1. MSP STEM CHALLENGE
Teaching Probability of Traits Being Passed Down From Parents to Offspring

2. Review Vocabulary Guided questions
Punnett Square Practice (calculating probability)

3. Standards:
SC.912.L Use Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment to analyze patterns of inheritance.
CTE 13.0-Engineering and Problem Solving.
CTE 14.0-Demonstrate abilities to apply the design process.
CTE List criteria and constraints and determine how these will affect the design process.

4. Learning Goal:  Use Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment to analyze patterns of inheritance.
Objective: Create a board game that is based on the probability of specific traits being passed down from parents to offspring.
Materials:
Posterboard or cardboard
Index cards
Tape
Markers
Pencils
Ruler
Scissors
Dice

5. Engage: Why do you look the way you do?

6. GOAL of engineering design challenge
Create and play a board game that displays the probability of an organism inheriting certain traits from their parents.
The objective of the game is to create a successful organism with the traits gained from the game.
A successful organism is an individual that has at least one eye, mouth, arm, leg, head, and body.
The Engineering Design Challenge is going to demonstrate phenotype (physical traits) and not the genotype of an organism.

7. Instructions & guidelines
Create and play a board game based on the probability of traits being passed from parents to offspring in an organism.
Create a path for game pieces to travel.
The path must have 25 squares, each representing a body part phenotype (trait) that could be inherited.
Each square should have an attached card that can be flipped over with a specific body part or trait. Create and write two possible phenotype options for the specific body part or trait on each card.
Once you land on a square, you must flip over the card attached to the square to see that trait, and flip it back down after your turn.
To begin the game, roll a die to determine who will go first. The person rolling the lowest number begins.
The first player rolls the dice to determine where to go on the board as well as what phenotype trait is inherited. The number on the die on the left determines how many spaces the player will advance.
The die on the right determines which phenotype is inherited. An even number will be the first phenotype, and an odd number will be the second phenotype on the card.
After you create the game, the game should be played with your group members. As the game is played, each player should be recording the traits they inherit on a score card.
Once the game is over, each player should then illustrate their organism on their score card.
The drawing should then be compared to other students’ drawings and analyzed to see if it meetings the overall goal of at least one eye, mouth, arm, leg, head, and body.

8. Limitations/Constraints:
Must be created and tested within 2 class periods
Must use only the materials available
Must create a board game with at least 3 turns
Must have exactly 25 squares with different body part traits
Must be at least 12 different body part traits on the board
Must have 3 colors and 3 pictures
Must have 2 alleles/options per square
Must create your own game pieces
Must have 2-4 players
A successful end creature must have at least one of the following structures:
eye, mouth, arm, leg, head, body

9. Engineers use the engineering design process when solving a problem
Engineers use the engineering design process when solving a problem. You will also use this process as you create your design. The engineering process involves 5 main steps.
Ask questions that will help you achieve your goal.
Imagine at least two possibilities for design.
What could be some solutions?
Brainstorm ideas.
Plan the design before building.
Combine ideas to come up with a final design.
Make a list of the materials needed.
Create at least one design solution.
Follow the plan and create it.
Test it out!
Improve the design based on evidence around the original design criteria.
Make the design better.
Production – Design satisfies the goal.  (Production of the thing or process only occurs when the design meets the goal.)

10. ASK: What do you need to know in order to reach the goal? 5 minutes

11. IMAGINE: What are some possible solutions to the problem? 10 minutes
Let’s look at the goal again.
Your team will need to design and create a board game that displays the probability of traits. You will have 15 minutes to imagine or brainstorm possible solutions to this problem.
What will your design look like?  
How will you use the materials to create your design?

12. PLAN: You will have 15 minutes to combine ideas into one design.
In order for you to move on to the next step, I must approve your design.  
Once I have approved your design, your team may begin creating a board game that displays the probability of traits.

13. CREATE: Build your team’s design following your plan
CREATE:  Build your team’s design following your plan. You will have 20 minutes.

14. Day 2: test design and improve

15. TEST: Now it is time to test your designs! 25 minutes

16. IMPROVE: Discuss ways to improve your design with your team
IMPROVE:  Discuss ways to improve your design with your team. You will have 15 minutes to improve it.

17. TEST: Now it is time to test your improved design!

18. Discussion/reflect:
Did your team’s design meet the goal?  Why or why not?  
Did your design improve? How do you know?
Are there any changes you would still like to make to your design?