Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today?

I hope you're feeling really good.

My name is Miss Afzal, and I'll be your teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling really pleased about that because we have a very interesting topic ahead.

We are looking at offspring.

I wonder if this is a term you've come across before, and I hope it's something you're gonna be interested in.

Our lesson is called "Offspring: Similar but Not Identical," and it comes from the unit of work "Evolution and Inheritance.

" So if you are ready to dive into this topic of offspring, if you have got some energy, focus, and enthusiasm, then we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is: I can describe how offspring of different animals are similar but not identical to their parents.

I hope that sounds of interest to you.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

I'd like us to go through them one at a time, saying them out loud.

My turn.

Your turn.

Are you ready?

Offspring.

Similar.

Vary.

Identical.

Variation.

Good to hear those keywords.

Pause here and share with someone, have you heard of any of these keywords, or do you know what they mean?

Thanks for sharing.

Let's go through the meanings of these words.

Living things create offspring when they reproduce.

Things that are similar have some things in common or are alike in some ways.

To vary is to differ or change.

Things that are identical are exactly the same as each other.

A variation is a difference between two or more things.

These are our keywords: offspring, similar, vary, identical, and variation.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called "Offspring: Similar but Not Identical," and it has two learning cycles: offspring and variation in offspring.

Let's begin by exploring offspring.

Andeep has been visiting a farm and noticed that lots of the animals had produced offspring.

Can you explain what offspring are?

Pause here and share your explanation with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

All animals reproduce.

When they reproduce, they make more offspring of the same kind.

Here we can see a penguin and its chick.

Oh, my, so super cute.

A zebra and its foal, so gorgeous.

And a clownfish and its fry.

Super lovely.

Pause here and share with someone, have you ever seen for yourself some animals with their offspring?

Thanks for sharing.

I've seen some sheep with little lambs before, which is so sweet.

Let's have a check for understanding: What are offspring?

Select from the following options.

A.

The parents of a living thing.

B.

The children or young of a living thing.

C.

Nests built by animals.

Pause here while you decide: what are offspring?

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, offspring are the children or young of a living thing.

Let's have another check for understanding: Which of these statements is correct?

Choose from the following.

A.

Animals produce offspring of the same kind.

B.

Only mammals produce offspring, not birds.

C.

Offspring are sometimes a completely different type to the parent organism.

Pause here while you decide which of these statements is correct.

Well done if you selected statement A.

Indeed, animals produce offspring of the same kind.

The offspring of a living thing shares characteristics of the organism that produced them.

This means they usually look similar to their parents.

Can you see the similarities between this parent and its offspring?

A goat with kids.

Pause here and share with somebody the similarities between this goat and the kids.

Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you talked about they have similar coloring.

They have horns and similar features.

Sometimes animals look quite different to their parents when they're young.

As we can see with this duck and the young offspring.

The similarities are sometimes much clearer when the animals have reached adulthood, as we can see with this duck with adult offspring.

Pause here and share with someone the difference between the young offspring and the adult offspring.

Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you talked about the little ducklings being yellow and being all soft and fluffy.

Whereas the adult offspring is white, much larger, and has feathers.

Normally, offspring vary and are not identical to their parents.

They look similar, but are not exactly the same.

Can you see any differences between this parent and its offspring: this giraffe and its calf?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Andeep: "I can see they have slightly different markings.

The patterns are similar but not identical.

" The difference between parents and their offspring is called variation.

Have you ever been told you look like one of your parents?

Pause here and share with someone if you've had this comment or if you've ever heard someone else making a comment like this to somebody.

Thanks for sharing.

You are their offspring, so you share many characteristics with them.

Here's Aisha: "People always tell me I look like my dad.

" And Sofia: "Lots of people say, 'I have my mother's eyes.

' Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false?

Offspring are always identical to their parents.

Pause here while you decide.

Is this statement true or false?

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer by choosing from one of these two statements.

A.

Offspring are completely different to their parents.

Or B.

Offspring are usually similar to their parents, but not exactly the same.

Pause here while you decide which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected statement B.

Indeed, offspring are usually similar to their parents, but not exactly the same.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to compare yourself and a parent, or use the pictures of Alex and Izzy with their parents, to identify shared characteristics.

So there we can see a picture of Alex and his mother, and there's Izzy and her father.

So pause here while you have a go at this task, comparing yourself and a parent or comparing Alex and Izzy with their parents.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

So, how did you get on with that task, comparing yourself and a parent?

Or perhaps using the pictures of Alex and Izzy with their parents to identify shared characteristics.

Let's hear from Alex: "I have freckles like my mom, and I get my ginger hair from her.

