Year 7 - Science
Heredity and genetic material
Heredity and DNA
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit examines the transmission of genetic information through heredity, how scientific methods evolve with new evidence, the importance of publishing and peer review, and the Study of DNA, chromosomes, and genes while developing lab skills focusing on safety.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain that some, but not all, features are inherited when genetic material is passed from parents to their offspring.
Key Notes
- Biological features are inherited when genetic material is passed from parents to their offspring during reproduction.
- Genetic material provides instructions for growth and other life processes.
- Only features caused by instructions in the genetic material can be inherited.
- Features caused by lifestyle and the environment cannot be inherited.
- Examples of features caused by genetic information (e.g. eye colour) and by the environment (e.g. scars).
Vocabulary To Learn
- environment: The environment of a living organism is its surroundings and the conditions in which it lives.
- lifestyle: The lifestyle of a living organism is the things it does and the choices it makes, e.g. diet and exercise.
- inherited: Some of the offspring's features can be inherited from parents, through the process of reproduction.
- genetic material: Genetic material is a substance in cells that contains instructions for various features and life processes.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Features caused by the environment or lifestyle can be passed to offspring.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Biological features are inherited when genetic material is passed from parents to their offspring during reproduction. Genetic material provides instructions for growth and other life processes.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'environment'
The environment of a living organism is its surroundings and the conditions in which it lives. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Features caused by the environment or lifestyle can be passed to offspring. Correction: Examples of inherited features e.g. eye colour, those that are environment and lifestyle e.g. scars, and those that are both e.g. height.
More Lessons In This Unit
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