Grade 3 Science · Learning & practice
Puppies inherit traits from their parents — but they are not exact copies. Learn to tell inherited traits from learned ones and match puppies to their families.
Section 1 · Inherited traits
By the end of this section I can identify traits that are passed from parents to offspring — so I can explain why a puppy resembles its family.
Tick each one when you can do it without help.
An inherited trait is a characteristic passed from parents to offspring before birth. Puppies do not choose these traits or practise them — they arrive with them.
Notice these are all physical features. They come from the parents' instructions, not from anything the puppy does after it is born.
Interactive · match each puppy to its parent
Read each puppy's traits, then choose the parent that shares the same inherited traits. Click Check matches when you are ready.
Parents
Parent A — Sunny
Parent B — Coco
Parent C — Dot
Puppies — choose a parent for each
Puppy 1
Puppy 2
Puppy 3
Check yourself
A puppy is born with perky ears, just like its father. Is this an inherited trait or a learned behaviour? Type your answer.
Puppies from the same parents often look different from one another. This is called variation. Each puppy gets a slightly different mix of instructions from its parents.
One puppy may inherit its mother's floppy ears and its father's spot pattern. Another puppy from the same litter might inherit perky ears and no spots at all. Both are inherited traits — the mix is what varies.
Check yourself
Two puppies from the same parents have different spot patterns. What is the word for these differences within a group?
Section 2 · Environment & learning
By the end of this section I can sort inherited traits from learned ones — so I can tell what a puppy is born with versus what it picks up from the world around it.
Tick each one when you can do it without help.
Some things about a dog are inherited — passed down before birth. Other things are learned — picked up after birth through practise, teaching, or experience.
Interactive · sort each trait as inherited or learned
Tap Inherited or Learned for each card, then click Check answers.
Check yourself
Which one of these is LEARNED: fur colour, ear shape, or fetching a ball?
The environment — everything around an organism — can change how a trait looks or behaves. But it does not change the inherited instructions themselves.
A dalmatian's spots are inherited, but if its fur is sun-bleached the spots may look lighter. The instructions did not change — the environment changed the result.
Check yourself
A dog's fur becomes lighter after it spends a lot of time in bright sunlight. Was this change influenced by the environment? Type yes or no.
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