Alaska Science
Key Element A11

A student who meets the content standard should understand that similar features are passed on by genes through reproduction (Heredity).

Performance Standard Level 1, Ages 5–7

Students identify similarities and differences between offspring and their parents.

Sample Assessment Ideas

• Students observe a litter of puppies; compare the young animals to each other and to their parents.

• Students examine a portrait of a large family (or multigenerational family); list the features each child has in common with each parent. (NOTE: Use of a non-personal family portrait may reduce emotional turmoil in the classroom.)

Standards Cross-References
( Alaska Department of Education & Early Development Standards)

National Science Education Standards

Plants and animals closely resemble their parents. (Page 129)

Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from an individual’s interactions with the environment. Inherited characteristics include the color of flowers and the number of limbs of an animal. Other features, such as the ability to ride a bicycle, are learned through interactions with the environment and cannot be passed on to the next generation. (Page 129)

The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment. (Page 157)

Benchmarks

There is variation among individuals of one kind or within a population. (Page 107)

Offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents and like one another. (Page 107)