Detective The mystery of Joe's Father another detective

Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Credits

Teacher Page














Introduction

  • You are a detective, working for the world famous CIA -Charlie's Investigation Agency that is.

  • The boss (Charley) introduces you to a new client, Joe.

  • Joe tells you that he has come to your agency to help him to find the answer to a question that has been of concern to him for as long as he can remember.

                 "Who is my father?"

    Here is  JOE  To read notes on Joe, click on his picture          


The Task

To collect and examine evidence that will allow you to find some "candidates" who could be Joe's father, then use knowledge of simple genetics to confirm which one actually is his dad.



The Process

  1. You will first need to be in a group of four people to divide up the workload.

  2. Each member must choose one pair of words from the list below, study at least two resources (books or websites) then write down definitions of their two words. 


      3. Allele and gene

      Dominant and recessive (be sure to note the use of small and capital letter symbols).

      Genotype and phenotype

      Homozygous and heterozygous

    Resources:  Your Science Textbook (if it has a section on genetics).

  3. Next you get back to your group and discuss your findings. Each member explains their words to the others until all members understand all of the words.

  4. Now, either as a group, pairs or individually, you need to use the resources below to learn about some simple human genetic traits. The first website is best but it may pay to look at others.

    5. Text book (if it has this information. NOTE MacMillan's Sci World 10 has an error. On page 273 it states that the gene for attached earlobes is dominant. Wrong! The gene for free lobes is dominant)

    What are your traits? (This the best site, but note- the page on this site is wider than the screen)

    Bio 114 Human Genetics

    Pedigree analysis project

    Some Human Genetic Traits

  5. We should now look at some old photographs that Joe found and brought along.

  6. Those photos gave us another lead to follow. Let's interview the Finklesteins.

  7. Leslie was contacted and agreed to an interview.

  8. Father Thomas Garcia might be worth chatting to.

  9. How about a trip to the seedy side of town under the bridge to see Dick?

  10. Honest Harry the car salesman is also a must to talk to.

  11. So who is it? Any ideas? Maybe its time we we started to use some science. With a bit of luck we can use genetics to eliminate two of the "suspects" and leave us with Joe's real father. We need to learn how to make a genetic profile.

  12. Next, each member of your group chooses one of the four individuals we need to study, and makes a genetic profile based on those 6 traits. Links below will take you to the pages where their pictures can be found.

    The individuals are: Joe,    Thomas,    Harrison,     Richard.

    You can rule up your own table of traits, or open this word document which can be printed off (with your teacher's permission if applicable). 

  13. Once everyone has completed their individual genetic profiles put them all together on a grid which shows all of the genotypes side by side, like this one. Once the genotypes are entered, you can compare them to see if any of the men can be eliminated as a possible father of Joe. 

  14. Write a brief report for Joe, telling him who his father is, giving the genetic evidence.

Evaluation
Not Achieved Achieved
Definitions Definitions incomplete, inadequate or inaccurate All 8 words defined adequately and accurately
Genetic profiles Profiles incomplete, inadequate or inaccurate  All 4 profiles complete and accurate
Group profiles grid Group profile grid incomplete, inadequate or inaccurate Group profile grid complete and accurate

Achieved with Merit:
All three criteria achieved, plus the correct candidate for Joe's father is identified.

Achieved with Excellence:
All three criteria achieved, plus the correct candidate for Joe's father is identified,  plus  a  clear written explanation for the conclusion is given in a report for Joe.

Conclusion   
If you have completed this WebQuest successfully you will have learned some essential vocabulary and concepts central to the study of genetics.

Credits & References
The animated graphics used in the heading were retrieved from Microsoft Clip art Online.
All other illustrations were produced by the author, Rick Wood.
The mouseover java code for the graphics which change (Joe on this page and Yasmina on the genetics profile page) was adapted from that used by Flamingtext.com.
The WebQuest format was based on a template from The WebQuest Page at San Diego State University
The textbook referred to above is:
Stannard P., Williamson K & Hook P. (1999) Science World 10 for the New Zealand Curriculum. Pp. 261 – 279.  Auckland N.Z. MacMillan
 
Genetrix4u Site    Author: R. Wood   contact email.                                       Last updated 30/10/05                                                        Return to top


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