AP Biology - Genetics and Heredity: Homeschool Curriculum - Videos & Lessons

About This Chapter

The genetics and heredity unit of this AP Biology Homeschool course is designed to help homeschooled students learn about Mendel's genetic laws and heredity. Parents can use the short videos to introduce topics, break up lessons and keep students engaged.

Who's it for?

This unit of our AP Biology Homeschool course will benefit any student who is trying to learn about Mendelian genetics and heredity concepts. There is no faster or easier way to learn about genetics and heredity. Among those who would benefit are:

Students who require an efficient, self-paced course of study to learn about Mendel's laws, alleles, sex linked traits and model organism research.
Homeschool parents looking to spend less time preparing lessons and more time teaching.
Homeschool parents who need a biology curriculum that appeals to multiple learning types (visual or auditory).
Gifted students and students with learning differences.

How it works:

Students watch a short, fun video lesson that covers a specific unit topic.
Students and parents can refer to the video transcripts to reinforce learning.
Short quizzes and a genetics and heredity unit exam confirm understanding or identify any topics that require review.

Genetics and Heredity Unit Objectives:

Distinguish between genotype and phenotype.
Discover what alleles are and identify their properties.
Understand Mendel's law of segregation.
Use Punnett squares to determine genotypes and phenotypes.
Understand the concepts involved in Mendel's law of independent assortment.
Learn how codominance and incomplete dominance are exceptions to simple dominance.
Examine how sex linked and sex limited traits are exceptions to independent assortment.
Explore how crossover events can affect chromosomal linkage.
Discover the purpose of model organisms in studying human genetics and disease.

10 Lessons in Chapter 14: AP Biology - Genetics and Heredity: Homeschool Curriculum

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1. Genetics: Heredity, Traits & Chromosomes

We view manipulation of genes in our crops and livestock as a recent development. Yet, man has been manipulating the genetic makeup of his food for thousands of years through cultivation and breeding. This lesson will begin to help you understand how genetics works.

2. Properties of Alleles

What is a dominant phenotype and how will it affect Adrian's flying hamster research? Tune in as he studies homozygous and heterozygous genotypes and the phenotypes they produce.

3. Mendel's First Law: The Law of Segregation

Breaking up is a hard thing to do, but homologous chromosomes always go their separate way. What effect does chromosome segregation have on genetics? We look once more to Adrian's flying hamsters for answers.

4. Application of Mendel's First Law

Hollywood Squares? No, it's Punnett Squares! Those wacky diagrams are a geneticist's best friend. See how they turn geneticists into soothsayers, predicting the genotypic and phenotypic future.

5. Mendel's Second Law: The Law of Independent Assortment

Understanding how Mendel's law of independent assortment describes inheritance of genes is as easy as flipping a coin. Grab a few coins, cue up the video and see how.

6. Mendel's Dihybrid Cross Example: Practice & Ratio

Oh no! Twice the genes and sixteen genotypes - a dihybrid cross seems overwhelming to understand. Never fear though, Punnett squares will save the day!

7. Exceptions to Simple Dominance: Codominance and Incomplete Dominance

Have you ever wondered what it means if someone is a universal donor or acceptor of blood? See how genetic interactions play a key role in this trait.

8. Exceptions to Independent Assortment: Sex-Linked and Sex-Limited Traits

More men are color blind compared women. But often, not every brother, cousin or uncle in a family tree is color blind. Why not? How can genetics explain this seemingly complex inheritance pattern?

9. Crossing Over & Gene Linkage: Definition, Importance & Results

During this latest development of his flying hamster experiments, Adrian must learn about linked genes and recombinant chromosomes to unlock the mystery of the fire-breathing hamster. In this lesson, you'll look at another exception to Mendel's law of independent assortment.

10. Human Genetics: Multifactorial Traits & Model Organisms

How do we study human genetics when most traits arise from multiple genes? It's certainly more complicated that drawing a simple Punnett square. Never fear, for model organisms are here!

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