DNA, Genes, & Chromosomes Critical Thinking Prompts | Life Science | Grades 6–8

This set of Critical Thinking Prompts pushes grades 6–8 Middle School Life Science students past recall to analyze and apply DNA, Genes, & Chromosomes.

Sample prompts: "A student claims that because human skin cells and human heart muscle cells have completely different shapes and jobs, they must contain different chromosomes and different DNA." and "Compare the chromosome number of a human cheek cell (46 chromosomes) with a human gamete (23 chromosomes)."

What's inside: 10 open-ended questions, each with a follow-up prompt, a lined student response section, an answer key, and teacher notes.

Resource type: Critical Thinking Prompts (.docx). Format: editable Microsoft Word handout with approximately 1,700 words (~7 pages).

Classroom use: written analysis, discussion prep, or a Socratic seminar in a Middle School Life Science course. Grades 6–8.

Format note: These files are delivered in Microsoft Office formats (Word and/or PowerPoint). If you open a worksheet that includes tables in Apple Pages or another non-Microsoft app, table formatting may not display correctly. For best results, use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (or upload the file to Google Docs). If you run into any formatting issues, contact us and we can send a PDF version.