Pedigree logic
Safety gate · before any work
- Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
- Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
Do now
Use pedigree symbols to track an inherited trait and identify carriers across generations.
- Hand in
- Completed three-generation pedigree with carriers circled, mode of inheritance stated, and one sentence of evidence.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
In this three-generation family, two parents who show no sign of the condition have a child who is affected. What does that single fact force you to conclude about how the trait is inherited?
Use pedigree symbols to track an inherited trait and identify carriers across generations.
- • You'll be able to build a correct three-generation pedigree.
- • You'll be able to identify carriers and the mode of inheritance from the pattern.
- Draw the symbol for a male and the symbol for a female, and show how you would mark one of them as affected.
- Two unaffected parents have an affected child. Was the trait more likely passed silently or shown openly by a parent?
- 1Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
- 2Map the family in the shell dataset across three generations using those symbols.
- 3Decide whether the trait is dominant or recessive and write one line of evidence from the pattern.
- 4Circle every individual who must be a and explain one of them.
- 5Submit your pedigree and inheritance call as your daily evidence.
What did this day actually feel like?
Pedigree logic
Reading a family tree for inheritance pattern. Dominant, recessive, sex-linked, each with a signature shape once you know what to look for.
Recessive skipping generations is the one that finally made pedigrees make sense to me.
Turned in: data table → Data Tables folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
Reading a family tree for inheritance pattern. Dominant, recessive, sex-linked, each with a signature shape once you know what to look for.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Lab day: Tier 1 is the whole class at the bench. No extension today.
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: Two unaffected parents can each carry a silent recessive , so an affected child appearing from healthy parents is proof the trait is recessive, not a break in the family tree.
- 0-8Teach pedigree symbol conventions; practice drawing one mating pair
- 8-25Map the case family from dataset across three generations
- 25-40Determine dominant vs. recessive from pattern; write evidence sentence
- 40-55Circle all obligate carriers; write one-sentence explanation for one
- 55-70Partner check: verify each other's pedigrees for symbol errors
- 70-80Submit pedigree and inheritance call to the class site
- • Hook: Show a three-generation family photo and ask: can you tell from a photo who carries a hidden gene?
- • Why it matters: Genetic counselors read pedigrees to estimate the risk a client's future children will be affected.
- • Today's work: You will build and read a pedigree to make exactly that kind of call.
- • Exit goal: Completed three-generation pedigree with carriers circled and inheritance mode stated.
- • Pedigree conventions: squares are male, circles are female, filled shapes are affected, a line connects mates.
- • If two unaffected parents produce an affected child, the trait is autosomal recessive.
- • A has one working and one non-working ; they do not show the trait but can pass it on.
Inheritance review, pedigree logic, SNPs, genetic counseling, and the MP1 data inflection. · Pedigree logic
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Activity 2.1.1 Chronicles of a in myPLTW and use the case family dataset to build your three-generation pedigree.
Mark the pedigree activity complete after your diagram and inheritance call are submitted.
Monday debate should be posted; pedigree due today.
Three-generation pedigree with carriers circled and inheritance mode stated, submitted on the class site.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Inheritance review, pedigree logic, SNPs, genetic counseling, and the MP1 data inflection. · Pedigree logic
Open Activity 2.1.1 Chronicles of a in myPLTW and use the case family dataset to build your three-generation pedigree.
Monday debate should be posted; pedigree due today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Use pedigree symbols to track an inherited trait and identify carriers across generations.
- Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
- Map the family in the shell dataset across three generations using those symbols.
- Decide whether the trait is dominant or recessive and write one line of evidence from the pattern.
- Circle every individual who must be a and explain one of them.
- Submit your pedigree and inheritance call as your daily evidence.
