Classification & Inherited Traits
Newsletter 2007-2008
Volume 1, Issue 5.3
Dear Parents,
The purpose of this newsletter is to give you an overview of what your child will be learning during our
current unit of study in science. Please take a moment to look over the different sections of this newsletter.
You will see example questions, important terms to know, and some extension activities you can do at home.
Parent Background:
Scientists have named over one million species of animals. Animals are organized into
invertebrates (organisms with no backbone) and vertebrates (organisms with a backbone). The vertebrate
category is further broken down into fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal.
There are over 250,000 species of plants living on Earth today. Plants are divided into two categories:
vascular (plants with a xylem and a phloem to transport nutrients and water) and nonvascular (plants that rely
on diffusion and osmosis to move materials through the plant). Because nonvascular plants do not have a way
to move nutrients long distances, they are small in size. Nonvascular plants include mosses and liverworts.
Vascular plants can be divided into three categories: seedless, non-flowering seeded (gymnosperms), and
flowering seeded (angiosperms).
Every organism requires a set of blueprints to detail its traits. Heredity is the passage of these
blueprints from one generation to the next. Hereditary information is contained in genes, located in the
chromosomes of each cell. Each gene carries a single unit of information. An inherited trait of an individual
can be determined by one or by many genes, and a single gene can influence more than one trait. A human
cell contains many thousands of genes.
The characteristics of an organism can be described by traits. Some traits are inherited (innate
behavior) and others result from the interactions with the environment (learned behavior). Some inherited
traits are present at birth, while others develop later in an animal’s life. Learned behavior is behavior that has
been gained from experience or from observing other animals. Many young animals learn from watching their
parents or other animals’ behavior.
Students will know…
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the difference between vertebrates and
invertebrates
how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish,
amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal)
how plants are sorted into groups based on like
characteristics
what a gene is and the role genes play in the
transfer of traits
Students will be able to…
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compare/contrast invertebrate & vertebrate
animals based upon their similarities and
differences
compare/contrast vascular and nonvascular
plants
differentiate between inherited traits and
learned behavior
locate and identify genes
demonstrate how genes are transferred
Read some of these titles with your 5th grader…
 A. Tarpley’s I Love My Hair
 Kissinger & Krutein’s All the Colors We Are: Todos los Colores de Nuestra Piel/ The Story Of
How We Get Our Skin Color..
 L. Rosove’s Rosie’s Family: An Adoption Story
 Aloian and Kalman’s The Life Cycle of a Flower.
 G. Gibbons’ Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids
 Locker & Christiansen’s Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art
Visit these websites with your 5th grader:
http://ology.amnh.org/genetics/geneticjourney/index.html interactive genes site
http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/critters/critter2.html interactive classification site
Ways Parents Can Help
Vocabulary
classification: the grouping of organisms based on their similarities and differences
vertebrate: an animal that has a backbone
invertebrate: an animal that does not have a backbone
botanist: a scientist who studies plants
vascular plant: a plant that moves water and food from its roots to its stems and leaves
Well what about the mature student
through tube-like structures.
having trouble with weight and
couldn'ttissues
tell his
old tons
nonvascular plant: a plant that absorbs water mass?
through He
its surface
because
it lacks
tube-like structures to move food and water. from his Newton
inherited trait: a characteristic that is passed from parents to their offspring
learned behavior: a behavior that an animal develops by observing other animals or by
being taught
offspring: new organisms that come from parent organisms
Sample
gene Test Prep Question #1
Sample Test Prep Question #2
Which of the following would be
classified as a vertebrate?
Which is a trait people are born with?
A. ability to play the piano
B. ability to speak a language
C. color of eyes
D. dislike for certain foods
Genetic Joke
Question:
What do you get if you cross a
parrot with a lion?
Answer:
“I don’t know, but when it
talks you better listen!”
Answers to Test Prep:
1) D has a backbone
2) C