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Start a new table of contents/section for
4th Quarter – Life Science: Ecology &
EOG Review
Write your homework, have it stamped
Title page 1 “The Big Question”
Date Session
#
4/8
1
Activity
“The Big Question”
Page
#
1-2
Evolution
3
Natural Selection
4
Step 1: Write the following statement at the
top of page 1:
Everything Evolves.
Step 2: Come up with as many questions as
possible about this statement as a class. Write
down everybody’s questions on page 1!
IMPROVING THE QUESTIONS
You might have these two kinds of questions in
your list:
• Closed-ended questions – they can be
answered with “yes” or “no” or with one word.
• Open-ended questions – they require an
explanation and cannot be answered with yes” or
“no” or with one word.
• Identify each question with an “O” or a “C”
www.rightquestion.org
Select ONE of the questions as a priority
question and write it on the top of page 2.
You will investigate this question over the
next week and a half. You can add
notes/reflections from lessons, pictures
from online, research info, other questions
that are prompted from your connection
question…
Evolution – The process of change
over time
 evolution can be biological or
geological
How would they be related?
Geological evolution is driven by The
Theory of Plate Tectonics and the idea that
Earth itself has evolved
Remember…
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Geologic Time Scale
Tectonic Plate Movement
Continental Drift & Pangaea
Law of Superposition
Fossils
Biological evolution is driven by the changes
in Earth…living things evolve in response
to changes in their environment. This
process is known as Natural Selection or
“Survival of the Fittest.”
There are 4 principles of Natural Selection:
Overproduction
 Variation
 Adaptation
 Selection
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OverproductionVariation
Definition:
Definition:
Example:
Example:
AdaptationSelection
Definition:
Definition:
Example:
Example:
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So how do animals and plants adapt to their
environment over time?
Elephant Adaptation Video- shows how evolution
of the Earth affects the evolution of a species
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?gui
dAssetId=0B5B292A-983E-4327-A27DB647383BF293&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
Objective:
- Analyze each picture to find examples of the 4
principles of Natural Selection.
Activity:
- Each photo is numbered, so…in your notebook
number 1-10. Next to each number write as
many examples of the 4 principles of Natural
Selection as you can justify!
Sea Turtle
Land Turtle
VS.
Find ONE
original
example of
Natural
Selection that
we did not
talk about in
class!
EXAMPLE:
The warrior ant of Africa
can learn to imitate the
chemical signal from
other ant colonies so
they can invade and
take over undetected!
This is an example of
adaptation.
 Look
back at your “Big
Question” – summarize any
information you learned
today that helps you answer
your questions…write until
the bell rings!
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Update your Table of Contents
Get your homework out to be checked
Write your new homework – have it
stamped
Date Session
#
4/10
2
Activity
Page
#
Evidence of Evolution Foldable
5
Evidence of Evolution Worksheet
6
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Evidence of Evolution…(start a list
on page 5)
What were the 4 Principles of
Natural Selection again?
 Would you be selected to survive?
Let’s find out!
When Charles Darwin, “The Father of
Evolution,” first proposed the idea that ALL
species descend from a common ancestor he
needed evidence to support his claim. The
major pieces of evidence can be broken
into…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Fossils
Embryology
Comparative Anatomy
Molecular Biology
HUH? What does all that mean?
Fossils – show change in a single
species over time or similarities
between species
Evolution of the Modern Horse
Embryology – shows similar
developmental stages amongst
different species
Homologous Structures – same anatomical
structure but different function that arise
from different organisms sharing a common
ancestor
Analogous Structures – different
anatomical structure but similar
function that arise from common
environmental demands
Vestigial Structures – Anatomical remnants
that were important in an organism’s
ancestors, but are no longer used in the same
way
Molecular Biology - the genetic structure of an
organism
 The key to understanding how traits are passed
from one generation to the next is DNA
analysis
 Scientists can tell how closely related
organisms are by studying their DNA
 There does not have that much of a difference
in a gene sequence to be a different organism!
