Using Family History to Improve Your Health curriculum

This curriculum was developed by the Genetic Science Learning Center. It meets state and national high school biology and health education standards. By completing this module students will understand that the risk for developing common chronic diseases has both a hereditary and environmental component, and understand what it means to be “at risk” for developing these diseases.

Activities include:

• Lesson plan

• Risk Continuum - A whole-class kinesthetic demonstration of what it means to be in a "risk group" for developing heart disease based on family history/genetics.

• Pick the Risk: The Polygenic Pedigree Challenge - Students are challenged to track and record the passage of colored candies (representing genes) through generations of a family using a pedigree. Students learn that common diseases run in families and are caused by the combined action of multiple genes.

• Using Family History to Improve Your Health Web Quest - Students explore the Using Family History to Improve Your Health module on the Genetic Science Learning Center website to complete a web quest.

• Reduce Your Risk: A Promotional Campaign - Students design a promotional campaign that educates their peer group about how to prevent common diseases.

Introduction to Heredity curriculum

• Family Traits and Traditions - Students learn to differentiate between inherited and acquired traits as they play a make-a-match game with their families. 

• Handy Family Tree - Students learn about inherited and acquired traits as they involve family members in creating a handprint family tree. This art project is great for traditional and non-traditional families alike.

• Family Traits Trivia - This family activity encourages students to observe the shared traits of family members, as well as the combination of traits that makes them unique.

• And more...