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Family Clues at the Desert Study Hut worksheet preview

Worksheet

Family Clues at the Desert Study Hut

Compare desert foxes and prickly pear plants using class observation records to explain family likenesses and differences.

Grade 1ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to1-LS3-1

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 NGSS standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 10 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 1
Subject
Science
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students compare observed features of young desert foxes and their mother.
  • Students compare young prickly pear plants with the plant that made their seeds.
  • Students use observations to explain how young plants and animals resemble but differ from their parents.

How to use

Read the investigation and records aloud. Let students point to evidence as they answer, then discuss one likeness and one difference in each family.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

1-LS3-1

Explain that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.

Preview

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Name Date

Family Clues at the Desert Study Hut

Compare young plants and animals with their parents.

Study a Fox Family

Listen to the investigation. Use the fox records to answer.

The Class Investigation

Noor's class visits a desert study hut. The class asks, “How are young living things like their parents? How are they different?” First, a guide gives the class labeled family photos. The labels tell which young belong to each parent. Next, the class looks at the fox family. The children compare the same features in each fox: fur shade, ear shape, tail tip, and body size. Then they write their observations. The children study photos, not live foxes.

Mother fox: Tan fur. Pointed ears. Black tail tip. Large body.
Pup A: Tan fur. Pointed ears. Black tail tip. Small body.
Pup B: Darker tan fur. Pointed ears. Black tail tip. Small body.
1.
Which pair of features do both pups share with their mother?
  • A. Tan fur and large bodies
  • B. Round ears and black tail tips
  • C. Pointed ears and black tail tips
  • D. Pointed ears and white tail tips
2.
Compare Pup A with its mother. Choose a word.
Word bank: smaller · larger · darker

Pup A is   than its mother.

3.
Which observation shows that the two pups differ from each other?
  • A. Pup B has darker fur than Pup A.
  • B. Pup A has a larger body than Pup B.
  • C. Pup B has rounder ears than Pup A.
  • D. Pup A has a lighter tail tip than Pup B.
4.
Tell one way Pup B is like its mother and one way it is different. Use the records.

Study a Plant Family

Listen to the next steps. Use the plant records to answer.

The Next Steps

Next, the guide brings out photos of a prickly pear plant family. These cacti have flat parts called pads. Two young plants grew from seeds made by the parent plant. The class checks the family labels. Then the children compare pad shape, pad color, spine length, and plant size. They write the results below. Last, the class puts the fox records beside the plant records. They look for a family pattern in both groups of living things.

Parent plant: Green, flat, oval pads. Long spines. Large plant.
Young Plant A: Green, flat, oval pads. Short spines. Small plant.
Young Plant B: Lighter green, flat, oval pads. Short spines. Small plant.
5.
Which feature is shared by the parent plant and both young plants?
  • A. Long spines
  • B. The same shade of green
  • C. Large plant size
  • D. Flat, oval pads
6.
Compare Young Plant A with its parent. Sort each feature.
Pad colorSpine lengthPlant sizePad shape
The same in bothDifferent
7.
Eli says, “Young Plant B is not in this family. Its green is too light.” Which reply fits the records?
  • A. It belongs because its spines are as long as the parent's.
  • B. It belongs even though its shade of green is different.
  • C. It does not belong because its pads have a different shape.
  • D. It does not belong because young plants should be larger.
8.
The class wants to compare the two young plants more closely. Which step would help them check how the pad colors differ?
  • A. Put the young plants' photos side by side and compare their green shades.
  • B. Put the young plants' photos side by side and count their spines.
  • C. Put the parent plant's photo beside a fox photo and compare their sizes.
  • D. Put the parent plant's photo beside a fox photo and compare their shapes.

Put the Evidence Together

Think about both families. Use the class records.

9.
Which idea fits both the fox family and the plant family?
  • A. The young share the parent's size but have different shapes.
  • B. The young have different ear and pad shapes from their parents.
  • C. The young share some features with their parents and differ in others.
  • D. The young match their parents in size, shape, and color.
10.
Are the young plants like their parent without being just the same? Tell one likeness and one difference from the records.

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