People have a deep intuition about what has been called the “nature–nurture question.” Some aspects of our behavior feel as though they originate in our genetic makeup, while others feel like the result of our upbringing or our own hard work. The scientific field of behavior genetics attempts to study these differences empirically, either by examining similarities among family members with different degrees of genetic relatedness, or, more recently, by studying differences in the DNA of people with different behavioral traits. The scientific methods that have been developed are ingenious, but often inconclusive. Many of the difficulties encountered in the empirical science of behavior genetics turn out to be conceptual, and our intuitions about nature and nurture get more complicated the harder we think about them. In the end, it is an oversimplification to ask how “genetic” some particular behavior is. Genes and environments always combine to produce behavior, and the real science is in the discovery of how they combine for a given behavior.

This article discusses the merits of case-based learning in an interactive online environment. Researchers used both qualitative and quantitative research over a 2-year period to examine the learning that occurred in a high school context when students were engaged in a case-based multimedia project. Part of the Case It! project, students played both the role of laboratory technician performing and presenting research as well as professionals using the information in their practice. Students were required to use three types of simulation software developed exclusively for the Case It! project. Results were measured using both pre- and post-tests, artifacts students created such as Web posters, records of Internet conferences, and interviews from both the students and the teacher involved in this project. Researches found the online format of the lesson fostered a higher level of questioning and problem solving skills, as well as extended explanations and discussions of ethics in science.

Students will work in groups (2-4 students per group) to translate the genetic code they receive in the form of a color coded message through various formats ending in their group finding the correct “puzzle piece.” If each group chooses the correct piece when they add together their pieces it will create the protein, Insulin.

Understanding Biodiversity presents an overview of biodiversity, its importance and relevance to humans, all living things, and the Earth. It includes species pages and a template to engage and involve students in real-life data collection.

In this high school unit on genetics and heredity, students ask questions about a group of boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Students investigate the role of proteins, DNA, and inheritance in the disorder. Students figure out how heritable traits and disorders are related to the structure and function of proteins. Students then ask questions about how we can use genetic engineering technologies to cure genetic disorders and explore the ethical implications of need technologies such as, CRISPR-Cas9.

7th Grade Integrated Science textbook for the 2019-2020 school year. This textbook was developed to align to the Utah Science Core Curriculum. (Updated: May 29, 2019)

In this lesson, students learn that charactersistics are inherited. Students will take an inventory of their own traits and their classmates' traits. As a homework assignment, students will check to see if family members possess any of the traits that were observed in the class.