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Investigation 2: Meiosis and Gamete Formation
Explore the building blocks of human life. In this Investigation, students examine how human chromosomes carry genetic information and how specialized cell division, called meiosis, produces unique human gametes. Students learn how the combination of chromosomes at fertilization determines the sex and genetic makeup of a new human organism. The Investigation then follows how mitosis allows the single-cell zygote formed at conception to grow, develop, and differentiate into the trillions of cells that make up a full-term human baby.
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Student PDF Lab Guide
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Next Generation Science Standards: Investigation 2
MS-LS1-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.
→ Students examine how human life begins as a single cell formed at fertilization and how subsequent cell divisions support early growth and development.
MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
→ Students model chromosome behavior during meiosis and mitosis, focusing on how genetic material is organized, copied, and distributed to support reproduction and development.
MS-LS3-2: Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information.
→ By comparing meiosis and mitosis, students learn why gametes are genetically unique, while cells produced by mitosis in the developing embryo are genetically identical.