Big Idea 1: Evolution

Essential QuestionsWhat role does evolution play in the

organization of living things?

What evidence supports our current models of the origin of life?

How does the process of evolution drive diversity and the unity of life?

How does life evolve in changing environments?

Learning Objectives Convert a data set from a table of numbers that reflect a

change in the genetic makeup of a population over time and apply mathematical methods and conceptual understandings to investigate the causes and effects of this change

Evaluate evidence provided by data to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the role of natural selection in evolution

Analyze data to support the claim that responses to information and communication of information affect natural selection

Apply mathematical methods to data from a real or simulated population to predict what will happen to the population in the future

Learning ObjectivesEvaluate data-based evidence that describes

evolutionary changes in the genetic makeup of a population over time

Evaluate evidence provided by data from many scientific disciplines that support biological evolution

Refine evidence based on data from many scientific disciplines that support biological evolution

Design a plan to answer scientific questions regarding how organisms have changed over time using information from morphology, biochemistry, and geology

Evaluate given data sets that illustrate evolution as an ongoing process

Learning ObjectivesConnect scientific evidence from many scientific

disciplines to support the modern concept of evolution

Construct and/or justify mathematical models, diagrams, or simulations that represent processes of biological evolution

Pose scientific questions about a group of organisms whose relatedness is described by a phylogenic tree in order to (1) identify shared characteristics, (2) make inferences about evolutionary history of the group, and (3) identify character data that could extend or improve the phylogenic tree

Learning ObjectivesConstruct explanations based on scientific evidence that

homeostatic mechanisms reflect continuity due to common ancestry and/or divergence due to adaptation in different environments

Analyze data related to questions of speciation and extinction throughout Earth’s history

Justify the selection of data that addresses questions related to reproductive isolation and speciation

Describe speciation in an isolated population and connect it to a change in gene frequency, change in environment, natural selection, and/or genetic drift

Describe a model that represents evolution within a population

Day 1Watch the video “What Darwin Never Knew”

Write down questions/interesting points you have as you watch

Day 2 (60 minutes)Required readings:

Chapter 22, 23

Bozeman videos:There are 19 videos in the “Evolution” tab on

www.bozemanscience.com that you should watch throughout this unit

Activity 1Finish watching “What Darwin Never Knew”

Activity 2Use the website

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_01 (you can Google “Welcome to evolution 101”) to create a word map that organizes and connects evolutionary terms and concepts

Words to include (but are not limited to): adaptation, environment, natural selection, genetic variation, speciation, mutation, species, population

This will be useful to come back to throughout the unit

Time: 30 minutes

Day 3Natural Selection

Artificial Selection

Activity 1 – Natural Selection

Work with a partner to complete the allele frequency lab

Complete the table on the handout

Complete the discussion questions on the back of the handout

Create another scenario with a different animal that has 2 different variations for a trait. What conditions would favour one trait over another?

Time: 45 minutes

Activity 2 – Artificial Selection

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?

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

Day 4Required Readings:

Investigation #2Chapter 23

Bozeman: Investigation #2Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

Activity 1Work through the sample model on excel

Create your own investigation:What trait are you going to look at?How many generations will you complete?What allele frequencies will you use?Complete a CERR write up for this investigation

CERR Write Up for Investigation #2

Claim – What is Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the principles behind it? What are some facts behind the trait that you have decided to

investigate? What is the % of it occurring in the real world?

Evidence – Calculations, graph, tables from your investigation

Reasoning – Why are you seeing what you do in your results? How do the allele frequencies change over generations? Why might this be? Why do recessive traits stay in a population? Relate back to Hardy-Weinberg

Rebuttal – Why don’t recessive traits disappear completely? Why did a trait that had a low allele frequency not become a

high frequency in the population? Relate back to Hardy-Weinberg

Day 5 Required Readings:

Chapter 22

Activity 1Read the excerpt of the article “Evolution of the Eye”

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolution-of-the-eye

Support or refute the idea that the eye has changed due to natural selection Provide 3 ideas to support your opinion

Provide an example of an animal that has changed over time by the process of natural selection How has it changed specifically?

Propose a plan with scientific questions to test the theory of natural selection

Due – January 25

Time: 30 minutes

Activity 2 – LibraryUse Berkley’s Understanding Evolution (Google

“Evolution 101, we have used this site before) to explore the patterns in the diversity of life across the planet Earth

Connect evidence to help explain why organisms change over time

Interpret/analyze/manipulate the data presented to infer how evolution has affected different species

Time: 20 minutes

Activity 3 - LibraryRead the following articles:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060714-evolution.html

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931757,00.html

Write an essay that explains how modern concepts of evolution are supported through natural selection

Due: January 25

Day 6 (60 min)Required readings:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/antibiotic_resistance.htm

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n3/antibiotic-resistance-of-bacteria

Activity 1After reading the articles on the evolution of

drug-resistant bacteria, explain the following:How does the misuse of antibiotics affect the

evolution of disease-causing bacteria?Why should we care about a resistant strain of

bacteria?What are 5 common diseases caused by bacteria,

and what would it mean if they became resistant to the antibiotic that treated it?

Time: 30 minutes

Activity 2Quiz

When you finish, you can work on either of the 2 assignments due on Friday

Day 11 (60 min)