What Proof is There to Support Biological Evolution?

Summer Research Program for Science Teachers

Zulema Jones-Enoe

Juan Morel Campos Secondary School

August 2005

What Proof is There to Support Biological Evolution?

Topic: Changes in Biological Organisms over Time

Objectives:

Students will:

Identify who developed the theory of evolution and explain his key ideas.
Explain the concept of adaptation
Describe the big bang theory, its connection the forming the solar system and the evolution of complex organisms
Explain the development of the species over the last 500 million years.
Describe the evidence supporting the theory of evolution
Explain how environmental isolation and limited population size contribute to evolution
Give an example of how evolution has occurred.

Materials:

A twenty minute video clip from http://www.unitedstreaming.com :Elements of Biology: Biological Evolution

A computer

A projection screen or television

Grade Level: Grades7-9

Time Required: one 45 minute class. ( it may be extended if you choose to use the video segments separately)

Introduction

UnitedStreaming.com/ is a very useful site. If you can possibly purchase access to this site form If you don’t have twenty minutes to show the entire movie clip, you can easily just download one of the mini-video clips. The 1-3 minute clips can be used as a motivation, do now activity and/or summary activity.

In addition to my hand out, the video clip has approximately six handouts that can be used with this video clip.

For my lesson plan it is best that students have some background knowledge of the vocabulary terms and basic beliefs in evolution.

Do Now

Give students the handout of presumed educational facts. Read the directions through with the students. Make sure students are given 5-7 minutes to read through the assignment without consulting any other students.

Activity/ Development

a) Right afterward permit the students 7-10 minutes to consult two students seated near them. If the responses are different remind students to right one short note about why they disagreed. If time permits allow students more time to discuss the reasons behind their choices.

b) Have students watch the video clip and as they watch figure out and continue to fill in the last column of the handout.

c) Review the responses with the students.

Assess what questions the majority of students had trouble with and explain any concepts that students had difficulty understanding from the video clip.

Homework

Have students to complete the quiz at the end of the video clip as a review of the information later. ( the Questions can be printed out from the site)

Student Worksheet

Evidence of Biological Evolution

Directions: Read the statements that are listed below. For each statement, fill in the first column of the worksheet labeled “Individual”. Write in the corresponding box” true” or “false” depending on if you think the statement is correct.

	Statement	Individual Response	Partner 1 Response	Partner 2 Response	Video Answer
1	Charles Darwin believed that all organisms came from other organisms that changed over time and evolution was a result of natural selection
2	Fossils from 50 million years ago have not shown any similarity to organisms found currently on the Earth.
3	All organisms are believed to have originate from a prokaryotic cell that formed 3.8 billion years ago.
4	The big bang theory states lead to an immediate creation of the solar system and the Earth as we know it.
5	Scientists think that organelles in eukaryotic cells developed from the union of a few prokaryotic cells when they were engulfed.
6	Meiosis has lead to a major decrease in the amount of genetic variation because it uses two parents.
7	Only 2% of all the organisms that ever existed are still found on the earth.
8	The extinction of organisms is part of the evolutionary process.
9	Genetics analysis is less important to proving evolution than comparative anatomy and fossil aging.
10	Genetic mutations are important to maintaining evolutionary potential
11	Land masses and environments that are far away from other land masses tend to display large amounts of genetic variation.

Extra Credit: (must be gotten on your own)

Why is biological evolution a major part of the human life? What evidence do you see for evolution?

National Standards:

Content Standard C-Life Science Curriculum

Teaching Standard D:

Make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students.

Teaching Standard C:

Use multiple methods and systematically gather data about student understanding and ability.
Analyze assessment data to guide teaching.
Guide students in self-assessment.

Teaching Standard E: Nurture collaboration among students.