1 st Grade Sample STEM Activity

Inheritance of Traits Animal Trait Inheritance and Variation With a partner, discuss these questions. Do all animals look alike? Why? Do all lions look alike? Why? Do all baby lions look like their parents? Why? 1

Animal Traits Inheritance and Variation of Traits Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits To Whom Do I Belong? Alternative Picture Cards 1

Procedure and Facilitation Points Part One 1. Teachers discuss with the students that parents, whether it be human parents, animal parents, plant parents, or bug parents, pass traits to their offspring. The baby animal looks similar to its parents, but not exactly the same. In what ways can offspring look like their parents? Same color hair or color skin, same number of legs, eyes, etc. Do you look just like your mom or dad? Answers will vary and should reflect their characteristics and features as compared to their parents features. When parents have more than one offspring, do they look similar or exactly the same?they ll probably look similar but not exactly the same. They might look alike with the hair color and eye color, number of arms and legs. They might look different because they have different hair color, length of hair. If you have a brother or sister, do you look exactly like them? We both have 2 eyes and 10 fingers, but we look different because of [answers will vary based on students features]. Even identical twins will probably explain features that are different. 2. Explain to students that they will create a bug at their table that looks similar to the bug parents. Every table group creates their own bug. The bug may not look exactly like its mom or dad. It gets traits from both. 3. As a class, students observe the different traits of the parent bug. The teacher creates an anchor chart or table of all the trait possibilities and make it visible to the students while they create their own bug. Part Two 1. Observe the features on the mom and dad bugs and discuss their traits with your group. 2. As a group, decide which traits your bug will get from its parents. 3. Create your bug and complete the Student Journal Page in your journal.

4. Go on a gallery walk and see all the different bugs that were created from the same parents. 5. Discuss: Which traits did your bug get from the mom? Our bugs eye color, body shape, and body color were inherited from the mom. Which traits did your bug get from the dad? Our bugs body markings, legs, and wings were inherited from the dad. When you observe all the bugs in the class, what do you notice? Some of the bugs look almost exactly alike. Some of the bugs look different from each other and only have a few traits in common. 6. Explain to students that they were all choosing from the same traits, but that each group created a different bug. This is a great time to show students how different variations of the traits can be seen with the same set of parents. 7. We chose the different traits for our bugs, but do you think that parents get to choose the traits of their children? No, what we look like is based on what our parents looks like.

Animal Traits Inheritance and Variation of Traits Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits Bugs! Trait Table Traits Mom Bug Dad Bug Body Size Body Shape Body Color Eye Shape Eye Color Antennae Tail Wings Legs Large Oval Pink Square Purple Straight Short, pointy, orange No wings Short, fat Small Triangle Blue Circle Green Zigzag No tail Yellow Long, skinny 1

Animal Traits Inheritance and Variation of Traits Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits Bugs! Student Journal The body shape will be just like the bug. The body color will be just like the bug. The eye color will be just like the bug. The eye shape will be just like the bug. Bug Drawing 1

Animal Traits Inheritance and Variation of Traits Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits Write in the correct parent. 1. The body size came from the bug. 2. The body shape came from the bug. 3. The body color came from the bug. 4. The eye shape came from the bug. 5. The eye color came from the bug. 6. The antennae came from the bug. 7. The tail came from the bug. 8. The wings came from the bug. 9. The leg length came from the bug. 10. The body markings came from the bug. Draw a sibling bug from another group. 2

Procedure and Facilitation Points 1. Explain that the puppies at the adoption center got separated from their parents. The puppies must be matched back with their parents before they can be adopted. 2. Look at the parent and baby cards closely to match up the parents and their offspring. 3. Choose one set of cards and complete the Student Journal Sheet in your Interactive Notebook. 4. Even though each student will glue his/her own pictures into the journals, students can still work and discuss the activity in groups. 5. Discuss: How are the mom and dad dogs the same? They are both about the same size, same color, and their faces look alike. How are the mom and dad dogs different? They have different color fur, they are different sizes, one has longer fur. What clues did you use to match the baby to the right parents? I picked the dogs that look the most alike. I picked the ones that have similar faces and colors. Prompt (CER) Do baby animals look similar to their parents?

