QUALITY PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT PLAN Task Title: Toothpick Fish Inquiry Task Course/Subject Area: Biology, Genetics Grade Level: 10th Abstract/Summary: The purpose of this activity is to experiment with genes in an environment for a population of “Toothpick Fish,” explaining the relationships between genes, traits, variation, survival, and reproduction. The activity is a simulation, but it models the way fish and other organisms live in nature. Time Needed to Complete Task: One and a half 90 minute blocks or three 45 minute class sessions. Sources Used: Adapted from Toothpick Fish (April, 2001)-A Middle School Activity for Teaching Genetics and Environmental Science. Developed by: Megan Brown and Maureen Munn, The GENETICS Project. The GENETICS Project University of Washington http://chroma.gs.washington.edu/outreach/genetics/download/toothpickfish.pdf Modified by: Rita Ciambra, Valerie Cunha, John Duplinsky, Marilyn Shepardson, and Michelle Webber; Science Department, Spaulding High School, Rochester, NH.
ALIGN: Instructional Goals
New Hampshire Competencies
Nature of Science: Students will demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and individually to generate testable questions or define problems, plan and conduct investigations using a variety of research methods in various settings, analyze and interpret data, reason with evidence to construct explanations in light of existing theory and previous research, and effectively communicate the research processes and conclusions. Cause and Effect: Students will demonstrate the ability to investigate, explain, and evaluate potential causal relationships by using evidence to support claims and predictions about the mechanisms that drive those relationships.
New Hampshire Work Study Practices
Communication: I can use various media to interpret, question, and express knowledge, information, ideas, feelings, and reasoning to create mutual understanding.
Standards and goals may vary by school, however these learning expectations are likely common amongst most educators: • NGSS
o HS-LS3-3 § Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation
and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
• Communication: Students will communicate effectively through reading critically, and writing and speaking effectively.
• Creative and Critical Thinking: Students will organize, analyze and synthesize information to create, apply and assess solutions.
Depth of Knowledge Alignment
• DOK 1: Students will recall prior knowledge of genetic variation and biodiversity • DOK 2: Students will collect data, construct a graph, identify patterns of alleles,
genotypes, and phenotypes, and make predictions of genetic outcomes. • DOK 3: Students will generate and revise hypotheses, cite evidence from the
performance task, and use their conclusions to analyze a real world situation.
Essential Question(s) or Key Concept(s) to Guide Learning and Inquiry • Essential Question: How can factors within an ecosystem effect changes in the
population and genetic biodiversity of the Toothpick Fish species? • Connection to Understanding of Curriculum Unit: Students must have a
working knowledge of genetics and be able to use data provided to generate a hypothesis and genetic outcomes. Students will be able to collect and analyze data to support or refute their predictions.
Students will know (content) . . . Students will be able to (skills). . .
• Mendelian Genetics o Allele Frequency o Genotypes, Phenotypes o Rules of Dominance
• Genetic Diversity • Biodiversity within an Ecosystem • Data Collection Methods • Graphing Skills • Data Analysis Skills
• Make inferences and generate a working hypothesis
• Create Monohybrid Cross Punnett Squares
• Collect, record, and analyze data • Construct a complete line graph
including axes labels, a key, and graph title
• Hypothesis revision• Application of data analysis to
alternate situations and real world instance.
DESIGN: Performance Task and Evidence
Common performance task summary
• Students will generate a hypothesis based up given information. • Students will collect and analyze data throughout the performance assessment. • Students will utilize prior understanding of Mendelian Genetics to predict genetic
outcomes of potential breeding crosses of fish. • Students will create a complete graph including title, key, and axes labels. • Students will interpret collected data and apply conclusions to a real world instance.
Key criteria for performance assessment
• Student can accurately analyze and interpret data to apply evidence of genetic outcomes to real world examples and compare genetic outcomes with initial hypothesis to effectively revise hypothesis.
• Student can utilize words, tables, and graphs to communicate clear, evidence-based conclusions directly connected to the hypotheses.
• Student can analyze and demonstrate a causal relationship of environmental disasters and predict changes to genetic outcomes.
• Student can utilize various scientific methods to interpret and analyze data, convey genetic information, and predict causal relationships.
What will teachers do in terms of instruction, curriculum and assessment to support the learning of SPED/ELL/other students in class?
Resources/Texts/Scaffolding Materials
What’s included here depends on the task assignment. It is recommended that a variety of resources are provided that allow students to make choices to access the information needed to complete the assignment.
• Provide additional time • Assistive technology • Break down instructions/procedures
into smaller sections • Use of graphic organizers to aid in
construction of response • Provide additional background
information
• Computer/iPad • Graphic organizer • Notebook/scrap paper
Teacher Guide
Pre-requisites and Placement in the Curriculum
• This performance task should take place following your unit on Mendelian Genetics and Punnett Squares.
