Students who demonstrate understanding can: Gather and synthesize information about technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on synthesizing information from reliable sources about the influence of humans on genetic outcomes in artificial selection (such as genetic modification, animal husbandry, gene therapy); and, on the impacts these technologies have on society as well as the technologies leading to these scientific discoveries.
Official wording from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the NGSS were involved in the production of this page, and they do not endorse it. View on nextgenscience.org
For thousands of years, farmers have shaped the traits of crops and animals by choosing which individuals to breed. Wild mustard was bred into broccoli, cabbage and kale; wolves gave rise to the huge variety of dog breeds. This is artificial selection: people, not the environment, decide which traits are passed on. Modern technology has added faster and more precise tools, such as genetic modification, which places a gene from one organism into another, and gene therapy, which aims to treat certain inherited disorders.
Students gather and synthesize information from reliable sources about these technologies. They describe how each technology influences inherited traits, compare older methods with newer ones, and consider impacts on society, such as higher crop yields, medical treatments, cost, safety questions and ethical debates.
Evaluating sources is part of the skill. Students should check who produced the information, whether claims are backed by evidence, and whether the source presents more than one viewpoint.
People have been selectively breeding plants and animals for thousands of years. New technologies speed up and target the process.
Breeders choose from variation that already exists. Genetic modification is different because it can add a gene from another organism.
Students should compare sources and favor those that show evidence, name experts, and present several perspectives rather than only advertising or opinion.
Summarize how humans changed a wild grass called teosinte into modern corn, then compare it with a genetically modified insect-resistant corn.
Answer: Both methods changed inherited traits in corn, but selective breeding used existing variation over many generations, while genetic modification added a specific new gene quickly, each with benefits and concerns for society.
Run a jigsaw in which groups research selective breeding, genetic modification and gene therapy, then teach the class. Provide a source-evaluation checklist and require at least two sources per group.
Assessment focuses on gathering and synthesizing information, so a strong product is a summary that compares technologies and cites evidence about their impacts.
Original questions written for this standard. Choose an option or type your answer, then press Check. Every question has a worked explanation.
Answer: C) Artificial selection
People choose which animals breed, so it is artificial selection.
Answer: artificial selection (also accepted: selective breeding)
Artificial selection, also called selective breeding, is guided by people.
Answer: A) It can add a gene from a different organism
Genetic modification can insert genes directly, even from other species.
Answer: D) Artificial selection can produce very different varieties
Farmers selected different traits from the same wild mustard plant.
Answer: C) A peer-reviewed scientific report
Peer-reviewed reports present evidence checked by other experts.
Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.
Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
A full lesson with slides, activities and an exit ticket on technologies that shape inherited traits, pitched to grades 6-8 and editable in PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Make a lesson βA printable, differentiated worksheet on MS-LS4-5 with an answer key, ready in about a minute.
Make a worksheet βTurn technologies that shape inherited traits into a quiz students answer online that marks itself, with a class summary for you.
Build a test βThe clarification statement lists examples such as genetic modification, animal husbandry and gene therapy.
Yes. Students consider the impacts these technologies have on society, which includes benefits, risks and debates.