The Cookie Analogy

Short Description
would be cookies and cookie recipes, while the unfamiliar would be many …. 1. Do all the cookies on any given plate come from the same recipe? …

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Content
1
Food for Thought:
The Cookie Analogy
A familiar activity (baking cookies) helps to
explain unfamiliar genetics concepts
Developed by
Sue Johnson
Center for Biology Education
University of Wisconsin
1271 Genetics/Biotechnology Building
425 Henry Mall
Madison, WI 537062
Food for Thought: The Cookie Analogy was originally written to introduce
a unit on heredity at the high school level. It can be easily adapted for other
grade levels or to include other topics. The Cookie Analogy is an activity in
which the familiar is used to explain the unfamiliar. The familiar in this case
would be cookies and cookie recipes, while the unfamiliar would be many
biological concepts, including phenotype and genotype. The familiar becomes
a model which can be used to help students construct meaning for concepts that
often prove to be difficult to learn. It is highly adaptable, as basic concepts such
as heredity and environment can be discussed without having to use a great deal
of terminology. It can also be used to help students construct meaning for terms
that may be commonly used, but often misunderstood.
Introduction
Food for Thought: The Cookie Analogy developed by Sue Johnson.
Published by the Center for Biology Education. Graphic design by Tracy Saffran.
Copyright . 1991 by the Center for Biology Education and Sue Johnson.
All rights reserved. This exercise may be reproduced only for classroom use.
For additional copies of this exercise, contact the
Center for Biology…