Year 10 Science – Term 1 (WA Curriculum): Genetics, Inheritance and Evolution

What this unit covers

In Term 1, Year 10 Science in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Genetics, Inheritance and Evolution”.

Students explore the structure of DNA and chromosomes, apply genetic principles to predict inheritance patterns, and understand how natural selection drives evolutionary change in living organisms.

Lesson sequence (30 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Introduction to DNA: The Molecule of Life
2. Building DNA Models: Understanding the Double Helix Structure
3. From DNA to Genes: How Genetic Information is Stored
4. Chromosome Structure and Organization in Cells
5. Comparing Chromosome Numbers in Different Organisms
6. Mitosis vs Meiosis: Chromosome Behaviour During Cell Division
7. Investigating Chromosome Numbers in Mitotic Cells
8. Exploring Meiosis and Gamete Formation
9. Introduction to Inheritance Patterns and Alleles
10. Dominant and Recessive Alleles: Basic Genetic Concepts
11. Creating and Interpreting Simple Punnett Squares
12. Predicting Offspring Ratios Using Punnett Squares
13. Reading Family Trees: Introduction to Pedigree Analysis
14. Tracing Autosomal Dominant Traits Through Pedigrees
15. Investigating Autosomal Recessive Inheritance Patterns
16. Guinea Pig Hair Colour: Applying Genetic Crosses
17. Plant Genetics: Leaf Colour Inheritance in Barley
18. Mendel's Pea Plants: Seed Shape and Colour Genetics
19. Plant Height Inheritance: Tall vs Short Pea Plants
20. Introduction to Sex-Linked Inheritance
21. Red-Green Colour Blindness: A Sex-Linked Trait
22. Haemophilia Inheritance: Analysing X-Linked Disorders
23. Predicting Sex-Linked Traits Using Pedigrees and Crosses
24. Introduction to Evolution and Natural Selection Theory
25. Variation Within Species: Observing Differences in Populations
26. Geographic Variation: How Location Affects Organism Traits
27. Adaptations to Changing Environments: Size, Colour and Shape
28. Antibiotic Resistance: Evolution in Action
29. Pesticide Resistance: Natural Selection in Pest Populations
30. Connecting Genetics to Evolution: How Variation Drives Change

Curriculum codes in this unit

Content codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 1

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 1 runs from Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April — 9 weeks for WA public schools. With 30 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.