Today we are going to investigate traits.

What is a trait?
How can we categorize different types of traits? (physical and behavioral)
How can we tell one animal apart from another one? (each animal has a
defining characteristic)
(Set out picture of robin)
Talk with your partner- how would you describe the traits this robin
possesses?
(If needed)How else could you describe a robin without using appearance?

(Picture of baby robin) (illustrates baby looks like mother)

This is the baby of the robin we just described. How are the mother and
baby similar?
As the baby grows up, what kind of things would you expect it to be able to
do?
Why? (How would the baby bird know to do those things?)

(Picture of horses) (illustrates baby also gets characteristics from father)

How is this foal like its mother?
How is it different?
Why do you think it looks different from the mother?

(Picture of Frog and Tadpole) (illustrates baby doesnt always look just
like parent, but will over time)
What is this a picture of? What animals baby is this?
How are the tadpole and frog similar and different to each other?
How does the tadpole and the frog compare to the baby and mother robin?
What can we conclude about animals and offspring, based on the
examples we have looked at?
(Animals have some of the same traits as their parents, but are not
exactly the same. Sometimes these traits are visible at birth,
sometimes they develop over time.)
Assessment
(Pictures of 2 dogs)
Draw a picture of what you think the baby would be like if these were the
parents.
Explain why you thought it would look that way.
Compare your drawings with the other drawings at your table.
Are any of the drawings exactly the same? (No) Why?

Extension:
(Picture of lab with puppies) (illustrates that characteristics may not be
obvious from parents, but are somewhere in the family line)
If the parent of these puppies were both black labs, how is it possible for
them to have yellow colored puppies?