Genetics of Disease · Hearing reference library
Trace the sound. Read the evidence.
Today's Lesson · Fri 10/16 · Wk8 · 1.3.2 Day 3 and Checkpoint Quiz: Choose the best hearing loss intervention
Open today's complete lesson in Schoology (opens in a new tab)Follow that lesson for required work, your organizer and what to turn in. These references add no new assignment. For quiz dates, follow the in-class paper-quiz directions.
Use the labeled ear drawing and hearing-test explanations alongside your current lesson. A hearing pattern can help locate a problem; it cannot by itself prove a cause or choose a treatment. Practice records are constructed teaching data.
Download the complete ear and hearing study pack (ZIP)- Download How Sound Becomes a Signal: labeled ear plates, tuning fork lab and audiograms (PDF)
Color-coded ear anatomy, the cochlea, hair cells and balance organs, air versus bone conduction, the Rinne and Weber tests with a blocked-ear lab design, and how to read an audiogram.
- Download Illustrated ear and hearing-test guide (PDF)
Follow sound through the ear, compare hearing tests and connect a pattern to the next question.
- Download One-page hearing reference card (PDF)
Keep the test rules, limits and audiogram symbols beside your organizer.
- Download Four simulated practice cases and audiogram grids (PDF)
Optional practice with constructed teaching data, separate from your assigned patient and paper quiz.
- Download 16 hearing-study flashcards (TSV)
Import the two-column text file into a flashcard app, or open it as a table.
- Download Hearing-study podcast script (PDF)
Read or rehearse the two-voice study conversation. This download is a script.
- Download Hearing-study podcast script (plain text)
The same script in a text format.
Study ear examination with the drawings and models. Do not put an instrument into a classmate's ear or use loud sounds to test hearing. Follow your teacher's directions for voluntary partner activities.
Earlier portal reference material (before the class was repaced)
Use the Schoology lesson above for today's required work; this older reference follows an earlier schedule.
Pedigree logic
This page has four parts, in the order you use them. Part 1 is what you need to know. Part 2 says what to do, in plain English. Part 3 shows the work done once on a case that is not yours. Part 4 is your own work and where to turn it in.
Open your materials, follow the steps, then turn in your work.
Use pedigree symbols to track an inherited trait and identify carriers across generations.
Optional: listen or watch a unit review▸
Part 1 of 4 · Background and definitions▸
💡 Big idea: A pedigree is read by testing each inheritance pattern against every parent and child and keeping only the pattern that fits them all; a is someone the pattern forces to hold a hidden even though they show no trait.
- • Pedigree conventions: squares are male, circles are female, filled shapes are affected, a line connects mates.
- • If two unaffected parents produce an affected daughter, the trait is autosomal recessive. An affected son from unaffected parents could fit autosomal recessive or X-linked recessive, so check the affected person's sex and the father's status before you call it.
- • A has one working and one non-working ; they do not show the trait but can pass it on.
Should terminally ill patients be offered medical aid in dying in order to decrease use?
A pedigree is read by testing each inheritance pattern against every parent and child and keeping only the pattern that fits them all; a is someone the pattern forces to hold a hidden even though they show no trait.
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: From the class before the John Carroll debate: Genetic data reveals information about biological relatives who never consented, so who is allowed to read your is never only your own decision.
New idea: A pedigree is read by testing each inheritance pattern against every parent and child and keeping only the pattern that fits them all; a is someone the pattern forces to hold a hidden even though they show no trait.
Visual or model: No figure is attached to this lesson. The readings, the worked example and E1 to E3 carry the evidence.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in pedigree logic.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: Trace possibilities generation by generation, test the inheritance pattern against every supplied relationship, and report risk as a probability rather than a prediction of one person's outcome.
- 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 to E3 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 A, B, and O versions of the blood-group gene.
- • : 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.
- • : A single-nucleotide polymorphism, a one-letter difference in 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. This is thinking practice for the one turn-in named under Turn in, not a second submission.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
Genetic evidence can support an inheritance, , sequence, or expression explanation, but penetrance, regulation, environment, family structure, and test uncertainty can limit the conclusion.
Limit: A classroom , , pedigree, or molecular model does not establish a real person's diagnosis, prognosis, identity, or reproductive outcome.
Trace possibilities generation by generation, test the inheritance pattern against every supplied relationship, and report risk as a probability rather than a prediction of one person's outcome.
Limit: A simplified pedigree can omit penetrance, de novo changes, uncertain relationships, environmental effects, and other information needed for real .
You can build a correct three-generation pedigree.
