Diving into Genetics with Amy Brown Science - Eva Varga

As a science educator, I have always relied on my own experience and the wealth of material that I have collected over the years to develop our homeschool science curriculum. I have also allowed the interests of my children to drive our studies, ensuring that we also cover a variety of topics.

Months ago, when we were in the midst of our Human Anatomy unit with our STEM Club, I realized that I needed to go more in-depth, specifically for my daughter. I hadn’t taught high school level science, however, so I was a little apprehensive. Would I be able to find labs that would be both challenging and adaptable for the homeschool setting?

As I began my research, I was delighted to discover a great resource for teaching middle school and high school biology, Amy Brown Science. As I browsed her website and the products available at her Teachers Pay Teachers store, I was immediately drawn to her Genetics Complete Bundle Unit and am delighted to share with you how we’ve begun to use it in our homeschool.

Genetics Unit Bundle

Though my son is a few years younger than my daughter, I generally teach them both simultaneously. I thereby began our study by reading aloud, Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas. While this is a picture book, I have found that everyone enjoys listening to quality literature and it was a great way to spark interest in the new unit. I then followed up with Amy’s Genetics Warm-ups to review the material that was covered in the book.

Note: The warm-ups are a separate item in Amy’s TpT store and are not part of the Genetics Complete Bundle. However, they are the perfect tool for review and reinforcement.

Together, we viewed the PowerPoint and took notes along the way. My daughter and I have now begun to progress slowly through the material in the bundle. There is really so very much – it will take us a while to complete everything. I am impressed with the quality of the material – the lessons are laid out very clearly and each warm-up includes a teacher’s answer key.

My favorite component are the labs: Simple DNA Extraction, Effect of Environment on Gene Expression, and The Hardy Weinberg Equation. While each is available individually, the fact that they are bundled not only saves me time but puts everything into context.

Amy does an excellent job of describing the lab procedures in a way that students can easily follow along. She also provides tips for the teacher in regards to set-up and preparation.

The genetics unit focuses almost entirely on Mendelian genetics and on genetics topics that arose after Mendel’s death. The materials do include some discussion of Darwin and natural selection.

The Genetics Complete Unit Plan Bundle contains at least 3 weeks of materials depending on how many lab activities you want to do. This unit has everything that a teacher needs to teach a unit on genetics to Biology or life science students in grades 8-12.

The bundle includes:

• A 61 Slide PowerPoint
• Teacher Notes
• Student Notes
• 3 Labs
• A Jeopardy-style game to review concepts
• 5 Quizzes
• 7 Genetics Practice Problem Worksheets
• A Crossword Puzzle
• A Unit Test

Wow! All that for a bundled price of just $25.99! This is a savings of 39% off the price if you were to purchase the items individually.