Animal Adaptations

This NGSS-aligned word sort activity focuses on how animal traits are influenced by both genetics and environmental factors. Students sort 12 different animal characteristics into three categories: Environment Effects, Inherited Traits, and Changeable Features. The activity helps students understand how animals' physical characteristics can be either fixed by genetics or modified by environmental conditions. Students learn to identify which traits are passed down through generations and which can change based on environmental factors like temperature, nutrition, and seasonal changes. This classification exercise reinforces the concept that animal traits are determined by a combination of inheritance and environment.