Karyotype Activity: Build a Baby from Egg and Sperm

⭐ Get this karyotype activity at a discount in my complete Reproduction Unit! ⭐ This karyotyping activity clearly shows that gametes have 23 chromosomes which combine to make a baby karyotype with 46. Nicely illustrates sexual reproduction for middle school students without getting too awkward! This activity reinforces: Sexual reproduction requires two parents. Gametes have half the number of chromosomes as the parents. Gametes combine to make a zygote in the process of fertilization. Chromosomes have homologous pairing and differ based on size and banding pattern. A karyotype is an organized map of chromosomes. Different organisms have different numbers of chromosomes. XX makes a female offspring and XY makes a male offspring. In this activity, students will: Read background information about sexual reproduction, including the terms gametes, zygote, fertilization, sperm, egg, and homologous chromosomes. Obtain an egg and a sperm graphic. (We do this activity in pairs, so one student gets the male gamete and the other gets a female gamete.) Cut out the chromosomes and match the homologous pairs using a provided key. Paste the homologous chromosome pairs onto their karyotype page and identify whether it is male or female. Answer follow-up questions on a worksheet. Includes: Introductory reading passage with human chromosome key Egg and sperm graphics (2 versions to make male and female babies) Blank karyotype Follow-up questions worksheet Helpful teacher notes NGSS Standards: MS-LS3-2 Science & Engineering Practice: Developing and using models Teacher Notes: Get this activity at a discount in my complete Reproduction Unit! Please note: This karyotype activity is NOT editable. Answer key included. You can also shop my TPT store! Related Standards: NGSS MS-LS3-2: Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.