Genetics Related Programs
The Hawaii Department of Health Genetics Program is committed to genetics education in the state of Hawaii and beyond. We are pleased to offer the “Teachers’ Genetics Resource Kit” to help students learn about the exciting world of genetics.
Teachers desire high quality educational materials that are ready to use and easily tailored to fit the needs of individual classes. Through consultation with teachers, genetics experts, industry representatives, administrators, and professional organizations, we have created a resource kit that that is accessible, flexible, and expandable. Students will enjoy the exciting and interesting approaches to learning about genetics.
The educational materials in the resource kit are aligned with the Hawaii Department of Education’s Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Performance Indicators in order to support student learning in a manner that is consistent with the state’s guidelines. Step-by-step lesson plans can be followed or adapted to fit different needs. Suggestions for extensions and follow-up activities are provided, as well as assessment strategies and tools.
A “How to Use the Resource Kit” guide introduces users to the kit. The kit is organized in a way that allows one to add materials, to include examples of student work in a particular concept area, or to store relevant articles and resources.
We aimed to make the resource kit versatile. The kit can be used in its entirety, or individual lessons can be used as stand-alone activities. We encourage users to utilize, adapt, add to, and share the resources within the kit!
The resource kit is divided into several sections:
- Introduction – This folder begins with a welcome letter from the Hawaii Genetics Program.
- A “Genetics Unit Outline” can be used as a guideline if you have never developed or taught a genetics unit before. All the lessons and activities included in this outline are available within the resource kit.
- A list of nine “Genetics Concepts” suggested by the Hawaii Genetics Program is included, as well as a list of the Hawaii Content Standards addressed by the concepts.
- “Genetics 101: A Review for Teachers” provides an overview for teachers wishing to brush-up before the Genetics unit begins. Pages from this resource can also be photocopied and provided to students.
- The “Online Genetics Resources” provides an annotated list of websites that teachers may find helpful when researching and/or developing Genetics lessons.
“Genetics Concepts” folders
The next nine folders represent the “Genetics Concepts” areas:
- Reproduction and Inheritance
- DNA
- Chromosomes
- Genes and Environment
- Proteins
- Cells
- Variation and Evolution
- Applications
- Ethics
Within each file folder, you will find lesson plans, assessment tools, and resources relating to that particular concept area. Some folders include posters, pamphlets, fact sheets, CD’s, etc.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute DVD’s
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has graciously donated DVD’s of its “Holiday Lectures on Science” series for inclusion in the resource kit. Each DVD is accompanied by worksheets and teacher keys developed by the Hawaii Genetics Program.