Why are living things different from one another?
This is a life science unit that builds science ideas around the complex interactions between genetics and environments contributing to development. Within this unit, students observe two very different looking cattle and inspire the question: “why?”
Whether it’s science-fiction novels or the news, genetics inspires a lot of curiosity about life. The unit focuses students on how the arrangement of small molecular structures can alter the broader structure & its function. Students first look at two different cattle, one more muscular than the other. Then they notice a similar difference with other kinds of animals. This leads students to wonder what is causing these differences by drawing models, conducting investigations, and constructing explanations.
As the unit progresses, students notice patterns to describe what causes the variety of muscle characteristics. They then use what they’ve learned to explain trait variations in other animals and plants. In the end, the unit highlights how genetic information and environmental factors work in concert to produce the variety we see in living things.