Data table: Completed three-generation pedigree with carriers circled, mode of inheritance stated, and one sentence of evidence.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected. | _______ |
| Map the family in the shell dataset across three generations using those symbols. | _______ |
| Decide whether the trait is dominant or recessive and write one line of evidence from the pattern. | _______ |
| Circle every individual who must be a and explain one of them. | _______ |
| Submit your pedigree and inheritance call as your daily evidence. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You'll be able to build a correct three-generation pedigree.
- You'll be able to identify carriers and the mode of inheritance from the pattern.
- 1Do thisUse pedigree symbols to track an inherited trait and identify carriers across generations.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisData table: Completed three-generation pedigree with carriers circled, mode of inheritance stated, and one sentence of evidence.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions) › Inheritance review, pedigree logic, SNPs, genetic counseling, and the MP1 data inflection. › Data tableOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Genetic data reveals information about biological relatives who never consented, so who is allowed to read your DNA is never only your own decision.
Two unaffected parents can each carry a silent recessive , so an affected child appearing from healthy parents is proof the trait is recessive, not a break in the family tree.
An airport checkpoint uses several imperfect checks before deciding what action to take.
- What can each check detect?
- What might create a false alarm?
- Why is one result not always enough?
A decision is stronger when the test fits the question and its limits are known.
Medical decisions also depend on biology, patient context, ethics, and professional judgment.
- • Checkpoint evidence maps to E1-E3.
- • False alarms map to test limitations.
- • The response maps to the justified next intervention or test.
Driving question: In this three-generation family, two parents who show no sign of the condition have a child who is affected. What does that single fact force you to conclude about how the trait is inherited?
What you already know: Genetic data reveals information about biological relatives who never consented, so who is allowed to read your DNA is never only your own decision.
New idea: Two unaffected parents can each carry a silent recessive , so an affected child appearing from healthy parents is proof the trait is recessive, not a break in the family tree.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Pedigree logic. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Pedigree logic.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: A decision is stronger when the test fits the question and its limits are known.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: In this three-generation family, two parents who show no sign of the condition have a child who is affected. What does that single fact force you to conclude about how the trait is inherited?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : One of the alternative versions of a gene found at the same spot on a , like the blue or brown options for eye color.
- • : The specific set of gene versions an individual carries, which works with the environment to shape observable traits.
- • phenotype: The observable traits of an organism, such as appearance or function, that result from its combined with environmental influences.
- • pedigree: A family tree drawn with standard symbols (squares for males, circles for females, filled for affected) so any geneticist can read a family at a glance.
- • SNP: A single-nucleotide polymorphism, a one-letter difference in DNA at a specific spot that varies between people.
- • : A person who carries one copy of a disease without showing symptoms but can pass it to their children.
- • : A guided conversation with a trained specialist who explains inherited disease risks, test options, and choices to help a family make informed decisions.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
Pedigree conventions: squares are male, circles are female, filled shapes are affected, a line connects mates.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
Two unaffected parents can each carry a silent recessive , so an affected child appearing from healthy parents is proof the trait is recessive, not a break in the family tree.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
You'll be able to build a correct three-generation pedigree.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-GEND-2026-10-13 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: medical interventions team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Pedigree logic supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on the lesson page.
- • Select the option best supported by E1-E3.
- • Select a reasonable alternative and name the evidence it would require.
- • Delay the claim because the evidence does not distinguish the options.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the labeled and result claim.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Pedigree logic. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from Pedigree logic supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on the lesson page.
Context: A pedigree turns a family's story into a testable pattern, because the way a trait appears and skips across generations is enough to tell you whether an is dominant or recessive without ever running a DNA test.
- • T1: Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
- • T2: Map the family in the shell dataset across three generations using those symbols.
- • T3: Decide whether the trait is dominant or recessive and write one line of evidence from the pattern.
- • T4: Circle every individual who must be a and explain one of them.
- • T5: Submit your pedigree and inheritance call as your daily evidence.
- • E1: Pedigree conventions: squares are male, circles are female, filled shapes are affected, a line connects mates.
