This resource was created by Whittney Carnahan, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

The genes present in the DNA of a chromosome help to explain the genotypic and phenotypic differences seen in organisms of the same species i.e. Fugate Family. The genes code for specific proteins and these proteins can be varied during meiosis when parents (½ from each parent) are passing their genetic information to their offspring. This passing of genetic information can be predicted and traced through many generations, due to the principles of Mendelian Genetics, and can be useful when determining the starting point of a phenotype. The environment a particular species inhabits may help to explain why some genes become favorable, as small isolated populations often have connections to inbreeding (incest).

Three-minute video phenomena for the Kentucky Blue people. A great introduction to the passing of traits via sexual reproduction including Punnett squares and dominant and recessive traits.

This resource was created by Shannon Dmoski, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

In this middle school life sciences unit, students investigate how sensory systems play a role in behavior of plants and animals. Students first solve the mystery of why kudos are dying unexpectedly in the Limpopo Savana. They then expand their investigations to look into how plants communicate or adapt to meet there survival needs. The model they continue to develop helps students understand the function of many structures in plants and how those structures helps the plants survive and reproduce. The end of the unit naturally motivates a new question to pursue in future units, “How do sensory systems play a role in the behavior of animals?"

In this middle school life sciences unit, students investigate how sensory systems play a role in behavior of plants and animals. Students first solve the mystery of why kudos are dying unexpectedly in the Limpopo Savana. They then expand their investigations to look into how plants communicate or adapt to meet there survival needs. The model they continue to develop helps students understand the function of many structures in plants and how those structures helps the plants survive and reproduce. The end of the unit naturally motivates a new question to pursue in future units, “How do sensory systems play a role in the behavior of animals?"