Evolution

  Why is there such a great diversity of organisms on Earth?  What are mutations and how do they lead to new species?  Why do organisms live where they do? How are organisms adapted to live in the habitat that they live in?  What are some of the modes of evolution?  Are humans still evolving?  How can we observe evolution? Essential Questions

  Required Readings:  3.24  Learning Objectives:  To recall that living organisms differ from one another  To distinguish between continuous and discontinuous variation Day 1: Variation

  Why do you think there is so much variation within species?  Provide some examples (at least 3) of organisms and how they vary.  Time: 10 minutes Starter

  Watch the video “The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation”  Complete the quiz as you watch it. Don’t worry if you don’t finish the quiz  Time: 15 minutes Activity 1

  Move to your lab groups  Complete the Color Variation in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations packet  Time: 35 minutes Activity 2

  sms_behaviour_health/variation_classification/revis ion/1/ sms_behaviour_health/variation_classification/revis ion/1/  Read through the summary, complete the activity and the quiz  Time: 20 minutes Activity 3

  Complete the quiz (due Monday)  Complete the “Color Variation in Rock Pocket Mouse Population” (due Monday) Closing & Homework

  What Darwin Never Knew  While watching the video,  Write down questions that they have after watching the video  Keep note of interesting facts/information that they learned while watching the video  Hand these in at the end of the lesson  Homework: What is your personal view of evolution? Give 3 points to support your claim. Why do you think evolution is such a controversial topic to learn about? Day 2

  Required Readings:  3.25  Learning Objectives:  To identify mutation and sexual reproduction as sources of variation  To understand that mutations may involve whole chromosomes or genes within them  To recognize that environmental factors may increase the likelihood of mutation Day 3: Causes of Variation

  What is a mutation?  How do mutations occur?  What do mutations do to an organism?  Are mutations good, bad or neither? Explain.  Time: 15 minutes Starter

  Any questions on last week’s video?  Time: 5 minutes Activity 1

  Get into your lab groups  Mutations and Variation activity  Time: 45 minutes Activity 2

  Which mutation caused the greatest delay in acquiring food?  Which mutation caused the greatest delay in processing and consuming food?  What would these mutations do to the population of the environment?  What were some adaptations to the mutations your group came up with?  In what environment would each mutation be beneficial in? Harmful?  What type of animal would have these mutations? Discussion

  Beneficial vs. harmful mutations  Create a cartoon showing the benefits and the harms of mutations  Time: 15 minutes Activity 3

  Required Readings:  3.26: Variation and NS: The Evolution of Species  Learning Objectives:  To understand the meaning of adaptation and to provide examples of this  To realize that Darwin’s theory benefited from the ideas of other scientists Day 4 (60 min)

  Go to the website: hide/ hide/  Play the game and answer the questions 1-9 on the first page  Go to the website: h.html h.html  Complete the simulation and answer the data and analysis section Activity 1

  Activities due Tuesday, February 26 Homework

  Required readings:  3.27: Natural Selection  Learning Objectives:  TO understand how adaptation leads to natural selection Day 5

  Work in your groups to complete the following activities:  Using a picture, explain how and why natural selection occurred in Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands  Create a powerpoint with the following:  Research the following and give examples where this occurs in nature: over-production, survival of the fittest, struggle for existence, variation, passing on advantageous characteristics to offspring  How are new species formed? How do selective pressures affect how a species evolves? Activities

  Required Readings:  None  Learning Objectives:  To simulate the Darwinian theory of natural selection  Observe how natural selection affects a population  Learn how mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and selective mating affect a population  Understand how natural selection tends to create a population more adapted for its environment Day 6

  Any problems from last week’s work?  Show me the work you completed from the last 2 lessons  Time: 15 minutes Starter

  Get into your lab groups  Read through the “Engage” section of the activity and answer the questions on the side  Time: 10 minutes Activity 1

  Work through the “explore” section  You will do 2 generations at each of the three habitats  I will tell you “start” and “stop” for each of the generations after you have your station set up  Record the data when needed  Time: 45 minutes Activity 2

  Answer the “explain” questions with your group  Time: 15 minutes Activity 3

  Required Readings:  None  Learning Objectives:  To simulate the Darwinian theory of natural selection  Observe how natural selection affects a population  Learn how mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and selective mating affect a population  Understand how natural selection tends to create a population more adapted for its environment Day 7

  Work through the “Extend” section of the “Simulating the Darwinian Theory” lab  When completed, answer the “Explain” questions with your group  Hand in one copy plus your observations  You may use the rest of the time to get caught up on missing work Activity 1

  Required readings:  None  Learning Objectives:  To form an opinion with proof to back up your opinion on whether humans are still evolving or not Day 8

  Compare and contrast early man to humans today (you may use your phones/computers to research)  Some things to include are:  Physical features (height, weight, skin colour)  Structural features (do we have all the same organs? Are some structures now vestigial?)  Technological advances – how have these affected our evolution?  Intelligence  Time: 20 minutes Starter

  Read the instructions for “Worksheet 5.3”  By yourself, respond to the question “Are humans still evolving?”  You can write your answer on the handout provided, or if you would like to answer it in another form, you may do so  Be thoughtful and thorough in your response. Don’t rush, you will be given plenty of time to answer.  Be sure to back up your opinions with evidence  Time: 20 minutes Activity 1

  Move to your lab groups  Share your thoughts and ideas about if humans are still evolving or not  Things to think about include:  Does your socioeconomic status matter? Think – Developed countries vs. developing countries; wealthy vs. impoverished  Does biotechnology have an effect on evolution?  Time: 10 minutes Activity 2

  Read through the 3 articles with your lab group on whether humans are still evolving or not  Highlight/underline key ideas as you read  As a group, draw a conclusion for the question “are humans still evolving” and depict your conclusion on the poster paper  Have at least 3 arguments/proof to support your claim  Time: 30 minutes Activity 3

  Required Readings:  None  Learning Objectives:  To explain the evolution of animal structures in relation to Darwin’s theory Day 9 (60 min)

  Tiktaalik is believed to be the first vertebrate land animal  Why did Tiktaalik move from the water to land?  What parts needed to evolve in order to survive on land?  How did this pave the way for other land species to evolve?  Time: 15 minutes Starter

  Look at the different pictures with your group  For each of the structures, explain how the structure evolved from an ancestral structure. You can write your answers in “Part 1”  You can use the internet to help you out if you get stuck on any of the structures  We will share our answers at the end  Time: 25 minutes Activity 1

  What is the Darwinian theory of evolution?  Were there previous theories before Darwin? If so, explain how they are different from Darwin’s.  Create a concept map/flow chart/spider web to communicate your answers  Time: 20 minutes Activity 2

  Required Readings:  Learning Objectives:  To see the adaptive features of a frog through a dissection Day 10

  What do the following words mean? You will need to understand these in order to make observations for our dissection.  Dorsal  Ventral  Vomerine teeth  Hind legs  Pericardial membrane  Villi  Mesentery  Time: 15 minutes Starter

  Work through the “dissecting frog evolution” handout, using the “how to dissect a frog” as a guideline for the steps you need to take to dissect  Fill in your observations and explanations as you go  Time: 60 minutes Activity 1

  Discussion and summing up the dissection  Time: 20 minutes Activity 2