Simulating Inheritance of Height in Plants
Written by Jenifer C. Utz, PhD
School of Life Sciences, UNLV
3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited
from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. [Clarification
Statement: Patterns are the similarities and differences in traits shared between offspring and their parents, or
among siblings. Emphasis is on organisms other than humans.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not
include genetic mechanisms of inheritance and prediction of traits. Assessment is limited to non-human
examples.]
Science and Engineering Practices:
Asking questions
Developing and using models
Analyzing and interpreting data
Using mathematics and computational thinking
Constructing explanations
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Crosscutting Concepts:
Patterns
Systems and system models
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents.
LS3.B: Variation of Traits
Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited
information.
I.
Topic Question
How do plants and animals acquire their physical characteristics?
Plants and animals acquire their physical characteristics from…I think this because…
II.
Topic Description
In this lesson we will study how plant offspring obtain their physical characteristics. We will conduct a
simulation where we choose parent plants with different characteristics, and we will investigate how
those characteristics are represented in the offspring.
III.
Prediction/Beginning Ideas
A few friends were talking about their gardens. They were discussing how the new sprouts compared to
the parent plants. This is what they said:
Luke: “The new sprouts look just like the male parent plant.”
Quinn: “The new sprouts look just like the female parent plant.”
Juan: “The new sprouts look similar to both parent plants.”
My idea about the new sprouts most agrees with… I think this because…
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
IV.
Tests
We will be looking at the trait of plant height. We will use pictures of plants to represent the parents and
the offspring. These pictures model what could happen with live plants. Students (partners or small
groups) will select parent plants then the teacher will hand out the corresponding pictures of the
offspring. Students will analyze the characteristics of the offspring. Each group of students will analyze
2 different sets of parents and offspring. Each group should analyze one data set investigating plant
height where the parents are the same (Sets 1 and 4) and one where the parents are different (Sets 2 and
3). After all students have evaluated their plants, the class will work together to generate a summary of
all the results.
For investigation of plant height:
Set 1: tall female and tall male parent plants
Set 2: tall female and short male parent plants
Set 3: short female and tall male parent plants
Set 4: short female and short male parent plants
Note to teacher: All the offspring for Sets 1 and 4 will have the same height trait as the parents. The
offspring for Sets 2 and 3 will be approximately half tall and half short. When making multiple copies
(to accommodate large classes and allow for multiple groups to examine the same combinations of
parent plants) modify each set to yield unique results (see examples of class summary data on the
following pages).
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
V.
Observations
Investigation of Plant Height
Parent Plant Traits
Female parent plant height was ______________
Male parent plant height was ______________
Offspring Traits
The total number of offspring was ___________
Samples to use for classifying offspring height:
Fill in the specific height traits (tall or short) in the spaces provided before answering the questions
about the offspring.
The female parent plant was _________. How many offspring had the same height trait?
The male parent plant was _________. How many offspring had the same height trait?
How are the offspring similar to the parent plants?
How are the offspring different from the parent plants?
How are the offspring similar to each other?
How are the offspring different from each other?
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
Examples of class summary data
Set 1: tall female and tall male parent plants
Student
Number of tall plants
Number of short plants
Group
Group A
17
0
Group B
14
0
Group C
16
0
Total = 47 tall plants
Total = 0 short plants
Total number of plants
17
14
16
Grand Total = 47 plants
What can we say about the offspring when both parent plants are tall?
When both parent plants are tall…
All the offspring are tall. The only information the parents have to pass on to the offspring is
“tall” information. There are no traits present in the offspring that were not present in the parents.
Set 2: tall female and short male parent plants
Student
Number of tall plants
Number of short plants
Group
Group D
8
8
Group E
9
8
Group F
5
7
Total = 22 tall plants
Total = 23 short plants
Total number of plants
16
17
12
Grand Total = 45 plants
What can we say about the offspring when one parent is tall and the other is short?
When one parent plant is tall and the other is short…
About half the offspring are tall, and about half the offspring are short. The height information
from both parents was passed to the offspring. There are no traits present in the offspring that
were not present in the parents.
Additional questions for classroom discussion after all the data has been compiled:
Was there a pattern in the traits of the offspring when both parents had the same trait? (ex: both parents
are tall)
Yes, all the offspring resembled the parents when the parents had the same trait. Whether the parents
were tall or short, if there was only one type of height information in the parents that was the only
type of information that could be passed to the offspring.
Was there a pattern in the traits of the offspring when the parents had different traits? (ex: tall male and
short female)
Yes, about half the offspring resembled one parent while the other half resembled the second parent.
When the parents have different information about a trait, both types of information can be passed to
the offspring. Both parents contribute equally to the offspring.
Compare data set 2 (tall female and short male parent plants) and data set 3 (short female and tall male
parent plants). Did one parent contribute more strongly to the traits of the offspring or did both parents
contribute equally?
The results for data sets 2 and 3 were similar (~50% tall offspring, ~50% short offspring). It did not
make a difference which parent was tall and which parent was short; both parents contribute equally
to the offspring.
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
Did we ever find traits in the offspring that were not present in either parent? (ex: tall offspring from two
short parents)
No, the traits in the offspring were always present in the parents. Sometimes the trait was present in
one parent. At other times the trait was present in both parents. In all cases, the offspring inherited
their traits from the parents.
What mathematical tools can we use to represent our class data?
Fractions, percentages, bar graphs…
VI.
Scientific Argument
A. Claim
In this exercise, you used pictures of plants as a model to experiment with different combinations of
parent plants. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the relationship between the traits
of the parents and the traits of the offspring. The patterns we observed for plants also occur in
animals. What claim can you make about the following question?
How do plants and animals acquire their physical characteristics?
I can claim that…
B. Evidence
What evidence do you have from this investigation to support your claims?
My claims are supported by the following observations…
C. Rationale/Warrant/Justification
How does your evidence support your claim?
My evidence supports my claims because…
After students have completed their claim/evidence/justification statements, have them discuss their
ideas with their partner/group. A classroom discussion of ideas can follow.
VII.
Reading/Comparison
How do your ideas compare with others? How do they compare with the ideas in your textbook or other
readings?
Inheritance articles from ReadWorks.com that come with reading comprehension question sets:
You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog (but Only If Your Parents Were Too) Passage & Question Set
Grade: 3
Lexile Level: 980L
Domain: Life Science
Text Type: Informational
Skill/Strategy: Multi Skill/Strategy
Puppies and Their Parents Passage & Question Set
Grade: 3
Lexile Level: 790L
Domain: Life Science
Text Type: Informational
Skill/Strategy: Multi Skill/Strategy
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
VIII. Reflection
How have your ideas changed? How does this tie in with what you have learned in class? How can you
connect this exercise to something outside of the classroom? What new questions do you have?
Now that you have stated your thoughts about where plants and animals acquire their traits (your claim
and evidence) compare your understanding with the content presented in the readings.
In the content reading I learned…
In the content reading I confirmed my understanding of…
Initially, what did you state about the topic question?
How do plants and animals acquire their physical characteristics?
My original responses to the topic question was (copy response from section I):
I would like to amend my response to include/remove…
Looking back before and during the simulation activity, describe how your ideas have changed. If they
did not change, specifically describe the parts of this investigation and reading that confirmed your
thoughts.
My ideas have…
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards
NeCoTIP: Integrating Science and Language Arts with an Emphasis on Argument-Based Inquiry within the Context of Next
Generation Science and Common Core State Standards