Exploring the Role of Isolated Populations in Inbreeding

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Download the files below to use offline, or to incorporate into your own lesson planning tools.

Exploring Isolated Populations lesson plan

Exploring Isolated Populations investigation booklet

LESSON PLAN

(Time required: 40 minutes)

Students will use short case studies to understand the detrimental effects of inbreeding on human and animal populations.

1. Review how scientists define bighorn sheep populations (5 minutes)

2. Animal and Human Inbreeding Case Studies (10 minutes)  

Assign students to groups of five to investigate and summarize one inbreeding case study.  Ask students to complete the graphic organizer for their case study.  The graphic organizer can be downloaded separately, or as part of the Investigation Booklet.

3. Jigsaw students into new groups and complete the rest of the case studies (20 minutes)

After the first groups summarize their case study, jigsaw the students into new groups of five with one student representative from each inbreeding case study. Have each student in the new group share the case study that they previously investigated. Ask the students to complete the rest of the graphic organizer and fill in the information from the other case studies.

4. Complete the Isolated Populations in Inbreeding section of the Investigation Booklet. (4 minutes)

Summary / Assessment: Ask students to complete the Exploring the Role of Isolated Populations in Inbreeding section of the Investigation Booklet (see downloads section on this page).