My skin is a very similar but not identical pale color.

" And Izzy: "My skin color is the same as my dad's.

I have curly hair like him, but mine is a little bit darker.

My nose is the same shape as his.

" Thanks for having a go at this task of comparing characteristics.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle: variation in offspring.

Some children are talking about the similarities between themselves and their family members.

So here we can see Alex, his sister, and his mother.

And we have some questions.

Here's Laura: "Why do you have curly hair, if your mom has straight hair?

" And Jacob: "Why do you and your mom have ginger hair, but your little sister has blonde hair?

" What do you think?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Offspring get a combination of characteristics from each of their parents.

So here are Alex's parents.

There's Alex and sister.

Alex says, "My dad has curly hair.

I think I got it from him.

" And Alex's sister: "Dad has blonde hair like me, too.

" And here is the whole of Alex's family.

Offspring also vary from their parents.

This means that although they're similar, they're not identical, and they do differ from their parents.

Pause here and share with someone, how is Alex's sister similar or different to her parents?

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding: Which of these statements are correct?

Choose from the following.

A.

Normally, offspring vary and are not identical to their parents.

B.

Normally, female offspring are identical to their female parent.

C.

Males only pass characteristics onto male offspring.

D.

Offspring get a combination of characteristics from each parent.

Pause here while you decide which of these statements are correct.

Well done if you selected statements A and D.

Indeed, normally, offspring vary and are not identical to their parents.

And offspring get a combination of characteristics from each parent.

These statements are correct.

Well done if you chose these.

Can you see how the offspring in this picture vary from its parents?

Pause here and share with someone.

How does this little cub vary from its parents?

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Here we can see a picture of Sam's dogs, and exciting news, Sam's dogs are going to have offspring.

She's talking to her friends about what the offspring might look like.

"I think the puppies will all look different to each other.

" And here's Jun: "I think the offspring will all have the same pattern of fur.

It will be a combination of both parents' fur.

" And Izzy: "They will definitely all be dogs.

" What do you think?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Oh, my goodness.

Would you look at Sam's dogs' offspring?

Oh, wow.

What cuties.

All living things have offspring of the same kind.

So Sam's dogs' offspring are all dogs.

The puppies all look similar but not identical to their parents.

There is variation between the parents and offspring.

Let's have a check for understanding.

These piglets have the same parents and were born at the same time.

Why do they look different to each other?

Select from these options: A.

They've each eaten different amounts of food.

B.

They've all spent different amounts of time in the sun.

C.

They each share a different combination of characteristics with their parents.

Pause here while you decide.

Why do they look different to each other?

Well done if you selected option C.

Indeed, they each share a different combination of characteristics with their parents.

That's why they look different to each other.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you, first of all, to choose two of the kittens and describe which features they share with each of their parents.

So there we can see the mother and the father sitting proudly.

And look at those cute little kittens, A, B, and C.

So choose two of these kittens and describe which features they share with each of their parents.

Pause here while you have a go at this task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

Perhaps you came up with an answer like this.

Kitten B.

"This kitten has ears like its father.

It has fur on its chest and paws like its father, and some stripy markings on its face and legs like its mother.

" And kitten C.

"This kitten has ears like its mother.

It has mostly white fur, while its mother has some white fur on her belly.

It has faint markings on its forehead that are similar shape to the markings on its mother's and father's head.

" Or you may have chosen different kittens to describe.

And now onto the next part of your task.

I would like you to draw your own set of animal parents and three of their offspring.

Make sure to give each of the offspring a combination of features from their parents.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

Enjoy drawing your parents and three of their offspring, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

So, how did you get on with that task of drawing your own set of animal parents and three of their offspring?

Here's Jun.

So we can see that Jun has drawn a mother and a father dog and three puppies.

Pause here and choose one of the puppies and share with someone nearby what characteristics does it share with its mother and with its father.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I would like you to share your set of animal parents and their three offspring with someone nearby.

And talk through which characteristics each of your offspring shares with each of its parents.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing.

And now, perhaps next time you see any animal parents and their offspring, keep your eyes peeled for what characteristics the offspring share with their parents.

In our lesson "Offspring: Similar but Not Identical," we've covered the following: All living things produce offspring of the same kind.

Offspring share some of the characteristics of their parents.

Normally, offspring vary and are not identical to their parents.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I thought it was so interesting to explore this topic of offspring, similar but not identical.

It was great to explore what are offspring and looking at how offspring can be similar but not identical to their parents.

Perhaps next time you're with another family, you can keep your eyes peeled to see what characteristics the offspring share with each of their parents.

I've really enjoyed teaching you, and I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I look forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Until then, stay curious.