Genetics and heredity is a fascinating subject for students to learn about, especially when presented in a context that appeals to them. A few years ago, I created a curricular unit to teach genetics and heredity through the lens of dog breeding. Students are tasked with outlining the key attributes they desire in a hybrid dog, and then using multiple generations of breeding, create a model that would result in a hybrid dog with said attributes. To provide a rich background and context for dog breeding, students perform inquiries into the concepts of canine "pure breeds" and investigate how dog became "man's best friend." This following video takes a glimpse at a theory of how dog and man became close companions. This topic makes for a fascinating inquiry, discussion, and debate, because scientists cannot agree on where and how dogs became domesticated. It provides a phenomenon that launches an inquiry-based science lesson for students to investigate.
This video does a fantastic job of introducing the concept that dogs chose to be close to man. It proposes two possibilities of how and when this occurred, based on DNA evidence. It does not go into all the various theories of this process, nor discusses how the evolution occurred or the mechanism for the resulting 300+ dog breeds that currently exist.
In order to use this in the classroom, after viewing the video, I would have multiple articles with the differing views on how dogs became domesticated. Each group would take an article, read it, analyze it, and then create a small poster or digital slide with the key points of the theory. I would then have the students present their findings to the class, and have a debate about the various theories. In their final projects, there would be a question regarding the "most plausible" theory for dog domestication that they would have to make a claim, provide evidence, and give their reasoning for the evidence and claim.
In order to use this in the classroom, after viewing the video, I would have multiple articles with the differing views on how dogs became domesticated. Each group would take an article, read it, analyze it, and then create a small poster or digital slide with the key points of the theory. I would then have the students present their findings to the class, and have a debate about the various theories. In their final projects, there would be a question regarding the "most plausible" theory for dog domestication that they would have to make a claim, provide evidence, and give their reasoning for the evidence and claim.
