the data will be used in the construction of their monster model.

Students have one “free choice” trait listed that they can decide on as well. You can provide examples of the types of items or allow students creative control without guided suggestions: EX: “wings or no wings”, “horns or no horns”, “claws or no claws”- the students tend to get very creative with this and enjoy having the opportunity to pick a trait of their own.

If you are working with two 45-minute classes, this would be an opportunity for students to collect data, sketch their design and identify materials. They could also bring materials back the next day that they would be able to use in their monster construction. I have had students use a wide variety of supplies to create their monsters that they bring from home: clay, tissue paper, paper mâché, large boxes, Legos, crochet, etc. I loved that I did not limit their supplies to only what I had to provide to them. This is a choice you have if you would like to keep the supplies isolated to your classroom stock or allow students to bring in their own items,

9 of 12

Assessment

Assessment: When evaluating or assessing engineering projects we should be looking at the process and the product.
Process

Did the student follow the engineering design process by basing the design off the genetic data, developing prototypes/rough draft sketch, and reflection?

Product

Does the final product meet the requirements (can the correct phenotype bee seen, were genotypes listed in the reflection that match up with the design and data? while staying within constraints (time and materials provided)?

�This could be done with a rubric, a performance (students orally present the data and how it is displayed in the monster’s phenotype), an oral presentation or digital presentation (explaining their process and product), a visual product (a poster, video clip, etc).
Many of these ideas are outside the timeframe of a single day lesson so this is a good fit for a longer unit of study- you could even add time to the back end for the presentations and delivery.

10 of 12

Assessments:

Science and Engineering Practices

Double check the data collection- you could implement a peer check
Ensure correct data is displayed in the monster’s physical characteristics.
Engineer the final product based on your data collection.
Reflect on the practice and how your design applied to genetics and inherited traits through sexual reproduction.

Math and ELA

The students can do a wide variety of activities to make this interdisciplinary.
ELA inclusion is seen in the reflection write up at the end of the lessons.
Students can graph the data based on the whole group dominant and recessive traits, probability of the coin toss and what traits might be displayed and estimations.

11 of 12

Differentiation

Students who struggle with the data collection could be grouped together.

For my group of IEP students, I allowed for them to work as a groups for data collection, but then they each had the option to make their own monster.
My ARISE students were not able to do the data collection piece without the help of an aid- they had assistance with the data collection and then all helped to build one collective model for the group.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

An extension for this activity could be the oral presentation or the creation of digital presentations.

Utilization of technology in the form of PowerPoints, Google Slides, Stop Motion, and so many other formats for the students to showcase their design and their knowledge of the content.

12 of 12

Student Handout and Data Collection