Reproduction and variation

I can explain why offspring look similar but not identical to their parents and one another.

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Year 8

Reproduction and variation

I can explain why offspring look similar but not identical to their parents and one another.

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Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

When organisms reproduce they make offspring of the same kind (species resemblance)
Offspring inherit features from both parents, so they look similar to their parents and one another (family resemblance)
Some features are inherited when DNA is passed from parents to offspring during reproduction
Some features are caused (or changed) by an organism’s lifestyle and environment
There is usually variation between offspring; they are not usually identical to their parents or one another

Keywords

Reproduction - the process that creates new individuals of a species
Inherit - to pass on features from parent to offspring
DNA - the molecule that stores genetic information
Variation - differences between individuals within a species

Common misconception

Boys only inherit features from their father and girls only inherit features from their mother. All characteristics are caused by genes.

The lesson consolidates understanding from Y7 that offspring inherit characteristics from both parents, and that some characteristics are caused (or changed) by an organism’s lifestyle and environment.

In Task C, pupils will need to refer back to their completed Venn diagram (or a copy of the correctly completed version) from Task A.