Genetics Inheritance Practice Using Birth Certificates & Patient History Forms.

Bring your genetics unit to life with this engaging, hands-on culminating activity that challenges students to think like real geneticists. Instead of passively filling in a chart, your students will create and label a pedigree from scratch—piecing together family history through “official” documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses, and medical records.

As they investigate, students will apply and reinforce key skills, including:

• Determining and representing family relationships

• Identifying inheritance patterns

• Inferring genotypes from given information

• Making accurate predictions based on genetic evidence

🧬 Built-in Differentiation:
Two levels of scaffolding are included to meet the needs of all learners:

• A completely blank pedigree chart for maximum challenge

• A version with relationship lines drawn in for students who need a bit more structure

Teachers can mix and match depending on class needs, making this activity flexible and accessible.

⏱️ Quick & Effective:
Perfect for a review day, this activity takes about 20–30 minutes to complete, leaving room for discussion, extension, or additional review. An answer key is included to save you time and make grading a breeze.

💡 Bonus: Students love the “detective” feel of this activity—it’s interactive, meaningful, and the perfect way to end your introduction to genetics unit with a bang!

Grade Recommendation

⭐ Primary:

Grades 7–10 (Middle School Life Science + Intro High School Biology)

Why:

• Requires interpreting “real-world” documents (birth certs, marriage certs, patient intake forms) such as those on pages 1–10 of the certificates file
  (birth and marriage certificates, and the detailed medical history form)

• Matches the developmental level where students can begin deducing genotypes from phenotypes.

• Excellent reinforcement activity after first learning how to read pedigree charts.

⭐ Secondary:

• 11th–12th grade as a warm-up, quick formative assessment, or early-year review.

Cross-Curricular Connections & Extensions

ELA

• Extracting information from multi-step documents (patient form, birth certificates).

• Summarizing family relationships in writing.

• Creating a short “case summary” explaining the genetic pattern.

Social Studies

• Understanding civil documentation (birth, marriage, death certificates).

• Can spark discussion on how record-keeping affects genealogy research.

Math

• Logical reasoning

• Deductive elimination of genotypes

• Modeling relationships

Extensions

• Add a second genetic disorder (co-dominance or sex-linked).

• Have students write a genetic counseling summary.

• Students create their own fictional family documents for peers to decode.

• Introduce codominant traits (e.g., blood type) for an added challenge.

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NGSS Standards (with CCCs & SEPs)

NGSS Middle School (Primary Alignment)

MS-LS3-1
Develop and use models to describe why structural changes in genes (mutations) may affect proteins and traits.
➡ Students infer genotypes from phenotypes (e.g., albinism mentioned in intake form on page 1 Patient history form).

MS-LS3-2
Use evidence to support explanations for how traits are inherited.
➡ Students justify inheritance patterns when constructing the pedigree.

NGSS High School (Secondary Alignment)

(If used in HS Biology)

HS-LS3-1
Ask questions to clarify the role of DNA in genetics inheritance.

HS-LS3-3
Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain variation and distribution of expressed traits.

Science & Engineering Practices (SEPs)

• Analyzing & Interpreting Data: extracting relationships from documents.

• Developing & Using Models: building the pedigree diagram.

• Constructing Explanations: explaining inheritance pattern.

• Engaging in Argument from Evidence: defending genotype assignments.

Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)

• Patterns: patterns of inheritance across generations.

• Cause & Effect: genotype determines phenotype.

• Structure & Function: relationships among family members determine trait distribution.

• Systems & System Models: the pedigree diagram functions as a model of genetic transmission.

Common Core Standards (ELA + Math)

ELA (Major Alignment)

• RST.6-8.1 / RST.9-10.1: Cite evidence from documents to support conclusions.

• RST.6-8.7 / RST.9-10.7: Integrate information from charts and documents (certificates + patient form).

• WHST.6-8.2 & WHST.9-10.2: Write explanatory texts summarizing genetic relationships (optional extension).

• WHST.6-8.9: Draw evidence from informational texts.

Math (Light Alignment)

• 7.SP & 8.SP: Reasoning about patterns and relationships.

• Logical deduction and modeling support CCSS Mathematical Practice Standards (MP.2, MP.4).