Learning Objectives
Students learn how artificial selection can be used to develop new dog breeds with characteristics that make the dogs capable of performing a desirable task and they “create” a dog that could be bred for their purposes.
Grade Levels
6-8
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Standards:
Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. MS-LS4-4
Materials Needed
Computer with internet access
Lesson
Introduction (5 minutes)
- Have students read the article Beagle, Harrier, Foxhound: The Same But Differentfrom American Kennel Club Click Here
- Discuss with students how these three dogs are connected and why they are different.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling (10 minutes)
- Ask students to describe the features or abilities of dogs for which humans might breed.
- Point out that it is possible to select dogs to breed for particular traits because all dogs are from the same species, Canis familiaris.
- The various breeds can mate with each other to produce offspring.
Independent Working Time
- Divide students into teams of 2-4.
- Explain that each group will be attempting to artificially select a new dog with certain traits by crossing two breeds.
- Students must determine the following:
- What will we want our dog to be good at?
- What physical features will he/she need?
- What behavioral features will he/she need?
- Students should use the following resources for research:
- Once students have collected the information, they will need to fill out the Canis familiaris sheet and introduce their new dog.
Review and Closing
- Discuss why pure bred dogs are valuable to the community.
References
Beagle, Harrier, Foxhound: The Same But Different. (2015, October 7). Retrieved fromhttps://www.akc.org/content/akc-history-archive/articles/beagle-harrier-foxhound-different/.
Compare Breeds. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/find-a-match/compare-breeds/.
Dog Breeds. (n.d.) Retrieved from www.akc.org/dog-breeds.
DNA Resource Center. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/dna/resource-center/.