Limit: E3 defines the classroom product or success criterion. It is not independent scientific evidence and cannot justify a clinical or causal claim.
Today's decision · 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 today's page.
- • Mark the trait dominant, since a child showing the condition means at least one parent had to show it too.
- • Order a test before calling an unaffected relative a , since the drawn symbols leave that person's status undecided.
- • Conclude the trait is recessive, because two unaffected parents can each pass one silent to an affected child.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Use it inside the one turn-in named under Turn in; it is not a separate submission.
Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about pedigree logic. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from pedigree logic supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on today's 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 test.
- • T1: Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
- • T2: Map the family from Activity 2.1.1 in myPLTW across three generations using those symbols. If myPLTW will not open, use this practice family: Generation I, an unaffected couple; Generation II, their unaffected son (married to an unaffected woman) and their unaffected daughter (married to an unaffected man); Generation III, the son has an affected daughter and an unaffected son, and the daughter has two unaffected sons.
- • 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: Genetic evidence can support an inheritance, , sequence, or expression explanation, but penetrance, regulation, environment, family structure, and test uncertainty can limit the conclusion.
- • E2: Trace possibilities generation by generation, test the inheritance pattern against every supplied relationship, and report risk as a probability rather than a prediction of one person's outcome.
- • E3: You can 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.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
Write the cross Aa x aa. The four equally likely outcomes are Aa, Aa, aa and aa. Two of the four carry A and show the trait, so the chance is 2/4 = 1/2, or 50 percent, for each pregnancy on its own; an earlier child does not change the next chance.
Parallel case, not your family: one parent has a dominant trait and is heterozygous (Aa); the other parent does not have it (aa). What is the chance their next child shows the trait, and does an earlier child change it?
A chance is a between 0 and 1, and each pregnancy is a new draw, so the answer is the same for a first child or a fifth. Your family has different parents, so work its own cross from your pedigree; do not copy 1/2.
Write the cross for the parents of the affected person on your pedigree and give the chance for their next child as a and a percent.
Students often think 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.
- 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.
Part 2 of 4 · Directions in plain English▸
2.1 Open your materials
Use the materials named in the first step below. Open lesson resources.
2.2 Start the work
Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
Show all 5 required steps
- Draw the standard pedigree symbols: square, circle, and a line for a mating, and label affected versus unaffected.
- Map the family from Activity 2.1.1 in myPLTW across three generations using those symbols. If myPLTW will not open, use this practice family: Generation I, an unaffected couple; Generation II, their unaffected son (married to an unaffected woman) and their unaffected daughter (married to an unaffected man); Generation III, the son has an affected daughter and an unaffected son, and the daughter has two unaffected sons.
- Decide whether the trait is dominant or recessive and write one line of evidence from the pattern.
- Circle every individual who must be a carrier and explain one of them.
- Submit your pedigree and inheritance call as your daily evidence.
Lost your place? If your symbol key (square, circle, mating line, affected vs. unaffected) is not drawn yet, start there (step 1). If your three-generation map is already drawn, move to circling every forced carrier and explaining one (step 4), then submit.
- 0-8Teach pedigree symbol conventions; practice drawing one mating pair
- 8-25Map the family (Activity 2.1.1, or the practice family in step 2) 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 as one PDF in Schoology
- • 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.
PLTW connection and today's work
Open Activity 2.1.1 Chronicles of a Genetic Counselor in myPLTW and use the case family dataset to build your three-generation pedigree.
Today's stopping point: The debate should be posted; pedigree due today.
PLTW activity titles identify the course connection. If your account will not open, use the posted materials for today and tell Mr. Mendoza. Do not mark an online activity complete unless you completed it.
Course connection
- Activity 2.1.1 Chronicles of a Genetic Counselor
Use the turn-in directions in Part 4 of this page. Do not create a second submission unless your teacher asks for one.
Show another explanation or a smaller first step
Need help? Choose a starting point
Part 3 of 4 · Worked example▸
This is a parallel case, not your own. Read it for the order of the work, then do your own in Part 4.
Parallel family, not your case: Generation I, an affected father and an unaffected mother. Generation II, their affected son, their affected daughter and their unaffected daughter. Generation III, the affected son and his affected wife have an affected son and an unaffected daughter.
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: In this parallel family the trait is autosomal dominant.
