KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Teacher Candidate:

Abby Olsen

Cooperating Teacher:
Group Size:

24

Date: 4/5/16
Coop. Initials

Allotted Time: 45 minutes

Subject or Topic: Inherited & Acquired Traits

Grade Level: 4th

Section:

12pm

STANDARD:
3.1.4.B1 Describe features that are observable in both parents and their offspring.
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
A. Students will be able to distinguish between inherited and acquired traits by
sorting traits based on whether it is learned or inherited.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Inherited Traits Guide
B. Acquired Traits Guide
C. Inherited and Acquired Traits Flippable 1 per student
D. Inherited and Acquired Traits Cards document 1 per student
E. Class set of scissors to cut flippable and cards
F. Glue sticks or tape to place the flippable and cards in their notebooks
G. Selfies template 1 per student
H. Colored pencils, crayons, markers, and pens/pencils when students create
their selfies
I. Checklist
J. Vocabulary cards
K. Skateboarding dog video http://safeshare.tv/w/TxDXDrJnuA
L. Crying baby video http://safeshare.tv/v/ss570bfbda904ba
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills:
1. Students should have a basic understanding that our traits are
determined by our parents traits.
2. This lesson will follow Introduction to Heredity lesson
B. Key Vocabulary:
1. Heredity the passing of physical characteristics from parents
to offspring

2. Traits: distinguishing characteristics or qualities that are part of

an organisms physical appearance
3. Inherited traits: the observable characteristics that pass from
parents to offspring.
4. Acquired traits: the observable characteristics that result from
ones behavior or environment.
C. Big Idea: Every living thing has a set of genetic instructions, determined by
the parents genes.
D. Content: Students will sort traits according to inherited or acquired. Then,
they will create a picture of themselves and label their inherited traits.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction:
1. Show the students the following video clip of a dog skateboarding.
http://safeshare.tv/w/TxDXDrJnuA
2. Conduct a think, pair, share with the students.
3. Ask the students, "Do you think that this dog was able to skateboard
the day that he/she was born?" If students do seem to think the dog
was born with this ability, ask the following, "Is this a common thing
you've seen dogs do before?" "Were you able to talk as soon as you
were born, or was this a skill you needed to learn?"
4. Now show the students this clip of a baby crying.
http://safeshare.tv/v/ss570bfbda904ba
5. Ask the students, Do you think that this baby was able to cry the
moment he was born?
6. The teacher should facilitate this discussion; elicit students ideas on
what the difference between inherited and learned are.
B. Development:
1. Hand out the vocabulary cards to each table of students.
(Attached) *Note: have them cut out before handing out to
students.
2. Each card contains either a vocabulary word or a definition.
While working together, assign each table to organize each
vocabulary word with its corresponding definition.
3. Have students record the new vocabulary in their science
notebook.
4. When all of the groups are finished, ask for volunteers to share
their responses.
5. Allow students time to add new information to their science
notebooks.
6. Tell the class that we all have physical traits that make us
similar and different from each other.
7. Explain that traits can either be inherited or learned.

8. Show the Inherited Traits Guide and the Acquired Traits

Guide and go over it together as a class. (Attached)
9. Leave the two guides up for the students to reference for the
following activity.
10. Hand out the Inherited and Acquired Traits Flippable to
every student. (Attached)
11. Have them cut the page out and glue the appropriate side in
their science notebooks.
12. Then, hand out the Inherited and Acquired Traits Cards
document to every student and have them cut out each trait
card. (Attached)
13. Allow the students to work in groups of 3-4 to sort the traits
according to inherited or acquired, but do NOT glue them in
their notebooks yet.
14. Teacher will rotate around the room with checklist looking for
correct answers. (Attached)
15. Once the class has finished sorting the traits, model your
flippable, so the students are able to copy the correct answers
in their notebooks. (Attached)
16. Allow time for any questions or further explanations of for
each trait. Such as, why a certain trait is determined to be
acquired and not inherited.
17. Instruct students to make any changes to their flippable chart so
that each trait is correctly placed according to inherited or
acquired. Then, have them glue or tape each trait card into the
flippable (which should already be glued into their science
notebooks).
18. Ask the students Where do inherited traits come from? (Our
parents).
19. Ask the students, Who can explain the difference between an
inherited trait and an acquired trait? (Inherited traits are
determined for us; acquired traits come from our behavior or
environment).
20. Explain the Selfie activity and hand out a Selfie template
to each student. (Attached)
a. You will draw a picture of yourself (a selfie) that
highlights your inherited traits.
b. Have the students label the inherited traits they include
on their picture.
c. At least five inherited traits must be included in their
picture.
d. They can use the sorting cards from the previous
activity to help brainstorm some inherited traits.
C. Closure:
1. Have the class come together to share their Selfie picture.

