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Unit 6 Evolution
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Essential Questions 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?
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Day 1: Variation Required Readings: Learning Objectives: 3.24
To recall that living organisms differ from one another To distinguish between continuous and discontinuous variation
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Starter 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
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Activity 1 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
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Activity 2 Move to your lab groups
Complete the Color Variation in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations packet Time: 35 minutes
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Activity 3 Read through the summary, complete the activity and the quiz Time: 20 minutes
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Closing & Homework Complete the quiz (due Monday)
Complete the “Color Variation in Rock Pocket Mouse Population” (due Monday)
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Day 2 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?
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Day 3: Causes of Variation
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
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Starter 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
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Activity 1 Any questions on last week’s video? Time: 5 minutes
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Activity 2 Get into your lab groups Mutations and Variation activity
Time: 45 minutes
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Discussion 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?
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Activity 3 Beneficial vs. harmful mutations
Create a cartoon showing the benefits and the harms of mutations Time: 15 minutes
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Day 4 (60 min) Required Readings: Learning Objectives:
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
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Activity 1 Go to the website: Play the game and answer the questions 1-9 on the first page Go to the website: Complete the simulation and answer the data and analysis section
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Homework Activities due Tuesday, February 26
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Day 5 Required readings: Learning Objectives: 3.27: Natural Selection
TO understand how adaptation leads to natural selection
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Activities 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?
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Day 6 Required Readings: Learning Objectives: None
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
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Starter Any problems from last week’s work?
Show me the work you completed from the last 2 lessons Time: 15 minutes
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Activity 1 Get into your lab groups
Read through the “Engage” section of the activity and answer the questions on the side Time: 10 minutes
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Activity 2 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
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Activity 3 Answer the “explain” questions with your group
Time: 15 minutes
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Day 7 Required Readings: Learning Objectives: None
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
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Activity 1 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
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Day 8 Required readings: Learning Objectives: None
To form an opinion with proof to back up your opinion on whether humans are still evolving or not
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Starter 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
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Activity 1 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
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Activity 2 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
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Activity 3 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
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Day 9 (60 min) Required Readings: Learning Objectives: None
To explain the evolution of animal structures in relation to Darwin’s theory
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Starter 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
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Activity 1 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
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Activity 2 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
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Day 10 Required Readings: Learning Objectives:
To see the adaptive features of a frog through a dissection
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Starter 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
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Activity 1 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
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Activity 2 Discussion and summing up the dissection Time: 20 minutes
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Day 11 Required Readings: Learning Objectives: None
To investigate coevolution and research animals that have coevolved To develop a theory for why dinosaurs became extinct
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Starter These two species have coevolved
What do you think this term means using the picture below as a guide Time: 10 minutes
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Activity 1 Go to the website How are the following concepts addressed in the article? There is a fit between organisms and their environments, though not always a perfect fit. Evolution results from natural selection acting upon genetic variation within a population. Natural selection and genetic drift act on the variation that exists in a population. Inherited characteristics affect the likelihood of an organism’s survival and reproduction. Over time, the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics may increase (and the proportion with disadvantageous characteristics may decrease) due to their likelihood of surviving and reproducing. Traits that confer an advantage may persist in the population and are called adaptations. Depending on environmental conditions, inherited characteristics may be advantageous, neutral, or detrimental. Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence. Scientists use multiple research methods (experiments, observational research, comparative research, and modeling) to collect data. Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable. Scientists use experimental evidence to study evolutionary processes.
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Activity 2 Go to the website Work through part A & B
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Day 12: Artificial Selection
Required Readings: 3.28: Artificial Selection Learning Objectives: To understand the process of artificial selection
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Starter Artificial selection has been going on for hundreds of years
What is artificial selection? What are the benefits? All of these vegetables come wild mustard. How do you think it was done? Time: 15 minutes
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Activity 1 Humans have been using artificial selection to breed dogs for hundreds of years Why do you think we might want to artificially select dogs? Do you think that we would get the desired outcome on the first try? Explain. Watch the short clip on artificial selection Time: 15 minutes
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Activity 2 Describe the features or abilities of dogs for which humans might breed Look at the “dog breeding example” – what traits match the example given? What other traits are important to consider? What traits are not important to consider? Time: 10 minutes
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Activity 3 You will be artificially selecting a new dog with certain traits by crossing 2 already existing dogs Fill in the “ownership card” and “puppy traits” sheet Each breeding pair will produce 3 puppies, and traits can be inherited from either the mother of father (use a coin to determine which traits are inherited) Discuss the variation observed in the puppies Display your findings in a picture Time: 30 minutes
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