Unit 5 — January: Animal Science, Genetics, and Chicken Breeding
Description
Students are introduced to animal science through classification activities and exploration of the livestock, dairy, poultry, and companion animal industries. Historical and current chicken farming practices are researched and compared through timeline creation. Students learn genetics through DNA extraction from strawberries and study heredity using Punnett squares (pom-pom activity). Selective breeding is modeled through the Build-a-Cow activity. The unit includes hands-on experience with chicken eggs: observing the chicken life cycle, dissecting eggs to identify structures, and setting up incubators for hatching. Students learn what chickens need to survive and begin planning for their care and housing.
Essential Questions
- How are animals classified, and what are the major livestock industries?
- What is DNA, and how do genes pass from parents to offspring?
- How can selective breeding improve desired traits in animals?
- What are the basic needs of chickens, and how do we provide for them?
Learning Objectives
- Classify animals and identify major livestock, poultry, and companion animal industries.
- Extract and observe DNA from biological material.
- Explain basic inheritance patterns using Punnett squares and genetic terminology.
- Model selective breeding and predict offspring traits.
- Describe the chicken life cycle and identify egg structures.
- Analyze historical and modern chicken farming practices.
- Identify environmental and nutritional requirements for chicken health.
Supplemental Resources
- Strawberries and other materials for DNA extraction
- Pom-poms and other craft materials for Punnett square models
- Paper and markers for creating timeline posters of chicken farming history
- Incubator, chicken eggs, and related materials for hatching observations
Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Earth and Space Sciences
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Life Sciences
Science and Engineering Practices
Students read informational texts about agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and animal science, and produce written work including research reports, blog posts, portfolio updates, and writing assignments. Students engage in collaborative discussions, present findings to peers, and cite evidence from multiple sources to support claims across all units.
Students apply mathematical reasoning across units including calculating food costs, feed amounts, percent loss, square footage for coop design, lumber quantities, soil nutrient amounts, population graphs for carrying capacity, and data collection and graphing in macroinvertebrate and plant biodiversity studies.
Students conduct hands-on investigations aligned to life science, earth science, and engineering design standards. Topics include plant cell structure, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, genetics and heredity, animal systems, water chemistry, ecosystems, food webs, population dynamics, natural resource management, DNA extraction, and aquaponics and hydroponics system design.
Career readiness, financial literacy, and 21st century skills are embedded in every unit. Students explore agricultural careers, practice agribusiness skills including budgeting and record keeping, develop personal and professional skills through FFA activities, and investigate how education and training affect earning potential in agriculture and related fields.
Formative Assessments
- Observations during DNA extraction and Punnett square activities
- Pair-and-share discussions comparing past and present farming techniques
- Journals documenting observations of egg development and incubation
- Group work analyzing breeds and discussing selective breeding decisions
Summative Assessment
Projects including genetics models, historical farming comparison timelines, and egg dissection reports; portfolio updates and blog posts on chicken breed selection
Benchmark Assessment
Unit tests on animal classification, genetics concepts, and chicken biology; pre-assessments on heredity and animal systems knowledge
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of genetics and animal classification through labeled diagrams, verbal explanations to the teacher, or simplified graphic organizers instead of written reports. Hands-on activities such as DNA extraction and Punnett square modeling may be completed with reduced scope, extended time, or direct teacher support as needed.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
For students with IEPs, hands-on components such as DNA extraction, egg dissection, and the pom-pom Punnett square activity naturally support diverse learning needs, so teachers should use these as primary instructional entry points rather than supplementary add-ons. Genetic terminology and animal classification vocabulary should be pre-taught with visual supports such as labeled diagrams and word walls, and students may benefit from graphic organizers that break heredity concepts into smaller sequential steps. For written outputs such as journal entries or egg dissection reports, allow oral responses, dictation, or annotated diagrams as alternatives to extended written work. Pacing supports, such as checklists for multi-step lab procedures and frequent check-ins during incubator setup and observation, will help students maintain engagement and track progress across the unit's longer-term tasks.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be given extended time on genetics-related tasks that require sustained attention, such as completing Punnett square work or writing up egg dissection observations. Preferential seating near demonstration areas will support access during egg dissection and incubator setup, where visual proximity to the teacher matters. Printed copies of any board-displayed diagrams, life cycle charts, or step-by-step lab directions should be provided so students can reference materials independently without relying on copying.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners will benefit from a unit vocabulary bank that includes key terms from animal science and genetics — such as heredity, trait, breed, incubation, and embryo — paired with illustrations or photographs rather than definitions alone. Teachers should use visual demonstrations, real specimens, and physical models as the primary means of building concept understanding before introducing academic language, allowing meaning to be constructed through observation and experience. Simplified, step-by-step directions for lab procedures should be provided in writing, and students should be encouraged to record journal observations using labeled sketches or in their home language before transitioning to English descriptions.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be connected to the unit's most concrete and visual content first — the egg life cycle, hands-on DNA extraction, and the pom-pom breeding model offer accessible, low-barrier entry points that build confidence before more abstract genetic concepts are introduced. Punnett square work can be scaffolded by starting with single, clearly illustrated examples and using physical manipulatives or color-coding to make dominant and recessive traits visually distinct. For research-based tasks such as the farming timeline, providing a partially completed template or a curated set of sources reduces the complexity of getting started while still allowing students to engage meaningfully with the content.
Gifted & Talented
Gifted students should be encouraged to move beyond surface-level genetics by exploring the science behind selective breeding ethics, including trade-offs in modern poultry production such as growth rate versus animal welfare, and connecting these to broader agricultural and societal questions. Students can investigate more complex inheritance patterns — such as codominance or polygenic traits — and apply these to real chicken breeds to extend their Punnett square work beyond simple dominant-recessive models. Independent or small-group research into the genetics of heritage versus commercial chicken breeds, culminating in a position-based addition to their blog or a proposed breeding program with a scientific rationale, would provide appropriate depth and challenge.