Students are challenged to track and record the passage of colored pom poms (representing genes) through generations of a family using a pedigree.

Students learn that common chronic diseases (such as heart disease) run in families and are caused by the combined action of multiple genes.

Genes are passed from parents to offspring and contribute to observable physical characteristics. Pedigrees are used to track genetic information. Rare genetic disorders are caused by defects in a single gene, and exhibit predictable patterns of inheritance (usually dominant or recessive).

Class Time: 30-45 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Pick the Risk: The Polygenic Pedigree Challenge Print-and-Go

Students learn that common chronic diseases (such as heart disease) run in families and are caused by the combined action of multiple genes. Download the activity.

Supported by the Utah Department of Health Chronic Disease Genomics Program through Cooperative Agreement Number U58/CCU822802 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.