In this lesson, students will contrast methods of sexual and asexual reproduction in various organisms by conducting research and organizing the information they find.

Within the life science strand of 7th grade science, students focus on the mechanisms of cellular reproduction, patterns of inheritance, and external factors to potential variation among offspring. In this task, students will work together to create a population of sexually-reproducing Furlings, analyze the generational genotypes and phenotypes, and discover the effects of environmental change on variance within the population. The modeling of this real-world phenomenon and the interdisciplinary aspects of this lesson allow students to build meaningful connections and promote the development of 21st Century Skills. This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.