Lesson 4 of 5 · Heredity

Experiment⭐ 30 XP

Traits, Parents and Variation

🧪Lab Brief #4

Traits, Parents and Variation.

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

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Mind = Blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

What You'll Learn

Offspring resemble their parents because they inherit genetic information from both, but no two siblings are identical. Some variation is inherited, some comes from the environment, and most visible traits are a combination of the two.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

notebook
tape measure

Safety First

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.

Step 2 — Do

Survey your class for eye colour, height and whether they can roll their tongue. Classify each trait as mostly inherited, mostly environmental or both, and justify each classification in one sentence.

Step 3 — Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 — Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

Height in humans is best described as:

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

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Where you see this in real life

This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

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For the dinner table

“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

🧪Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

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Ready?