Inheritance of Traits Are You My Parents? Animal Parent Cards Mom 1 Mom 2 Mom 3 Dad 1 Dad 2 Dad 3 Animal Baby Cards Baby a Baby b Baby c

Inheritance of Traits Are You My Parents? Student Journal Glue picture of parent animals here. Traits from Mom Dog Glue picture of baby here. Traits from Dad Dog 1

Extensions STEMcoach in Action Students will benefit from the extension activities by exploring inherited traits. Students may have misconceptions about heredity such as they may think they only inherited traits from one parent if they look more like their mother for instance. Create - Invent an Animal Each student names and creates an original animal and its baby with paper, pencil and crayon. Student must say or write how they are alike and different. Post for all to share. Book Share - Baby Animals Share pictures in a book similar to 101 Baby Animals. Generate a list of how baby animals are similar and different from their parents. Have pairs of students work together to draw a baby animal and a parent. Make sure the uncommon animals are included. Students report to the class or write about how the parent and baby are similar and different. Game - Are You My Mother? Share book, Are You My Mother?. Assign pairs of students to an animal. Using large index cards, have one student draw and color the adult animal while his partner draws the baby animal. Instruct students to write the names of the animals on their individual cards. If a student knows the vocabulary for the name of the baby animal, have him/her write that as well. If students are working on the horse parent and baby, for example, one draws the adult horse and writes horse. The other student draws the baby and writes colt (horse). Mix the cards. Attach only cards with baby animals to the backs of students. The other half of the class holds the cards with the parent pictures. Students with the baby animals attached go to a classmate and ask, Are you my mother? If not, the student with the parent card gives a hint, No, you don t have fur. Students with baby cards continue asking questions until they find their parent matches. Pairs of students sit together as they find their matches.

Picture Vocabulary NGSS Life Science

Individuals One person

Recognize Understand who the person is

Similar Things that are mostly the same

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits Scenario Timmy saw some baby kittens with their mother in the park. He noticed the kittens were mostly the same color as her, but one was not. He wondered where the other color came from. Prompt Thinking like a scientist, where do you think the other color of fur came from? Claim: The other color of fur came from. Evidence: Write how you know! Draw how you know! 1

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits Animal Trait Inheritance and Variation CER Student Rubric 3 2 1 Claim My claim was correct. I made a claim, but it was incorrect. I did not make a claim. Evidence I gave evidence that helped me make my claim. I gave evidence, but it didn t have anything to do with my claim. I did not give any evidence. 2

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 1 The cat is the mother of the kitten. What trait is the same for the cat and the kitten? A The stripes B Long tail C Pointy ears D Small body 1

Plant Trait Inheritance and Variation Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 2 This elephant had a baby. What will the foot of a baby elephant look like? A B C D 2

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 3 These are all the same kind of beetle. How are the beetles different? A They are not all the same size. B They have a different number of legs. C Not all of them have six spots. D Some of them don t have any eyes. 3

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 4 Four puppies were born to the same mother dog. Puppy Fur Feet Ears Tail 1 Brown White Short Curly 2 Brown White Long Curly 3 White Brown Long Curly 4 Brown Brown Long Curly How are all the puppies the same? A Brown fur B White feet C Long ears D Curly tail 4

Plant Trait Inheritance and Variation Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 5 How can a young fish look like the mother fish? A The mother lays eggs. B Both have long fins. C The young fish is small. D Some birds eat fish. 5

Animal Trait Inheritance and Variati 1 Observe the animals in the picture. How are they alike and different? One way they are alike is One way they are different is 2 Linda's dog is about to have puppies! Draw a picture of how they will look. 1

3 Do all baby animals look like their parents? A baby animal that looks like its parent is a(n) A baby animal that does not look like its parent is a(n) 2

Inheritance of Traits and Variation of Traits Level A 1. When a snake is born, it resembles its parents in many different ways. However, a newborn snake is much shorter than its mother. Measure the snakes below with Unifix cubes, and circle the total amount of inches on the line next to the snake. Next, in the box that is next to each snake s tail, number the snakes from shortest to longest, beginning with number one. The first one has been done for you. Inches 1 cube = 10 inches 60 30 Inches Mother Copperhead 10 30 Inches Newborn Copperhead 50 30 Inches 20 30 Mother Timber Rattlesnake Newborn Timber Rattlesnake 1 2. Using the image from above, how many more inches would be needed to make the newborn Copperhead the same size as her mother? A. 30 inches B. 20 inches C. 50 inches How many more inches would be needed to make the newborn Timber Rattlesnake the same size as her mother? A. 80 inches B. 10 inches C. 30 inches 1