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Update your Table of Contents
Get your homework out to be checked
Write your new homework – have it
stamped
Date Session
#
4/12
3
Activity
Survival of the Fittest Scenarios & Natural
Selection Nemo Style
Page
#
7
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzlUZrt0
Ums
What do you notice about the evolution of
a species…in other words, what changes?
Changes occur in the body or structure of
an organism…this is referred to as an
organisms phenotype.
PHENOTYPE – body structures and
characteristics
Natural Selection
Or
“Survival of the Fittest”
What does “Survival of the Fittest”
really mean?
In the next few scenarios,describethe
phenotype that would most likely be
“selected” to survive…
Scenario 1: Drought
- There has been a drought and all of the grass
has dries up anddies first, but the leaves on
bushes and trees are slower to die…who
survives the longest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Animals with short legs but long necks
Animals with long legs, but short necks
Animals with both long legs and long necks
Animals with both short legs and short necks
Scenario 2: Predator is Approaching
- A predator is approaching the herd,
but is not hunting yet…who will
know sooner and therefore have a
better chance to escape?
Scenario 3: Predator Fight
- A predator has arrived. It is too late
to run away or hide, the animals
must fight off the predator…who
has the best chance at fighting?
Scenario 4: Blizzard
- The weather becomes very cold.
There is a blizzard and the land is
covered in snow…who survives?
Scenario 5: Volcanic Eruption
- There has been a volcanic eruption.
Lava flows down the mountain onto
the plains and kills anything in its
path…who will make it?
Classroom Challenge Mini – Lab
1.
2.
3.
4.
There are 4 utensils that need to be tested to
ensure your survival, and which habitat you are
most suitable for.
Each person will receive a utensil, you will rotate
the utensils for each round.
You will have 30 seconds to test each utensil and
then 10 seconds to record your results.
Your cup is your “stomach” and your stomach
must remain upright on the table the entire time.
Create a
cartoon
that
illustrates
the idea of
“Survival
of the
Fittest”
Keep in mind:
 The 4 Principles of
Natural Selection
 The idea of
“Survival of the
Fittest”
 Basic scientific
information
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Update your Table of Contents
Put your Survival of the Fittest Cartoon
in the basket
No homework – quiz on Evolution
scheduled for next Wednesday
Date Session
#
4/16
4
Activity
Biological Classification Notes
Page
#
8
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We know that there are many
different species on Earth, but
where did they all come from?
Speciation – over time the beneficial
variations that are passed on to the
next generation will accumulate and
the result will be an entirely different
organism (not just a variation of the
original, but an entirely new creature)
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Don’t believe that one small change
can accumulate into many…let’s try it
using Evolution Telephone
How does this game of telephone
relate to speciation?
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How are we able to organize and
identify all of these different
species?
Taxonomy – biological classification
is also referred to as taxonomy – it
is a system to organize & describe
all life on Earth
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What are the benefits of biological
classification (taxonomy)?
 Simple
organization
 Examine relationships between
organisms that exist now
 Construct evolutionary trees to
explore the origins of life on Earth
 Examine relationships between
modern & ancient organisms
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What are the categories we use to
classify an organism?
Example:
Life form: Humans
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: Sapiens
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How closely related to the other
species in our kingdom, phylum etc.
are we?
Evolutionary Tree –
also known as a
phylogenetic tree; like a
family tree but shows
the relationships
between species
branching back to
common ancestors
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How did this evolutionary tree start?
Let’s Find Out…
http://www.wellcometreeoflife.org/video/
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So what are the evolutionary
predictions for the next million
years?
That’s Your Job…
With your group create
the next branch on the
evolutionary tree!
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“Our prediction is that the temperature
on Earth will continue to rise therefore
humans will have to adapt by having
scales to resist the heat”
The name and specific characteristics
including the kingdom, phylum, class,
order, family, genus & species – this is
a new organism so you can MAKE IT
UP!
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Update your Table of Contents
We are going to go over directions for
the computer lab and then we will leave
Complete all activities to be turned in
for a grade
Date Session
#
4/18
5
Activity
Nothing to paste in today
Page
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