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PlayOwl

Science · Grade 1

Parents, Offspring and Variation

A kitten grows up to be a cat and an acorn grows into an oak tree: young living things are like their parents. But the kittens in one litter don't look exactly alike. Learners compare parents and offspring, find what is the same and what varies, and discover how parents and offspring behave in ways that help the young survive, from penguins warming eggs to ducklings following their mother.

  • 3 lessons
  • About 60 minutes
  • Parents and offspring check: 7 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, match pairs, sort into groups and true or false
See plans Included with Family, Teacher and School plans. Open in PlayOwl

What learners will discover

  • Explain that young plants and animals are the same kind of living thing as their parents and share many features.
  • Use observations to show that young are not exactly like their parents or each other (variation).
  • Describe behaviors of parents and offspring that help the offspring survive.

Lessons

  1. Like their parents 4 steps2 practiceabout 18 min
  2. Not exactly the same 5 steps3 practiceabout 20 min
  3. Helping the young survive 6 steps2 practiceabout 22 min
  4. Parents and offspring check 7 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

More 1st grade science

Guide for grown-ups