Parents and Offspring

This image shows a dog and her puppy. As you look at the photo, you can easily compare similarities and differences between the mother and its puppy.

How is the puppy similar to, but not exactly like, its mother?

• In what ways do you notice the puppy is similar to its mother?
• In what ways do you notice the puppy is different from its mother?
• Why do you think there are similarities between the mother and puppy?    
• What do you think the father looks like?

Students could:

• Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the puppy and its mother.
• Draw a picture of another animal that they know is similar to its mother.
• Write an informative paragraph about how young puppies are like, but not exactly like, their mothers.

• Tic Tac Tube | Animals and their Babies: Watch this video to see animals and their babies! This video is simple - it shows the parent and the baby name of each animal. Teachers can use this video as a discussion starter for comparing more animals & their babies.
• PBS LearningMedia | Hero Elementary: Hatching a Plan:When an egg hatches and an unfamiliar bird emerges, Sparks’ Crew vows to reunite the young bird with its parents. After some trial and error, they observe similarities and differences between young animals and their parents to find the baby bird’s family.
• PBS LearninigMedia | Hero Elementary: Who Belongs Together: Children observe pictures of animal parents and their offspring. They look for body features that show that the animals are the same kind.