A student-designed investigation using online fruit fly simulations.
This digital lab investigates inheritance patterns using a virtual fruit fly simulator. Students design and carry out genetic crosses, analyze offspring ratios, and determine whether a trait is dominant, recessive, or follows another inheritance pattern.
Students begin with a short background reading and analysis questions to establish key ideas about genetic crosses. They then select a trait to investigate using a student-directed differentiation system, choosing from structured difficulty levels that vary by trait complexity.
Students proceed through the investigation by:
planning test crosses to answer specific inheritance questions
using an online simulator to perform fruit fly crosses
recording and organizing offspring data in a lab notebook
analyzing results to determine inheritance patterns
writing a lab report using a scaffolded structure with optional prompts
The differentiated trait system allows students to work at varying cognitive levels while pursuing the same core scientific goal: identifying how a trait is inherited based on experimental evidence.
This lab is designed to support:
application of Punnett square and test cross reasoning
interpretation of genetic ratios
experimental design using simulations
structured scientific writing
It functions well as:
a digital genetics investigation
a virtual alternative to physical fruit fly labs
a core applied lab within an inheritance unit
The Google Slides format allows for low-prep implementation while preserving inquiry-based structure and analytical rigor.
To preview this lab, click here.
Grade & Course Recommendation:
Middle School: Enrichment lab for Grade 8 honors life science.
High School:Grade 9–10 Biology, hands-on genetics or inheritance investigation.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
Math Integration: Statistical analysis and probability through Punnett ratios.
Technology Integration: Potential use of digital fly simulation software.
ELA Integration: Students compose written lab analyses using evidence-based reasoning.
HS-LS3-1: Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.
Connection: Students use simulated crosses to explore how specific mutations are inherited.
HS-LS3-2: Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from new genetic combinations through meiosis, errors during replication, and/or mutations.
Connection: Students analyze simulation data to determine inheritance patterns and defend their conclusions.
HS-LS3-3: Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
Connection: Students use offspring ratios and Punnett squares to calculate probabilities and interpret inheritance outcomes.
Science and Engineering Practices: Analyzing and interpreting data; Constructing explanations; Engaging in argument from evidence.
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and effect; Patterns; Systems and system models.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1 / RST.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of scientific information. (connection: supporting inheritance claims with data from the simulation)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3 / RST.11-12.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments or simulations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7 / RST.11-12.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words with visual data (Punnett squares, offspring ratios).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2 / WHST.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including scientific analyses and conclusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.8 / WHST.11-12.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively. (connection: using research sources for background and works cited sections)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9 / WHST.11-12.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
A student-designed investigation using online fruit fly simulations.
This digital lab investigates inheritance patterns using a virtual fruit fly simulator. Students design and carry out genetic crosses, analyze offspring ratios, and determine whether a trait is dominant, recessive, or follows another inheritance pattern.
Students begin with a short background reading and analysis questions to establish key ideas about genetic crosses. They then select a trait to investigate using a student-directed differentiation system, choosing from structured difficulty levels that vary by trait complexity.
Students proceed through the investigation by:
planning test crosses to answer specific inheritance questions
using an online simulator to perform fruit fly crosses
recording and organizing offspring data in a lab notebook
analyzing results to determine inheritance patterns
writing a lab report using a scaffolded structure with optional prompts
The differentiated trait system allows students to work at varying cognitive levels while pursuing the same core scientific goal: identifying how a trait is inherited based on experimental evidence.
This lab is designed to support:
application of Punnett square and test cross reasoning
interpretation of genetic ratios
experimental design using simulations
structured scientific writing
It functions well as:
a digital genetics investigation
a virtual alternative to physical fruit fly labs
a core applied lab within an inheritance unit
The Google Slides format allows for low-prep implementation while preserving inquiry-based structure and analytical rigor.
To preview this lab, click here.
Grade & Course Recommendation:
Middle School: Enrichment lab for Grade 8 honors life science.
High School:Grade 9–10 Biology, hands-on genetics or inheritance investigation.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
Math Integration: Statistical analysis and probability through Punnett ratios.
Technology Integration: Potential use of digital fly simulation software.
ELA Integration: Students compose written lab analyses using evidence-based reasoning.
HS-LS3-1: Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.
Connection: Students use simulated crosses to explore how specific mutations are inherited.
HS-LS3-2: Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from new genetic combinations through meiosis, errors during replication, and/or mutations.
Connection: Students analyze simulation data to determine inheritance patterns and defend their conclusions.
HS-LS3-3: Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
Connection: Students use offspring ratios and Punnett squares to calculate probabilities and interpret inheritance outcomes.
Science and Engineering Practices: Analyzing and interpreting data; Constructing explanations; Engaging in argument from evidence.
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and effect; Patterns; Systems and system models.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1 / RST.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of scientific information. (connection: supporting inheritance claims with data from the simulation)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3 / RST.11-12.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments or simulations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7 / RST.11-12.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words with visual data (Punnett squares, offspring ratios).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2 / WHST.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including scientific analyses and conclusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.8 / WHST.11-12.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively. (connection: using research sources for background and works cited sections)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9 / WHST.11-12.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