- • E2: Two unaffected parents can each carry a silent recessive , so an affected child appearing from healthy parents is proof the trait is recessive, not a break in the family tree.
- • E3: You'll be able to build a correct three-generation pedigree.
Measurements: Use only the measurements, units, graph, or counts supplied in today's task. No additional patient measurement is implied.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for Pedigree logic. Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
Mean = sum of values / number of values. Median = middle ordered value. Range = maximum - minimum.
For 2, 4, 4, and 10: mean = 20 / 4 = 5, median = 4, and range = 10 - 2 = 8.
Mean, median, and range keep the measurement unit. Order the values before finding the median.
Calculate the requested summary for today's supplied values, then write what it reveals and what it hides.
Students often think Students think that if a child shows a trait, at least one parent must also show that trait, because they picture traits as always visible when present.. The trap: Two unaffected parents can carry one hidden recessive each and pass both to a child. The trait was there the whole time, just silent. Assuming an affected child needs an affected parent will make you call recessive patterns 'dominant' and misread the whole pedigree.
I drew the family using standard symbols: squares for males, circles for females, filled-in shapes for affected individuals, and a horizontal line for each mating.
Mode of inheritance: This trait is autosomal recessive.
Evidence from the pattern: In Generation II, two unaffected parents produced an affected daughter. Two unaffected parents can only have an affected child if both are carriers of a recessive allele, so the trait must be recessive (not dominant), and it appears in both sexes, so it is autosomal, not X-linked.
Carriers I circled: Both Generation II parents must be carriers, because each had to pass one recessive allele to their affected child while showing no trait themselves. I circled both. I can explain the father: he is unaffected, so he has at least one working allele, but his affected child received a non-working allele from him, so he must carry one of each.
| Individual | Symbol | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Gen I male | square | unaffected |
| Gen II father | square | carrier (circled) |
| Gen II mother | circle | carrier (circled) |
| Gen III daughter | filled circle | affected |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Completes the pedigree analysis: a correctly drawn three-generation pedigree with carriers circled, the mode of inheritance stated, and one sentence of evidence from the pattern.
- Name the variables and include units.
- Enter observations without changing the raw values.
- Check labels, calculations, and patterns before interpreting the data.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit your pedigree and inheritance call to the class site.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Pedigree logic. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Use this after the required lesson work when you are ready for a harder application or a deeper connection.
Placement rationale
Matched Genetic testing, PTC, pedigree, SNPs by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes/2.1_Genetic-Testing-and-Screening; keywords:genetic testing, screening, ptc. Score 150. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this as the classroom resource for Genetic testing, PTC, pedigree, SNPs.
Placement rationale
Matched Genetic testing, PTC, pedigree, SNPs by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes/2.1_Genetic-Testing-and-Screening; keywords:genetic testing, screening, snp. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Genetic testing, PTC, pedigree, SNPs by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes/2.1_Genetic-Testing-and-Screening; keywords:genetic testing, screening. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Pedigree logic. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
In a pedigree, an unaffected mother and an unaffected father have a daughter who is affected. Is the trait dominant or recessive, and what must be true about each parent's genotype?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
Wednesday's SNP case uses the same family pedigree you built today. Before then, review what a single-nucleotide polymorphism is: a one-letter change in the DNA sequence that can determine genotype. Make sure your pedigree is saved and accessible.
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
- • Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
- 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
- 2Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
- 3Map the family in the shell dataset across three generations using those symbols.
- 4Decide whether the trait is dominant or recessive and write one line of evidence from the pattern.
- 5Circle every individual who must be a carrier and explain one of them.
- 6Submit your pedigree and inheritance call as your daily evidence.
- 7Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
- 8Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
| Trial or sample ID | Independent condition | Measured result with units | Observation before interpretation | Quality-control note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.
After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today is individual work you can do from home: complete the same target above, then submit your Data table.
Open the drop folderTurn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
MedlinePlus: What is genetic testing?- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.
- Error analysis and method · counts doubleName a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.