Science: Heredity & Adaptation
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All living things inherit a set of characteristics or traits from their parents. Members of any given species transfer traits from one generation to the next. The passing of traits from parent to offspring is called heredity and causes the offspring to resemble the parent. Some traits differ among members of a population, and these variations may help a particular species to survive better in a given environment in getting food, finding shelter, protecting itself, and reproducing. These variations give the individual a survival advantage over other individuals of the same species.
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Standard 5: Students will understand that traits are passed from the parent organisms to their offspring, and that sometimes the offspring may possess variations of these traits that may help or hinder survival in a given environment.
Objective 1: Using supporting evidence, show that traits are transferred from a parent organism to its offspring.
a. Make a chart and collect data identifying various traits among a given population (e.g., the hand span of students in the classroom, the color and texture of different apples, the number of petals of a given flower).
b. Identify similar physical traits of a parent organism and its offspring (e.g., trees and saplings, leopards and cubs, chickens and chicks).
c. Compare various examples of offspring that do not initially resemble the parent organism but mature to become similar to the parent organism (e.g., mealworms and darkling beetles, tadpoles and frogs, seedlings and vegetables, caterpillars and butterflies).
d. Contrast inherited traits with traits and behaviors that are not inherited but may be learned or induced by environmental factors (e.g., cat purring to cat meowing to be let out of the house; the round shape of a willow is inherited, while leaning away from the prevailing wind is induced).
e. Investigate variations and similarities in plants grown from seeds of a parent plant (e.g., how seeds from the same plant species can produce different colored flowers or identical flowers).
Objective 1: Using supporting evidence, show that traits are transferred from a parent organism to its offspring.
a. Make a chart and collect data identifying various traits among a given population (e.g., the hand span of students in the classroom, the color and texture of different apples, the number of petals of a given flower).
b. Identify similar physical traits of a parent organism and its offspring (e.g., trees and saplings, leopards and cubs, chickens and chicks).
c. Compare various examples of offspring that do not initially resemble the parent organism but mature to become similar to the parent organism (e.g., mealworms and darkling beetles, tadpoles and frogs, seedlings and vegetables, caterpillars and butterflies).
d. Contrast inherited traits with traits and behaviors that are not inherited but may be learned or induced by environmental factors (e.g., cat purring to cat meowing to be let out of the house; the round shape of a willow is inherited, while leaning away from the prevailing wind is induced).
e. Investigate variations and similarities in plants grown from seeds of a parent plant (e.g., how seeds from the same plant species can produce different colored flowers or identical flowers).
Assignments (Resource: U of U Teach.Genetics)
The Story of Fido's Physical Traits Video
Assignment 1: An Inventory of My Traits
Students take an inventory of their own easily-observable genetic traits and compare those inventories with other students in groups.
Assignment 2: Observable Human Characteristics
Assignment 3: Genetics Webquest
Click on the link to view Tour of Basic Genetics to complete your webquest handout.
Assignment 4: A Tree of Genetic Traits
Students find the most and least common combination of traits in the class by marking their traits for tongue rolling, earlobe attachment, and PTC tasting on paper leaf cut-outs. Students then organize the leaves on a large "tree of traits."
Assignment 5: Family Traits Trivia (Homework)
Students use game cards to inventory the traits in their family. (Note: individuals in families do not need to be related to participate in this activity.)
Assignment 6: Generations of Traits
Students track and record the passage of colored "pom-pom traits" through three generations of ginger-bread people.
Assignment 7: Traits Bingo
In this review activity, students cross off or color bingo squares in response to questions about their traits.
Assignment 8: Handy Family Tree (Homework)
Students distinguish between inherited and learned traits by creating a "family tree of traits" using hand prints. (Note: Individuals in families do not need to be related to participate in this activity.)
Assignment 9: A Recipe for Traits
Students learn that differences in DNA lead to different traits by: 1) randomly choosing strips of paper that represent DNA, then 2) decoding the DNA strips to complete a drawing of a dog.
Assignment 10: Family Traits and Traditions
Students and their families play a matching game with cards to identify traits that are inherited and traits that are learned or passed on through tradition.
Assignment 1: An Inventory of My Traits
Students take an inventory of their own easily-observable genetic traits and compare those inventories with other students in groups.
Assignment 2: Observable Human Characteristics
Assignment 3: Genetics Webquest
Click on the link to view Tour of Basic Genetics to complete your webquest handout.
Assignment 4: A Tree of Genetic Traits
Students find the most and least common combination of traits in the class by marking their traits for tongue rolling, earlobe attachment, and PTC tasting on paper leaf cut-outs. Students then organize the leaves on a large "tree of traits."
Assignment 5: Family Traits Trivia (Homework)
Students use game cards to inventory the traits in their family. (Note: individuals in families do not need to be related to participate in this activity.)
Assignment 6: Generations of Traits
Students track and record the passage of colored "pom-pom traits" through three generations of ginger-bread people.
Assignment 7: Traits Bingo
In this review activity, students cross off or color bingo squares in response to questions about their traits.
Assignment 8: Handy Family Tree (Homework)
Students distinguish between inherited and learned traits by creating a "family tree of traits" using hand prints. (Note: Individuals in families do not need to be related to participate in this activity.)
Assignment 9: A Recipe for Traits
Students learn that differences in DNA lead to different traits by: 1) randomly choosing strips of paper that represent DNA, then 2) decoding the DNA strips to complete a drawing of a dog.
Assignment 10: Family Traits and Traditions
Students and their families play a matching game with cards to identify traits that are inherited and traits that are learned or passed on through tradition.
Videos
