The Environment Shapes Traits
Aligned to 3-LS3-2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Where and how a living thing grows can change its traits. Sunlight, water, and food all affect how a plant or animal turns out.
Worked examples
Example 1
A plant kept in a dark closet grows pale and thin, while the same kind of plant in a sunny window grows green and strong.
Example 2
Two puppies from the same litter can end up very different sizes if one is fed well and the other is not.
Example 3
A tree on a windy cliff grows bent sideways, while the same kind of tree in a sheltered valley grows straight up.
Practice questions
- Grow two of the same seeds, giving one plenty of sunlight and one very little.
- Measure and compare the two plants after a week and record what you see.
- Explain how the environment, not just the parents, changed each plant.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
El ambiente moldea los rasgos
Dónde y cómo crece un ser vivo puede cambiar sus rasgos. La luz del sol, el agua y la comida afectan cómo resulta una planta o un animal.
Ejemplo 1: Una planta guardada en un clóset oscuro crece pálida y delgada, mientras que la misma planta en una ventana soleada crece verde y fuerte.
Ejemplo 2: Dos cachorros de la misma camada pueden acabar de tamaños muy distintos si a uno lo alimentan bien y al otro no.
Ejemplo 3: Un árbol en un acantilado ventoso crece inclinado de lado, mientras que el mismo tipo de árbol en un valle protegido crece derecho.
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