Reading Comprehension · Science
What Makes You Who You Are? Reading Comprehension Lesson
A reading comprehension lesson about heredity — the combination of inherited traits and learned behaviors that makes every person unique.
Subject
Reading
Grade Level
Grades 4–7
Resource Type
Worksheet
Skill Focus
Science Reading Comprehension — Heredity and Traits
Inherited Traits
Every person is different. We all have a combination of traits that we get from our parents or learn from the world around us. Inherited traits are characteristics passed down from parents to children through genes. Genes are segments of DNA found in the nucleus of every cell. You inherited half your genes from your mother and half from your father.
Physical characteristics like eye color, hair color, skin tone, blood type, and height are influenced by inherited genes. Some traits follow simple patterns of inheritance — for example, having a widow’s peak hairline or attached earlobes. Other traits, like height, are influenced by many genes working together, as well as by environmental factors like nutrition.
Every person’s combination of genes is unique (except for identical twins, who share the same DNA). This is why children may resemble their parents or siblings but are not identical to any of them. The enormous variety of human traits comes from the virtually limitless combinations of genes possible.
Learned Behaviors and the Environment
Not everything about you comes from your genes. Learned behaviors are skills, habits, and knowledge you acquire through experience and environment. Speaking a language, playing a sport, riding a bicycle, and reading are all learned behaviors. No gene programs you to speak English or Spanish — you learn whichever language you are exposed to.
The environment you grow up in also shapes many aspects of who you are. A person who grows up in a warm climate where fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful may be healthier and taller than a genetically similar person who grows up with food insecurity. Experiences, education, culture, and relationships all help shape personality, values, and abilities.
Scientists often discuss the influence of nature (genes) versus nurture (environment) in shaping who we are. Most modern research concludes that both play important roles, and they interact with each other in complex ways. Understanding heredity and environment helps explain both the similarities and the remarkable differences among people.
Download the Worksheet
Full Members can download the printable PDF worksheet and answer key.
Looking for more reading comprehension worksheets? Browse all lessons or become a Full Member to access every printable PDF.