Trait Shuffle

Students consider examples of traits that vary (examples include 12 from animals and 12 from plants). Then they sort them by what they think causes the differences in each trait: genes, the environment, or both.

1. Distribute sets of trait cards to students or direct them to the online version. Animal and plant traits should be sorted separately.
2. Instruct students to sort their cards into three categories: mostly genes, mostly environment, genes and environment.
3. If students need more guidance, give them some questions to consider as they sort:
   • Do trait differences appear only under certain circumstances?
   • Does the trait change over time?
   • Do I have a version of the trait in common with family members who I don't live with?
4. Have students share what they did, either by having a whole-class discussion or by having students put their cards on display.

See Answer Key for more details about each trait.

• Have students write down how they sorted the cards.
• Have students work on How Proteins Make You after they have sorted while they wait for you to come around to check their work.

• An organism's traits are the product of both genetic and environment factors.

Copies

Trait Shuffle: Animals (online sort)
Trait Shuffle: Plants (online sort)
Trait cards (pdf) — Includes animal and plant traits. Make one set per student or pair.

Note: A common misconception is that if a trait is heavily influenced by the environment, then a person can control or change it. Many examples counter this. For instance, after a certain age, most people cannot learn a new language and speak it accent-free. Similarly, growth problems from malnutrition cannot be corrected once growth has stopped, and we can’t undo exposure to environmental toxins.

Make subsets of trait cards with varying levels of difficulty. The plant traits are usually more challenging than the animal traits.
For an added challenge, have students sort cards along a continuum instead of into just 3 groups. This is a good extension activity and discussion generator for students who finish early.

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