Change over Time Paper
Final Paper due March 23, 2016
Your assignment is to discuss change over time using a persuasive essay format.
• Introduction - Paragraph #1
1. Define the theory of evolution.
2. State your position on the theory of evolution/change over time.
3. Describe how you will use the following factual arguments to discuss the theory of
evolution/change over time.
• Evolution vs. Adaptation – Paragraph #2
1. Define adaptation.
2. What are the 2 types of adaptations
a. Using your labs (Whale and Finches), give an example of each type of adaptation.
3. How are evolution and adaptation similar? (provide an example other than those below).
4. How are evolution and adaptation different? (provide an example other than those below).
5. How does adaptation support evolution?
a. Using your labs (Whale and Finches), explain how adaption leads into evolution.
i. Include Time Frame
ii. Evidence using the fossil records/ research (video or reading we did)
iii. Discuss who is effect an entire species, population or individual
6. How do the laws of superposition and uniformitarianism support evolution.
• Evolution of whales – Paragraph #3
1. Whale evolution is based on what theory and evidence?
2. Why would land mammals evolve to live in the water?
a. Discuss how each of the fossils types have changed
b. What might have driven this change in the whales?
3. How does the evolution of whales support evolution?
4. Whale Timeline: How are scientist able to create a geological record of the different whale
species?
a. Explain how we can use both relative dating and absolute dating to determine the age
of the whale fossils.
b. Explain how whale fossils ended up in mountains and in deserts (think about fossil
records, law of superposition, etc)
c. Explain how why there is gaps in the fossil records
• Ohio leaves – Paragraph #4
1. Discuss the data collected on the Wyoming Basin and how it was used to create a linear
equation.
a. When warmer climate struck the Wyoming basin. How did the trees respond?
2. What is Ohio’s current percentage of smooth edged leaves?
a. What temperature does this tell us we have?
3. With global warming a very real problem, what will Ohio’s smooth edged leaves percentage
become in 2100 AD?
a. What will our new “normal” temperature be in 2100 AD?
b. What impact will this have on our current trees?
4. How does the evolution of trees support evolution?
Change over Time Paper
Final Paper due March 23, 2016
• Darwin’s Finches – Paragraph #5
1. Who is Charles Darwin?
2. What is a species?
3. What is natural selection?
4. You collected data on how food supply can impact which finches survived. How did this lab
correlate to what the Grants experienced on Daphne Major?
a. What drove the changes in finches on Daphne Major?
b. How did this change relate to natural selection?
c. What are traits?
d. How were they changing within the finch population? Describe the two traits that
were critical for the finch population.
e. Why didn’t finches cross-breed?
5. How does the evolution of finches support your position on evolution?
• Your final Opinion/Conclusion - Paragraph #6
1. What is your position on evolution? Why (provide three supporting scientific facts)?
• Note that this is the hardest part of the paper telling my why you have the opinion you
do.
• You must support you position.
2. Has this position changed? Why or why not?
General expectations:
1. Typed and shared in Google Docs. Share when you create!
2. 12 font in something I can read.
3. Paper is due Wednesday, March 23th.
4. Transition words between sentences and paragraphs.
5. Don’t list!
6. Focus on punctuation and spelling.
7. One note on plagiarism – anything not in your own words is plagiarism. If you go to a site to gather
information, please cite the source using MLA (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/)

This means outside of the textbook, class handouts, or labs.