Genetics with a Smile Task Card
Part A: Smiley Face Traits: Record your data in DATA TABLE A
1. Obtain two coins. The penny represents the female (Penny’s) genotype and the nickel represents the male
(Nick’s) genotype.
2. Holding both coins in your hand, flip them to determine which allele each parent will pass to Baby Smiley.
Heads = Dominant Trait Tails = Recessive Trait
A. On the table below, circle the allele Penny passed on to Baby Smiley in the column labeled “FEMALE” and
the allele Nick passed to Baby Smiley under the column labeled “MALE”.
B. Based on the outcome of the coin toss, write the genotype of Baby Smiley in the “GENOTYPE” column.
C. Based on Baby Smiley’s genotype, use the provided Smiley Face Traits to determine Baby Smiley’s
phenotype for each trait. Record the data in the “PHENOTYPE” column.
Part B: Is Baby Smiley a boy or a girl?
To determine the sex of Baby Smiley, flip the coin for the male parent. Add the gender to the Data Table B.
Heads = Y (male) Tails = X (female)
Part C: Create Baby Smiley!
Obtain a Face Shape based on
your data. Using Data tables A
and B, create an accurate
representation of your Baby
Smiley based on the phenotype
you created. Once you have
created Baby Smiley, give him/
her a name and write the name
on the line.
Sex:
To determine the sex, flip a coin for the male parent. Heads = Y and tails = X
Name:____________________________
Date:_____________________________
Assignment #:_________Block:________ Genetics with a Smile Mr. & Mrs. Smiley have decided that it is time to expand their family. The Smiley’s, whose first names are Nick
& Penny, are both heterozygous for each of the twelve traits that their offspring will inherit. During this activity
your job is to:
1. Determine the genotype for Baby Smiley by flipping a coin; based on the genotype, determine
the phenotype of Baby smiley
2. Determine Baby Smiley’s Sex
3. Create Baby Smiley & name him/her
4. Complete the evaluation questions
Traits Female (penny) Male (nickel) Genotype Phenotype
Face Shape C c C c
Eye Shape E e E e
Hair Style S s S s
Smile T t T t
Ear Style V v V v
Nose Style D d D d
Face Color Y y Y y
Eye Color B b B b
Hair Length L l L l
Freckles F f F f
Nose Color R Y R Y
Ear Color P T P T
______ = _______% _______
30pts
DATA TABLE A
Female Male Genotype Phenotype
Sex X X X Y
DATA TABLE B
Traits Your Baby Classmate #1 Classmate #2 Classmate #3
Face Shape Circle Oval Circle Oval Circle Oval Circle Oval
Eye Shape Star Blast Star Blast Star Blast Star Blast
Hair Style Straight Curly Straight Curly Straight Curly Straight Curly
Smile Thick Thin Thick Thin Thick Thin Thick Thin
Ear Style Curved Pointed Curved Pointed Curved Pointed Curved Pointed
Nose Style Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Up
Face Color Yellow Green Yellow Green Yellow Green Yellow Green
Eye Color Blue Red Blue Red Blue Red Blue Red
Hair Length Long Short Long Short Long Short Long Short
Freckles Present Absent Present Absent Present Absent Present Absent
Nose Color Red Orange Yellow Red Orange Yellow Red Orange Yellow Red Orange Yellow
Ear Color Pink Purple Teal Pink Purple Teal Pink Purple Teal Pink Purple Teal
Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female
Part D: TRAIT COMPARISONS: How does your baby compare to those created by your classmates? Fill out the
table below, starting first by circling the traits of your baby and then the traits of 3 of your classmates’ baby’s.
Part E: Evaluation Questions:
1. Whose smiley has the most dominant traits? How many? (HINT: Count only the traits in BOLD that you circled
above. _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Whose smiley has the most recessive traits? How many? (HINT: Do not count any traits in ITALICS.)___________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. For face color, yellow is dominant to green. Both Mr. and Mrs. Smiley are heterozygous. Complete the Punnett
square below to show the probability of Mr. and Mrs. Smiley having a baby with green face color.
a. YY ____________
b. Yy _____________
c. yy _____________
d. Yellow ___________
e. Green ___________
4. Based on the Punnett square, what is the probability of
Baby smiley having a green face?
_____________________________
5. Based on the data in TABLE C above, how many Baby
smiley’s had green faces?
_______________________________________________
6. How does your prediction in #4 compare with the actual
data from #5?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
DATA TABLE C
7. Why did you only have to flip the male parent coin to determine the sex of Baby Smiley? _______________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What is an allele? ___________________________________________________________________________
9. How many alleles for each trait does Baby Smiley have?
______________________________________
10. How many alleles did Baby Smiley receive from each parent?
__________________________________
11.What is incomplete dominance?
_______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
12. Which Smiley trait (s) was a result of incomplete dominance? _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Explain the difference between the genotype and the phenotype. ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Nick Smiley (Dad) is a talented whistler and has won many whistling competitions. Do you think that your
Baby Smiley will inherit an allele for whistling talent from Nick? Why or why not? _________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
15. Penny Smiley (Mom) is very talkative . Her Mom (Baby Smiley’s grandma) was also very
talkative. Do you think Baby Smiley will inherit a gene for being talkative from Penny? Why
or Why not? ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
16. Star eyes are dominant over blast eyes. Grandma and Grandpa Smiley are heterozygous for the star eye shape. If one of their heterozygous children married a smiley with blast shaped eyes, what percentage of their grandchildren should have star eyes? Complete the Punnett square to help. ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
17. Aunt Smiley has the cutest pointed ears in the world and would love to have children with pointed ears! What
type of ears would her husband need to have in order for her to have a 100% chance of getting her wish? Com-
plete the Punnett square(s) to help. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
a. EE ____________
b. Ee _____________
c. ee _____________
d. Star ___________
e. Blast ___________