2. Emphasize the uniqueness of every picture.

3. Conclude by saying, As different and unique as we all are, we
all share one common characteristic, we are humans.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1. Accommodation:
a. For children with ADD/ADHD, while modeling your
flippable give them their own copy of the traits sorted
in the correct category, so they can check their answers.
2. Differentiation:
a. The sorting activity can be written down in their
notebooks instead of cutting and pasting each trait.
b. The students can make a list of their inherited traits, if
they do not want to draw a picture.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative:
a. While the students are sorting their traits, the teacher
will rotate around the classroom with a checklist to
record whether the students successfully sorted the
traits according to inherited or acquired.
2. Summative: There is no summative assessment for this lesson.
V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)
Remediation Plan
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective
answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
1. How could this lesson be improved?
2. Should I model the inherited and acquired traits sorting activity
with the first couple of trait cards?
3. How did I do with time management?
VI. Resources (in APA format)
A. Skateboarding dog video http://safeshare.tv/w/TxDXDrJnuA
B. Crying baby video http://safeshare.tv/v/ss570bfbda904ba
C. Use of videos idea http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/29845
D. Trait sorting idea - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Acquiredand-Inherited-Traits-Packet-Quiz-Activity-Study-Guide-252610

Acquired Traits Guide

ACQUIRED TRAITS
!

Develop during life, so you are not born with this

trait
NOT in your DNA, therefore it cannot be passed
on to offspring
Could be
o Things you learned: riding a bike
o Things that happened to you: broken bone

!
*WH EN D EC IDIN G IF A TR A IT IS
A CQ UI RED , TH INK : D ID TH E T RA IT
D EV ELO P DU RIN G IT S L IFE ?

Inherited Traits Guide

INHERITED TRAITS
!

You received these from your biological parents

Sometimes called instinct
Inherited traits are coded in your DNA, therefore
they can be passed on to the next generation

!
*WH EN D EC IDIN G IF A TR A IT IS
IN HE RIT ED , T HIN K : WA S T HIS
O RG A NIS M PR OG R AMME D FR O M
BIR TH T O H AV E T H IS TR AIT ?

Inherited and Acquired Traits Cards

Inherited and Acquired Traits Cards

Inherited and Acquired Traits Cards

Inherited and Acquired Traits Flippable

Inherited and Acquired Traits Flippable Answer Key to be modeled to students

Inherited Traits:
Heights
Freckles
Dimples
Earlobes (attached or detached)
Hair color
Eye color
Color of a flower
The color of a dogs fur
A zebras stripes
Being right handed
Rolling your tongue
Having naturally curly hair
Shape of your nose
Acquired Traits:
Knowing the alphabet
Having a favorite subject in school
Having a favorite food
Riding a skateboard
Birds singing just like if you or I were to sing, it has to be practiced
Speaking English or Spanish
Learning to read
Liking Classical music
A dog sitting on command
Ability to hit a baseball
Avoiding prey that tastes bad in order to know that it tastes bad they had to have
tasted it before, therefore learning that it tastes bad

SELFIES

Inherited and Acquired Traits Sort Checklist

Students Name:

Miranda
Tom
Jack
Emmy
Kayla
Doug
Sam
Joe
Lauren
Mary
Haley
Christian
Luke
Peter
Katheryn

Did the child successfully

sort the traits according to
inherited or acquired?

Notes:

Tyler
Abby
Dana
Kevin
Harold
Erin
Maggie
John
Steven

Vocabulary Cards

Heredity

Traits

Inherited traits

Acquired traits

The passing of physical

characteristics from parents
to offspring.
Distinguishing
characteristics or qualities
that are part of an
organisms physical
appearance
The observable
characteristics that pass
from parents to offspring.
The observable
characteristics that result
from ones behavior or
environment.