Parents and Offspring
TEKS Objective
The student is expected to explore that some characteristics of organisms are inherited such as the number of limbs on an animal or flower color and recognize that some behaviors are learned in response to living in a certain environment such as animals using tools to get food.
Essential Understanding
The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environments.
Science Background
What Is Heredity? Genetic Science Learning Center (website) - A slideshow/tutorial that explains how traits are passed from parents to offspring.
What Is Heredity?
Genetic Science Learning Center, learn.genetics.utah.edu
Mendel’s First Law of Genetics: North Dakota State University (website) - Mendel's laws form the theoretical basis of our understanding of the genetics of inheritance. This site provides an excellent, detailed overview of Mendel’s work and key contributions to genetics research.
Mendel’s First Law of Genetics
North Dakota State University, www.ndsu.edu
Signature Lesson
Family Traits Trivia: University of Utah (website) - Families share many traits because children inherit characteristics from their parents. In this activity, students explore traits they share with their parents and other family members, as well as traits that are unique to them.
Family Traits Trivia
University of Utah, teach.genetics.utah.edu
- Supporting Lessons
- Extensions
- Assessment Ideas
- Literature Connections
- Related
TEKS - Additional Resources
Supporting Lessons
Changing Cicada: Science NetLinks (website) - Students explore the life cycle of periodical cicadas (insects) to study how offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents.
Elaboration Lessons and Extensions
Generations of Traits: University of Utah (website) - Students track and record the passage of “traits" through three generations of “ginger-bread people,” discovering that traits are passed from parents to offspring and that all siblings may not receive the same traits from their parents.
Generations of Traits
University of Utah, teach.genetics.utah.edu
Assessment Ideas
Click on the link below and print one or more copies of the photograph, which shows two dog parents and their puppies. Ask students to observe the photograph and select one of the offspring. Have each student describe, in writing, three ways in which the selected puppy resembles one or both parents, and three ways in which it is different.
Literature Connections
Animals and Their Young. Hickman, Pamela (ISBN-13: 978-1553370628)
How Animals care for their Babies. National Geographic (ISBN-13: 978-0792234074)
Who Grows Up in the Desert? Longenecker, Theresa (ISBN-13: 978-1404802063)
Who Grows Up in the Forest? Longenecker, Theresa (ISBN-13: 978-1404802070)
Who Grows Up in the Farm? Longenecker, Theresa (ISBN-13: 978-1404800298)
Who Grows Up in the Ocean? Longenecker, Theresa (ISBN-13: 978-1404802087)
Who Grows Up in the Snow? Longenecker, Theresa (ISBN-13: 978-1404802100)
Who Grows Up in the Rain Forest? Longenecker, Theresa (ISBN-13: 978-1404800274)
Blame Your Parents: Inherited Traits. Silverman, Buffy (ISBN-13: 978-1410928580)
Additional Resources
Traits Activities: Learn Genetics (website) - Choose from serveral different activites that deal with inherited traits such as "Traits Bingo" and "A Tree of Genetic Traits".
TEKS Navigation
Grade 3
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