Science Unit 4: Inherited Traits

Ken’s neighbor has a dog. Every time Ken goes to his neighbor’s house, he notices that the dog sits

whenever someone enters the front door.

Which would be the BEST question for Ken to ask his neighbor to determine if this is a learned or

instinctual behavior?

• Does your dog sit when he gets nervous?

• How many times a day does your dog sit?

• Did you train your dog to sit when visitors arrive?

• Did your dog used to run away when the door opened?

What is one factor that may influence an inherited trait?

• a tropical storm

• a genetic change

• a traumatic injury

• an infectious disease

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NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which statement correctly describes learned behaviors?

• Learned behaviors are genetically determined.

• Learned behaviors stay constant despite experience.

• Learned behaviors do not require practice to perfect.

• Learned behaviors are taught by parents to their offspring.

Which statement describes an inherited trait?

• a trait influenced by an organism's diet

• a trait modified by an organism's behavior

• a trait present at birth that remains unchanged

• a trait acquired through exposure to an environmental factor

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NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Jennifer was researching different inherited traits. She created a table to collect all of her data. Based on her research, what question is Jennifer MOST LIKELY trying to answer?

• Can inherited traits be changed?

• Can acquired traits be inherited?

• Are inherited traits easy to change?

• Why do people change their inherited traits?

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NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which question, when answered with "yes", indicates that a behavior is an instinct?

• Does the behavior happen after the organism sees it?

• Does the behavior improve the more the organism does it?

• Is the behavior the same in all organisms in a population?

• Is the behavior taught through play based experiences?

Based on the page from Lauren’s log book, which question is she MOST LIKELY interested in answering at the conclusion of her project?

• Will inherited traits change over time?

• When do people choose acquired traits?

• Do all people choose to change their inherited traits?

• Can acquired traits be passed from parents to children?

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NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

According to Discover Magazine, crows have the ability to remember the faces of humans they associate with a bad experience. A research team wore masks while they captured, tagged, and released a small group of crows. Other crows that saw the capture and tagging dive bombed the researchers and squawked to alert the danger. The researchers then tested both groups of crows to see how they would respond to the masks over time and found that there was a reaction to the mask. Which statement BEST represents a question a student should ask to compare the behaviors of both groups of crows in the study?

• Do the crows respond because they don’t like masks?

• Is the squawking sound different among the groups of crows?

• How are the crows able to recognize a mask rather than a face?

• How might the crows respond to a mask not worn during the tagging?

Camille put her hand on the hot stove and quickly pulled her hand away when she felt the heat. Which question could one ask Camille to determine if her behavior was learned or if it was an instinct?

• Is this something you would do again?

• Had anyone ever taught you to pull your hand away when you touched hot items?

• Would an oven mitt have prevented your hand from touching the hot part of the stove?

• Could taking cooking classes have prevented you from touching the hot part of the stove?

Miss Stanley’s fifth grade class was studying the behaviors of circus animals. To gather more insight, Miss Stanley allowed her students to post their questions about these behaviors on the circus’s blog. Which student asked a question about the learned behaviors of the circus’s animals?

• Karen

• Juan

• Paul

• Corrine

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NGSS.4-LS1-2