Evidence from the pattern: Every affected child has at least one affected parent, and the trait shows up in all three generations, which fits a dominant allele. Generation III rules out recessive, because two affected parents have an unaffected daughter. If the trait were recessive, both parents would be aa, and every child of theirs would be aa and affected. In Generation I an affected father and an unaffected mother have an affected son. A father gives his son a Y chromosome, not an X, so the son's allele came through an autosome. The same father has an unaffected daughter, and an affected father gives his X to every daughter, so the trait is not X-linked dominant either. That makes it autosomal dominant.
Carriers I circled: None. With a dominant trait, anyone who carries the allele shows it, so there is no unaffected carrier to circle. (A real family can break this rule when an allele does not always show, and a pedigree alone cannot tell you that.) Instead I labeled genotypes. The Generation I father must be Aa, not AA, because his unaffected daughter is aa and got one a from him. The same logic makes the affected son and his affected wife both Aa, because their unaffected daughter is aa.
Your family can give a different answer. Test each pattern against every parent and child in your own pedigree before you call it.
| Individual | Symbol | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Gen I father | filled square | affected (Aa) |
| Gen II son | filled square | affected (Aa) |
| Gen II son's wife | filled circle | affected (Aa) |
| Gen II daughter | open circle | unaffected (aa) |
| Gen III son | filled square | affected (AA or Aa) |
| Gen III daughter | open circle | unaffected (aa) |
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 as one PDF to Schoology assignment Wk8 Data table: Pedigree logic.
A family evidence board traces possible combinations through each generation while keeping probability separate from certainty.
- Which inheritance pattern fits the supplied relationships?
- Which genotypes remain possible?
- Does the probability describe one possible outcome or guarantee it?
Trace possibilities generation by generation, test the inheritance pattern against every supplied relationship, and report risk as a probability rather than a prediction of one person's outcome.
A simplified pedigree can omit penetrance, de novo changes, uncertain relationships, environmental effects, and other information needed for real .
- • Family symbols map to the supplied phenotype record.
- • branches map to possible transmissions.
- • The final maps to a conditional probability, not a guaranteed outcome.
Part 4 of 4 · Your work▸
Check your work before submitting
- 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.
4.1 Turn in your work
DueCheck the Schoology assignment for this day- Hand in
- Completed three-generation pedigree with carriers circled, mode of inheritance stated, and one sentence of evidence.
How to submit and name your file
Submit as one PDF in Schoology.
In Schoology, open your course and the assignment for this lesson. Attach your file, select Submit, and check that it appears in the submission.
PDF upload helpYou get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Today's lesson is in Schoology
Each school day has one lesson page in Schoology that holds everything for the day: the goal, the story so far, every table and data value, the numbered steps, and what to turn in. Open it first and work from it. The other rows for this day, if any, are the score line for a paper quiz or test and the John Carroll debate item; they do not add work. Check Schoology for each deadline.
- Today's Lesson · Fri 10/16 · Wk8 · 1.3.2 Day 3 and Checkpoint Quiz: Choose the best hearing loss intervention(today's lesson page: the goal, the data, the steps, and what to turn in are all on it)
Link will not open? Open Schoology, choose your course and section, and find the title shown above.
- 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.
- SubmittedGo to Schoology to turn this in. Submit one PDF. Schoology attaches your name to your upload; on the page itself, write your period and code. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf. If you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
How this lesson connects
Keep using what you learned last class: Should terminally ill patients be offered medical aid in dying in order to decrease antibiotic use? Today: A pedigree is read by testing each inheritance pattern against every parent and child and keeping only the pattern that fits them all; a carrier is someone the pattern forces to hold a hidden allele even though they show no trait.
Practice: try a question, then check your answer▸
Claim ceiling for this check: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about pedigree logic. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
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.
Missed class or ready for more?▸
Optional practice for this unit's lab skills. Nothing in it is due today.
Next class, the and PTC case moves from a family tree to single letters of . Before then, review what a single-nucleotide polymorphism is: a one-letter change in the that can determine . Keep your pedigree saved; the idea comes back when you predict carrier status from genotype data.
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.
Go to Schoology to turn this in. Submit one PDF. Schoology attaches your name to your upload; on the page itself, write your period and code. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf. If you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
Class still runs. Complete today's work as this page describes (it is self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
MedlinePlus: What is genetic testing?Sources: slides, readings, and resources▸
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.
Play the cold open at the start of the unit to set the scene. Each recording is AI-generated and simulated (fictional callers, no real people or student data).
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.
Use this as the classroom resource for Genetic testing, PTC, pedigree, SNPs.
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Sign in to Clever with your district Microsoft account to open Schoology or myPLTW. Follow today's posted steps. If myPLTW will not open, use the posted alternative and tell Mr. Mendoza. Turn in your completed work through the Schoology assignment.
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