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9th grade · Science · Unit 2 of 10

Reproduction

Asexual and sexual reproduction

What your child practices

How organisms reproduce with one parent or two, why sexual reproduction creates variety, the parts of a flower, and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: HS.L3U1.24 · how sexual reproduction creates genetic variation

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Asexual reproduction makes offspring from one parent; they are identical to it.
  2. Sexual reproduction joins an egg and a sperm from two parents, so offspring get a new mix of genes.
  3. In a flower, the stamen makes pollen and the pistil holds the eggs.

Example: A potato sprouts a new plant from its eye. Asexual or sexual reproduction? Only one parent is involved. No egg or sperm joins. Answer: asexual

Reproduction in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 10 in 9th grade Science, after Cells from Cells and before Atoms & Electrons.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Why does sexual reproduction increase variety within a species?

    • Mutations never happen.
    • Offspring are copies of one parent.
    • Parents choose which genes to pass on.
    • Offspring get a new mix of genes from two parents.

  2. Question 2

    What is fertilization?

    • When a seed is planted
    • When a sperm cell and an egg cell join
    • When a cell divides in two
    • When a plant makes sugar

  3. Question 3

    Which is a way flowering plants reproduce sexually?

    • A tuber sprouts
    • A leaf grows into a new plant
    • A branch is cut and planted
    • Pollen from one flower fertilizes another flower's ovule

  4. Question 4

    In plants, what are the male parts of a flower called (together)?

    • stamens
    • sepals
    • pistils
    • petals

  5. Question 5

    Offspring from asexual reproduction are…

    • genetically identical to the parent
    • completely different from the parent
    • a mix of two parents' genes
    • always female

  6. Question 6

    What is the role of the ovary in a flower?

    • It attracts pollinators.
    • It holds the ovules, which may become seeds.
    • It holds the flower up.
    • It makes pollen.

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