• Prior to this task, students should have knowledge regarding biodiversity and ecosystem change.
• Prior to this task, students should have practiced the following Nature of Science skills:
o Data collection and analysis o Graphing o Applying knowledge and conclusions to alternative situations
Possible Formative Assessments
• Responses orally in class • Formative work during unit
o Punnett squares worksheets and practice, observations • Performance during genetics/Punnett squares lab activity • Repeated questions on the same material from multiple students would be cause to
o Instruction on graphing data and data analysis • Time
o Allow 2-3 45 minutes classes or 1 & ½ 90 minute blocks § 45-90 minutes for procedure and data collection § 45 minutes for data analysis and drawing conclusions
• Materials o Brown paper bag (gene pool container) o 8 green toothpicks o 8 red toothpicks o 8 yellow toothpicks o 4 Colored pencils or markers (green, red, orange, yellow) o Writing utensil and ruler
Teaching/Learning Plan
To be completed by individual teacher, as learning plan may vary by teacher
The lesson plan is written as an outline that other teachers could understand and/or apply in their respective classroom (s). This generally outlines the scope and sequence of the lesson plans within the unit.
It is recommended that the following are included:
• The lesson plan includes how the goals will be addressed (what students know and can do)
• The different steps and the specific instructions that correspond with each step of the process
Task: This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Toothpick Fish
An Inquiry Task in Genetics
New Hampshire State Science Competencies:
New Hampshire Work Study Practices: Communication I can use various media to interpret, question, and express knowledge, information, ideas, feelings,
and reasoning to create mutual understanding.
Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to experiment with genes in an environment for a population of “toothpick” fish, explaining the relationships between genes, traits, variation, survival, and reproduction. The activity is a simulation, but it models the way fish and other organisms live in nature. A word bank is available on the last page of this task for reference.
Materials:
• Brown paper bag (gene pool container) • 8 green toothpicks • 8 red toothpicks • 8 yellow toothpicks • 4 Colored pencils or markers (green, red, orange, yellow) • Writing utensil and ruler
There are three parts to this task:
Nature of Science
Students will demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and individually to generate testable questions or define problems, plan and conduct investigations using a variety of research methods in various settings, analyze and interpret data, reason with evidence to construct explanations in light of existing theory and previous research, and effectively communicate the research processes and conclusions.
Cause and Effect Students will demonstrate the ability to investigate, explain, and evaluate potential causal relationships by using evidence to support claims and predictions about the mechanisms that drive those relationships.
Part A: Introduction and Make a Hypothesis
Part B: Organizing, Presenting, and Analyzing Data
Part C: Using Evidence and Applying What You’ve Learned
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Part A: Introduction and Make an Initial Hypothesis.
Introduction:
The colored toothpicks represent three different alleles (green, red, and yellow) that control one fish trait: skin color (orange, green, red, or yellow). The table below explains which alleles of the gene are dominant, which are recessive, and which share incomplete dominance. Remember, each toothpick represents an allele; two toothpicks represent a genotype of an individual fish.
Green Allele (G) Dominant to all other color alleles
Red Allele (R) Recessive to green, incomplete to yellow*
Yellow Allele (Y) Recessive to green, incomplete to red*
* Combining red and ye l low al l e l es resul t in a f i sh with orange skin co lor .
Environment:
The Toothpick Fish population lives in the Mt. Washington Valley River in New Hampshire. This shallow river is slow moving and full of vegetation; algae, Eurasian milfoil, plankton, and lily pads. Local predators include great blue herons, eastern snapping turtles, osprey, bald eagles, and raccoons. Osprey and bald eagles hunt from the sky, using visual cues to spot their prey. Great blue herons wade through the shallow water and spear prey with long, sharp beaks. Scientists are currently researching Toothpick Fish and factors that effect changes in their population.
Essential Question:
How can factors within an ecosystem effect changes in the population and genetic biodiversity of the Toothpick Fish species?
1. In the space provided below, generate a hypothesis about which Toothpick Fish offspring are most likely to survive in the environment described above and why.
Performance Task Instructions:
1. Use the information from the introduction to complete the table below. Table 1: Phenotypes of Toothpick Fish and their Possible Gene Combinations Phenotype Possible Allele Combinations
Green
Red
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Yellow
Orange
2. Based on the allele combinations in the table above, answer the questions below using Punnett Squares. What is the likelihood (percentage) that:
Green offspring will be produced if two red fish mate? Support your claim with evidence and reasoning.
Red offspring will be produced if two orange fish mate? Support your claim with evidence and reasoning.
