Mendel and the Nature of Science

Abstract

Students often have difficulty understanding inheritance patterns and issues associated with the nature of science as a process. To help address these issues, we developed a unit plan based on Gregor Mendel’s well-known research on inheritance patterns among pea plants. The unit introduces students to Mendel’s background and the questions he sought to address. Students then conduct their own investigation, using Virtual Genetics Lab II (VGLII) software to attempt to confirm Mendel’s results. In the course of completing their investigations, students learn about alternative inheritance patterns to Mendelian genetics. The unit was created in the context of a college introductory biology course but could be implemented in a high school course.