GoalExplain that identical twins have the same inherited characteristics and say which characteristics are not inherited.
New words
identical twins · two children born together who look almost the sametwin · one of two children born at the same time to the same motherskill · something you learn to do
Explanation
Some children have a twin, a brother or sister born at the same time. Identical twins look almost exactly alike because they inherited the same characteristics. Not everything about us is inherited. A scar, a haircut or a tan from the sun is not inherited. Skills like riding a bike or speaking a language are not inherited either. We learn them. Even identical twins are not the same, because they can have different haircuts, clothes and likes.
Worked examples
Kenji and Hiro are identical twins. They look so alike that their friends need to look carefully to tell them apart. Their inherited characteristics are the same.
Tom goes to the barber. His hair was long and now it is short. A haircut is not inherited, so it can change.
Sara learned to ride a bicycle. She was not born knowing how. She learned it with practice.
Class activity
Inherited or learned? (with an adult): write ten things on pieces of paper, for example colour of your eyes, swimming, shape of your ears, reading, curly hair, playing football, freckles, singing a song. Sort them into two piles: “I was born with it” and “I learned it”. Talk about any that could be both, such as being good at running.
Practice
1
What are identical twins?
Two children born at the same time who look almost exactly the same.
2
Which of these is inherited: the colour of your eyes or knowing how to swim?
A, the colour of your eyes. We learn to swim.
3
Write inherited or learned for each one.
a learned; b inherited; c learned; d inherited.
4
Name one way identical twins can be different from each other.
For example: haircut, clothes, favourite food, things they like to do, a scar.
