Simulating Punnett Squares:
In Austria, around 1854, a friar, botanist, and teacher named Johann Gregor Mendel meticulously worked in his garden laboratory for nearly 10 years in hopes of understanding how mathematics could explain variations in species. Based on Mendel’s contribution to science, I created this chosen activity, “Simulating Monohybrid Punnett Squares”.
The overarching concept in this lesson is to create an understanding that mathematics can be a tool for understanding genetics. In order to apply the science and mathematical concepts of STEM, four key components that I feel are fundamental for students to understand in science will be addressed.
One component my students will learn is “calculating” the likelihood of an event taking place, probability. In order for students to answer research questions that involve a sample about some larger population, they need to answer the question, “How likely is it?” by means of a fraction, percentage, or ratio.
The second component students will encounter is “describing” the likelihood of an event taking place, chance. In order for students to reflect on their research, they may also describe their results not statistically, but rather, descriptively by using terms such as more or less to refer to something happening or not happening.
A third component students will address is that past events do not influence future events if the events are independent of each other. With regards to gender determination, for example, just because a couple has a baby boy, does not mean that their next child will be a baby girl. The last component that students will address is why gathering a significant amount of data (sample size) can help support expected results. Limited data collection can result in research that is not scientifically supported.
It is important that students realize that in order to support one’s conclusions, a substantial amount of data is statistically more defensible. Students’ exposure to these key principles can enhance their understanding of genetics found in nature involving everything from inheritance to variation. In addition, essential (enduring) understanding will be achieved by bridging student knowledge to the principal concept.
The overall goal of this activity is to utilize their prior knowledge of science and statistics, thus, providing them an opportunity to explore and make connections between genetics and mathematics. By doing so, they are more likely to retain the information provided to them in classroom discussions.