Science
SCI.III.3.1
Grade: 2
Strand:
Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science
- Heredity
Standard:
All students will investigate and explain how characteristics of living things
are passed on through generations.
Benchmark: Give evidence that characteristics are passed from parents to young.
Constructing and Reflecting:
SCI.I.1.1 - Generate reasonable questions about the world based on observation.
SCI.I.1.2 - Develop solutions to problems through reasoning, observation, and investigation.
SCI.I.1.5 - Develop strategies and skills for information gathering and problem solving.
SCI.II.1.1 - Develop an awareness of the need for evidence in making decisions scientifically.
SCI.II.1.3 - Describe ways in which technology is used in everyday life.
SCI.II.1.5 - Develop an awareness of contributions made to science by people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Vocabulary / Key Concepts
Context
Characteristics:
• hair and feather color
• eye color
• leaf shape
• flower structure
Examples of mature and immature organisms:
• dogs / puppies
• cats / kittens
• maple trees / saplings
• plants / seedlings
Parent, young, similar, different, same,
characteristics
Knowledge and Skills
Benchmark Clarification:
All living things pass on characteristics to their
offspring. Common physical characteristics can be
used to match the offspring of an organism with its
parent. Students will:
•
Identify that a puppy looks like a dog
•
Identify that a kitten looks like a cat
•
Identify that saplings look like trees
•
Identify that seedlings look like plants
Other Resources (continued from column at right)
Teachers’ Domain – Multimedia Resources –
video clips, narratives and photos of animals and
their adaptations. Lots to choose from –
AWESOME site!
Resources
Coloma Resources:
Plant and Tree Posters
Classroom Unit on The Life Cycle of a Tree
Books:
The Sunflower big book and teachers guide
Maple Tree Book
The Leaves Book
How Birds Find Their Way
Watch Me Grow Puppy
“Inherited Humans” (activity on features we
inherit)
Goes to Seed Video
Gets Planted Video
http://www.teachersdomain.org/K2/sci/life/colt/subtopic_plants.html
Other Resources:
Michigan Teacher Network Resources
http://mtn.merit.edu/mcf/SCI.III.3.E.1.html
Whose Baby Are You? Card game
http://www.frankschaffer.com/
National Geographic – Creature Feature
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creatur
e_feature/0103/elephants2.html
Whose Baby Are You? 20 look and match photo
puzzles
http://www.livingandlearning.com/
Photos of mothers and babies (animals)
http://shamus.250x.com/a5.html
Guarino, Deborah, Is Your Mama a Llama?
Scholastic,1997.
National Geographic - Dinorama
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/dinorama/
Explore and enjoy photos, information, and even
sounds of hundreds of animals in the fascinating
Animal Bytes database from Sea World.
BCISD Classroom Resources – Life Science
http://www.seaworld.org/animalbytes/animal%5Fb
ytes.html
Nature magazines, animal books, computer flipart.
Biography or information about Charles Darwin.
http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/bcisd/classres/lsci
ence.htm
Instruction
Assessment
What Characteristics of living things are passed on Students brainstorm a set of parent / offspring
through generations?
organisms to create a Venn diagram. The
diagram will illustrate the similarities and
differences of the organism pictured on the
Focus Question: What physical characteristics
are shared between a young living thing and its
cards or brainstormed.
parent?
Students will each select a plant or animal
(encourage no repeats!). Each child then will
obtain two pictures of that plant or animal, one as
an immature organism and one as a mature
organism. Pictures can be provided by the teacher
or found on the computer. Students then will
mount the pictures on two 3 x 5 cards. The
teacher then will divide the class into small groups.
Each member will put his or her two picture cards
face down on a desk, mixed with the other
members’ cards. In turn, students will flip one card
over and attempt to find its mate. If no match is
found after a child has turned up two cards, both
cards are turned back over and play progresses to
the next student. A student making a match must
explain the shared characteristics to keep the
matched cards. Play ends when all matches have
been made.
Coloma Instruction:
Hang the Plant and Tree Posters
Start this unit off by using the Sunflower big book
with teachers guide.
Show the “Goes to Seed” video
Read The Maple Tree Book and The Leaves
Book.
Show the “Gets Planted” video
Do the classroom unit on The Life Cycle of a Tree.
(book will be in the Kit)
Conclude by doing “Inherited Human”
(Give students rubric before activity.)
Scoring Rubric
Criteria: Identification of common characteristics
Apprentice - Identifies up to one of the shared
characteristics.
Basic - Identifies two of the shared characteristics.
Meets -Identifies three of the shared characteristics.
Exceeds - Identifies four or more of the shared
characteristics-or-Identifies indistinct characteristics
that may make a positive link questionable.
Criteria: Completeness of Venn diagram
Apprentice - Constructs a Venn diagram with data
missing from one or more sections.
Basic - Constructs a Venn diagram with data in all
three sections; some data may be inaccurate.
Meets -Constructs a Venn diagram with complete
and accurate data.
Constructs a Venn diagram and another graphic
organizer with complete and accurate data.
Teacher Notes:
http://www.misd.net/mibig/
Investigate and explain how characteristics of living things are passed on through generations.
Like produces like. To enable a child to understand why grandparents claim that they look just like their
parents at their age requires many learning experiences. Elementary students should be able to provide
evidence that visible traits are passed on from parents to children by comparisons of color, structure, and
direct measurements. They should be able to match offspring to corresponding parents.
By middle school, students should know how characteristics of living things are passed from generation to
generation. Common traits controlled by a single gene pair should be taught in the middle school years as well
as the reproductive cells which facilitate this happening. They should be aware that when the sperm fertilizes
the egg, the sperm passes the genetic material (genes) of the father to the egg. The genes of the father's
sperm and mother's egg then contribute to the formation of an entirely new individual having characteristics
from both parents.
Students at the high school level should understand that genes occur and act in pairs. If a dominant gene is
present, it is fully expressed. A recessive gene will not be expressed in the presence of a dominant gene. A
cross or combination of other gene pairs can show what future generations may inherit, or predict those
chances of traits being exhibited such as sickle cell anemia and other genetic disorders.