Orange offspring will be produced if two green fish mate? Support your claim with evidence and reasoning.
Part B: Organizing, Presenting, and Analyzing Data.
Follow the steps below and record your observations on your data sheet. 1. Place eight of each colored toothpick into the brown paper bag (total of 24 toothpicks).
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2. Make a first generation of fish. To do this, pull out alleles (toothpicks) in pairs without looking and set them
aside carefully so they stay in pairs. This simulates the way offspring are formed by sperm combining randomly with eggs. Once the twelve pairs are drawn, record the genotypes and phenotypes of the resulting pairs in Table 2 and Table 3.
3. Count the number of each phenotype in the first generation and record those numbers in Table 4.
4. The following spring, scientists make observations showing an increase of osprey in the area. Remove the yellow toothpick fish from your population and set aside those toothpicks, they are no longer part of the gene pool. Hint: remember that a pair of toothpicks equals a fish.
5. Put the remaining alleles back into the gene pool (brown paper bag). Draw a second generation of fish, again
without looking. Record the allele pairs in Table 2 and Table 3.
6. Count the number of each phenotype in the second generation and record the numbers in Table 4.
That summer, scientists make observations showing an increase in bald eagles migrating to the area.
7. Remove the yellow toothpick fish from your population and set aside those toothpicks, they are no longer part of the gene pool. Hint: remember that a pair of toothpicks equals a fish.
8. Put the remaining alleles back into the gene pool (brown paper bag). Draw a third generation of fish, again
without looking. Record the genotypes and phenotypes in Table 2 and Table 3.
9. Count the number of each phenotype in the third generation and record the numbers in Table 4.
Stop Answer the following questions before continuing.
a. Why has the population of fish with yellow alleles been affected by the osprey and bald eagles?
b. Have all the yellow alleles disappeared? Why or why not?
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c. Explain why it is unlikely for the yellow allele to completely disappear in a real-life, large population of fish. Use evidence from this inquiry task to support your answer.
10. Put the remaining alleles back into the gene pool. This time, DO NOT remove the yellow fish.
11. Draw a fourth generation of fish, again without looking. Record the genotypes and phenotypes in Table 2 and Table 3.
12. Count the number of each color of fish offspring and record the numbers in Table 3.
Stop An environmental disaster occurs! Factory waste is accidentally dumped into the stream, rapidly killing the algae and plant life.
Formulate a Revised Hypothesis:
13. In the space provided, revise your initial hypothesis based on this environmental event. Consider the cause and effect relationship of the environmental disaster in the ecosystem. Support your new hypothesis with evidence from this inquiry task.
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14. Remove all of the green fish from the population. Hint: remember that a pair of toothpicks equals a fish.
15. Record the surviving offspring in Table 4.
16. Place all of the toothpicks back in the bag and set aside.
Graphing:
Using the data from Table 4, create a complete line graph showing the phenotypes of each of the toothpick fish over the four generations. Be sure to include legend/key.
Stop Answer the following questions using the data you have gathered during this inquiry task.
Part C: Using Evidence and Applying What You Learned.
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1. Compare the phenotypes of the surviving generation to the phenotypes of the first generation. Explain why these phenotypes had changed.
2. Hatchery fish populations often have less genetic biodiversity than wild fish populations. How would lowered diversity affect a fish population’s ability to adapt to environmental disasters, such as the pollution disaster described in this performance task? Use data or evidence from this inquiry task to support your claim.
3. Successfully restocking one stream with eggs from another stream is a common hatchery practice. If fish from a particular stream have become genetically adapted to their home stream over many generations, what might happen if their fertilized eggs are used to “restock” a different stream that has become depleted of fish? Use data or evidence from this inquiry task to support your claim.
Word Bank
Allele alternative form of a gene Biodiversity variety of life in an area Depleted to reduce Dominance an observed trait in an organism that masks the recessive form of the trait Environment an organism’s surroundings (biotic and abiotic factors)
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Gene segment of DNA that codes for a trait Generation a group of individuals born and living at the same time Genotype the combination of alleles within an individual Hatchery a place where fish are hatched and raised Incomplete Dominance a pattern of inheritance in which neither allele is dominant over the other and traits are combined Phenotype physical appearance of an individual Population a group of organisms all of the same species Recessive the allele that is masked by the dominant allele Trait characteristic that is inherited, can be dominant or recessive. Variation differences or variety
Performance task adapted from Toothpick Fish (April, 2001) – A Middle School Activity for Teaching Genetics and Environmental Science. Developed by: Megan Brown and Maureen Munn, The GENETICS Project. The GENETICS Project University of Washington http://chroma.mbt.washington.edu/outreach/genetics Department of Molecular Biotechnology Education Outreach
