Downloadable (1 PDF & 1 PPTX) 

Ideal for grade 8, in this lesson students will develop an understanding of the origins of genes, gene mutation and how these mutations may affect organisms in a positive, negative or neutral way. Students will explore this concept by creating and using various mutations which may help or hinder their performance in a candy grabbing game. The mutations set by the students will alter how easy it is to grab candies from a table. 

After completing this interactive lesson, students will:

• Understand how genes are carried through chromosomes to determine the structure of proteins
• Define genetic mutations as variations in the genetic information which happen as the information is passed from a parent organism to its offspring
• Be able to understand that mutations can have positive, negative o neutral effects on the offspring

Resources included:

• Lesson plan
• PowerPoint slides on gene mutation

Additional resources required:

• Small bag of candies (10-15 pcs) for each group of 6
• General office supplies that students can use to make mutations- tape, paper, paper clips, etc.
• Dice for each group of 6
• Plastic cup for each student