Genetics introduces Grade 8 students to the concept of inheritance and the underlying processes by which traits are passed down through generations. The subtitle of the unit is: Why are living things different from one another? The Student Reader is the integrated science literacy component of the unit. In the Student Reader students will confront the concept of differing phenotypes within a species, examine karyotypes, study twins, learn about family traits such as the Hapsburg jaw, confront misconceptions about inheritance, and more. Student Readers focus on aspects of science literacy, including factual articles, history of the sciences, art and literature, spotting bad science in the media and advertisements, graphics comprehension, research-type articles, reliability of sources, and other areas of science literacy.

CKSci Middle School is an enhanced republication of the OpenSciEd Middle School project–with a unique, integrated Core Knowledge science literacy component.

Learn more about the CKSci Middle School Program