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3rd grade · Science · Unit 5 of 8

Traits & Variation

Traits come from parents, and the environment matters too.

What your child practices

Practices how plants and animals inherit traits from their parents, how traits vary within a family, and how the environment can change traits like size or health.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: 3-LS3-1; 3-LS3-2 · traits are inherited from parents, vary within a group, and can be influenced by the environment

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Inherited traits come from parents, like eye color or hair type.
  2. Brothers and sisters can have different traits.
  3. The environment can change traits too, like a plant growing short with little water.

Example: A dog has spots like its mother. Is that inherited or from the environment? It came from a parent. Answer: inherited

Traits & Variation in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 5 of 8 in 3rd grade Science, after Speed & Motion and before Surviving in a Habitat.

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: Maine 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

    A plant grows short because it got little sunlight. This trait was affected by…

    • magic
    • its parents only
    • the moon
    • the environment

  2. Question 2

    Which is a learned behavior, not inherited?

    • A dog's tail shape
    • A dog's fur type
    • A dog sitting on command
    • A dog's eye color

  3. Question 3

    Kittens in a litter have different colors. This is called…

    • pollination
    • erosion
    • migration
    • variation

  4. Question 4

    Which is an inherited trait?

    • Eye color
    • Knowing how to read
    • A scar from a fall
    • A haircut

  5. Question 5

    A sprout grows pale and tall in the dark. Its color is affected by…

    • lack of light
    • its parents
    • its seed shape
    • its age only

  6. Question 6

    A hydrangea's flower color changes with the soil. This shows…

    • flowers are not alive
    • soil has no effect
    • parents control everything
    • the environment can affect traits

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