Inches Animal Trait Inheritance and Variation Inheritance of Traits and Variation of Traits Level A 3. Various baby animals are born in the zoo. The animals below represent a mother and its offspring that resemble each other in many different ways. Look at the animals below, and create a bar graph of their heights. mother zebra = 60 inches baby zebra = 30 inches mother gorilla = 80 inches baby gorilla = 20 inches Circle the animal that is taller. Animal Heights 80 70 mother zebra = 60 inches mother gorilla = 80 inches 60 50 40 How many more inches taller is the animal? Circle the correct subtraction problem below. A.30 20 = 10 B.80 60 = 20 30 20 10 0 mother zebra baby zebra mother gorilla baby gorilla C.60 60 = 0 4. A baby groundhog is 11 inches long, and its mother is 20 inches long. Circle one of the objects below that is shorter than a baby groundhog. 2

Math Connections Included Common Core Math Standards MP.5- Use appropriate tools strategically. MP.2- Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 1.MD.A.1- Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object. 1.MD.A.2- Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by layering multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. 1.OA.A.1 Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. 1.NBT.C.6 Subtract multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 from multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (positive or zero differences), using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used. Activity Students are expected to directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common. Materials: Student Handout (one per student or pair of students) Pencil (one per student) Crayons Math manipulatives Paperclips

Preparation: Decide on a grouping format or have students work individually. Work through the student activity. Prepare Guiding Questions and possible student answers before beginning this activity in order to interpret student misconceptions and errors. Some examples of Guiding Questions are: o o How can we compare numbers by matching up the sets? How can we count with one to one correspondence? Be prepared to use and explain key terms such as: counting by 10s, higher, lower, taller, shorter

From Pup to Dog Reading Science 1 st Grade: Animal Trait Inheritance and Variation Lexile: 560L 1

Inheritance of Traits Biscuit was Sally s dog. Biscuit just had five puppies. Sally was so excited to see the new pups! Sally saw all the pups had fur. Biscuit had yellow fur. 2

Inheritance of Traits Some of the pups had yellow fur. Some of the pups had spots around their eyes. Not all the pups looked the same. Why are they all different? Sally asked her mom. 3

Inheritance of Traits Sally s mom told her that young animals get traits from their parents. Traits are things that are the same among the same kind of animal. Traits that are passed from the parents to their young are called inherited traits. 4

Inheritance of Traits Puppies have fur because their parents have fur, said Sally s mom. They also have four legs, two ears, two eyes, and a nose. These traits were passed down from their parents. Young animals inherit some traits from their parents. 5

Inheritance of Traits What else do they get from their parents? Sally wanted to know. Puppies also get the way their body is built from their parents. If parents have a long tail, then the puppies may also have a long tail. 6

Inheritance of Traits If a parent is a kind dog, it may also pass that trait on to its young. Sometimes the way an animal behaves can also be passed down from parent to child. 7

Inheritance of Traits Wow, said Sally. I didn t know all of these traits came from the parent. What can be different? 8

Inheritance of Traits Their eye and hair color can vary a little, replied her mom. Biscuit has yellow fur because her parents had yellow fur. Biscuit is passing that trait to her young. 9

Inheritance of Traits Some are different. Look at the spots. Young animals are very much like their parents. They are not exactly the same. 10 10

Inheritance of Traits Some of Biscuit s pups have spots, and their fur is not all the exact same color. The pups will grow to be about the same size as Biscuit. They will not be exactly the same height or weight. 11

Inheritance of Traits Wow, these puppies are alike but different! They are so cute! exclaimed Sally as she watched Biscuit and her new pups. 12

From Pup to Dog Comprehension Questions Reading Science First Grade: Animal Trait Inheritance and Variation Lexile: 560L 13

Inheritance of Traits 1 Which sentence tells you that Sally was curious? A Wow! said Sally. B What else do they get from their parents? Sally wanted to know. C They are so cute! D These puppies are alike but different! 14

Inheritance of Traits 2 What would be another good title for this selection? A Sally s Day B Biscuit s Puppies C Puppies are Born D Sally s Exciting Day 15

Inheritance of Traits 3 What would mean the same as trait in this selection? A similar among a group B different among a group C a touch D a dog 16

Inheritance of Traits 4 What would be a trait that a human would get from their parents? A a chipped or broken tooth B how tall they are C what they like to eat D the clothes they wear 17

Inheritance of Traits 5 What would be a trait that an animal may have that varies from its parent? A their number of legs B their number of eyes C their eye color D their number of ears 18

6 What word(s) helps the reader know what the word varies means? A hair color B different C yellow fur D spots 19