Organism Traits and Environment Science Games

In this series of games, your students will learn about how many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. Organism Traits and Environment learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts.

Concepts Covered

A trait is a characteristic of an organism. Some examples of traits in plants and animals are size, color, texture, shape, and patterns. An instinctual response is a behavior that an animal does automatically without thinking about it. Instincts are behaviors that an organism inherits.

Reproduction occurs when an organism produces another organism. An organism that reproduces another organism is called a parent. An organism that is born from a parent is called an offspring. Plants and animals inherit genetic information from their parents. The genetic information that plants and animals inherit determines many of their traits.

The environment in which an organism lives can affect many of its inherited traits. Food, temperature, sunlight, and water are examples of environmental factors that can affect an organism’s traits.  Many characteristics of plants and animals involve both inheritance and the environment.

Learned experiences can change animal behavior and affect animal traits as they develop. Some behaviors are instinctual while others are learned. Instincts are behaviors that an organism inherits. Learned behaviors are behaviors that an organism develops from life experiences and practice. Learned behaviors are more flexible and adaptable than instincts. Almost all animals can learn.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

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