Gnome Genetics: Bring the holidays into your science classroom this Christmas season!
Hey there, amazing teachers!
Each year, as Christmas approaches, I search for ways to weave the magical season into our science classroom! Students love celebrating holidays during class! This can get trickier in the upper grades – how do we add the holidays into a curriculum jam-packed with standards? You have to get creative and weave the holiday into the standards! In years past, students enjoyed “Making Babies” during our Genetics Unit, but this time I wanted to do something more festive and trendy. So, instead of students creating babies, they made gnomes! If you’re also looking for a way to engage your students in genetics by connecting it to the holiday season, let me take you through our journey with Gnome Genetics — an experience that brought both learning and laughter to my students!
Holiday Hollow: Setting the Stage with The Great Gnome Gathering!
When I created Gnome Genetics, I didn’t want this activity to just be another “cross these parents to determine their offspring” activity. I really wanted to engage my students and give them a purpose! So I created a new world, set the stage, and took them on a genetics journey!
Our adventure started in the whimsical village of Holiday Hollow, home to diverse gnomes that have different hat styles, jacket colors, beard lengths, and even types of footwear! Every year around this time, the Gnomes are gearing up for the exciting Great Gnome Gathering! This year is extra special because the village elders invited young gnome enthusiasts (my students!) to reveal to them the mysteries of how traits are passed down through gnome generations. Their exciting mission is to “cross” two gnome parents to determine the traits of a gnome baby! They will bring their theoretical gnome to life in a drawing and present it to the founding gnomes at the finale of the Great Gnome Gathering! This hooked my students and they were eager to jump in!
Solidifying Vocabulary and Using Classroom Posters
My students often get bogged down by vocabulary, so I made sure to review important genetics terms with them before they embarked on their genetics journey. I created a reference sheet for them that defined the important terms and connected them to their gnome mission. I also created and hung gnome-themed vocabulary posters on the whiteboard so students could easily reference the words as they worked. After a quick review of genetics vocabulary, they were off on their mission to create a gnome baby!
Bringing Gnome Genetics to Life
Now that I recruited the gnome geneticists and equipped them with the necessary terms, they embarked on their journey to predict the traits of a new gnome! In pairs, students were given a Genetic Spinner (a title name twist on a simple coin) and with a simple flip of a coin, they determined ten gnome traits including hat style, jacket color, nose size, footwear, and more. The students used their knowledge of dominant and recessive traits to determine the genotypes and phenotypes of their gnome baby, and they recorded all their results in a table to use later. Excitement filled the air as students wished for certain traits and imagined how cute and silly their gnome would be!
Drawing the Gnome Babies!
One of the highlights of this activity was the drawing session. Students drew their predicted gnomes and incorporated all of the genetic traits derived from their spins. They also added in their own creativity to make their babies cute, festive, and fun! The students proudly displayed their gnomes on the bulletin board, which not only added to our Christmas decor but also made the genetic variations visually striking and memorable. We discussed as a class how genetic diversity resulted in such a wide range of physical characteristics!
Deepening Understanding with Punnett Squares
After the initial excitement, we shifted our focus to applying what we’d learned. The students used Punnett squares to complete genetics problems, predicting traits of future gnome generations. This part of the lesson solidified their understanding of how inheritance of traits work, and turned learning abstract concepts into tangible learning outcomes.
Why This Lesson Plan Worked Wonders
This Gnome Genetics activity was a great addition to our Genetics unit! The backstory got the students engaged and wanting to determine the traits of their gnome baby! As students worked in pairs, I could hear them applying the genetics terms correctly, and they solidified their understanding by completing the Punnett Squares practice problems. The gnome theme added festive fun to our classroom as well! Students were focused AND learning during the Christmas season, which is a dream come true!
Takeaways for Fellow Teachers
If you’re considering a similar approach in your classroom, I highly recommend it! Whether you teach middle school life science or high school biology, this lesson plan is flexible enough to be adapted to your needs. It’s an excellent way to engage students with genetics in a manner that covers the genetics NGSS and is incredibly fun!
Grade Levels
I created this project for my freshman Biology class. This project could be used in any middle or high school science class grades 6-12 (such as Life Science, Biology, or Human Anatomy & Physiology) in which genetics are part of the curriculum. I would plan on more class time for middle school students and less class time for upper level high school classes, as most high school students can work at a quicker pace.
Time
This project took my freshman students 3 class periods to complete. This timeline can be easily changed to fit your needs depending on how quickly the students work or if you would like them to take their practice problems home to finish. My recommended 3 day in-class timeline is provided in my Teacher Lesson Plan!
Supplies Needed
- Lab Handouts to record results and draw their gnomes!
- Vocabulary Posters – to hang as visual reference during the activity
- Coins – These could be pennies, pretend gold coins, or any coin that has a different image on each side. If physical coins are not available, a digital coin toss also works!
- Writing Utensils – For students to complete their work on the provided handouts.
- Coloring Supplies – crayons, colored pencils, or markers for students to draw and color their finished gnome
Ready to Bring Gnome Genetics to Your Classroom?
If you’re inspired to try this Christmas-themed genetics adventure in your own classroom, you’re just a click away from all the resources you need! I’ve carefully developed and packaged the Gnome Genetics Activity to ensure you have everything at your fingertips for a successful, festive lesson! It’s available here complete with detailed instructions, student handouts, the background gnome story, vocabulary posters, answer keys, a student example, and more!
Check it out here: Gnome Genetics Activity!
Or on TpT: Gnome Genetics Activity!
Embrace the spirit of Christmas and make genetics unforgettable for your students. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out at contact@mrandmrsrooster.com.
Happy teaching, Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas!
- Mr and Mrs Rooster