Evidence for Evolution

Fame! Does anyone live for ever?

Performance Objective: Through journal notes and a posttest, students will correctly identify examples of each line of evidence (fossils, anatomy, molecules, and embryos) supporting the theory of biological evolution as measured by earning a posttest score of at least 3 out of 4 points.  

Content: Journal Prompt:

"We learned about four mechanisms of evolution.  But how does each mechanism actually lead to evolution?

• Example: Natural Selection

  • Organisms produce more offspring than the environment can handle. 

  • This leads to competition for resources.

  • Variation exists in all populations, and individuals with the right adaptations for their environment will survive.

  • These organisms reproduce and send their genes on to future generations. 

  • Over time, organisms with the most advantageous adaptations will make up most of the population.

Write the following mechanisms and explain how each mechanism leads to evolution.

1. Mutation

2. Migration

3. Genetic Drift"

Lines of Evidence for Evolution Notes

Write the following notes in your Evolution Notes Template or journal.

Evidence for Evolution (FAME):

1. Fossils

2. Anatomy

3. Molecules

4. Embryos

1. Fossils: Fossils change a little bit in each rock layer - oldest fossils are deeper.

2. Anatomy: Structures in different organisms are compared to find relationships.

• Homologous Structures=Similar body parts in different organisms

• Analogous Structures=Parts in different organisms that have the same function 

• Vestigial Structures=A part of an organism that has lost its function over time

3. Molecules: Different species have similar DNA.  

4. Embryos: The embryos of different species have similarities.

Observations of evolution in relatively short time frames: 

• Galapagos Finches Caught in the Act of Becoming a New Species article

• antibiotic-resistant bacteria, 

• 2018 article on gene transfer as a mechanism for evolution

• shampoo-resistant lice

Use the Evolution Notes Template to fill in the information above.

Scientific Truth and Evolution:

Evolution can be tricky because there is a lot of non-scientific information out there from people with strong beliefs and opinions about the topic, and some of this information even looks like it could be real science. There are many valid and reliable evolution resources. 

Optional: because many students recommended "Crash Course," here you go: Crash Course: Evidence of Evolution. Optional: We can use the techniques and critical thinking described in "Crash Course: Who Can You Trust?" to search for resources, and we have used many of the these techniques in class, thank you, students.

Acknowledging Feelings and Beliefs: You may be having strong or confusing feelings about evolution, which is very normal considering that middle school is the first time our state directs students to learn the scientific theory of evolution in school, and you may have heard or been brought up with ideas or beliefs that seem to conflict with this theory.  

• Your beliefs are not wrong. Beliefs cannot be wrong. You are, of course, entitled to believe anything you want.

• You are all excellent and curious scientists, and you have been practicing your science skills all school year.  

• Regarding you and the theory of evolution, as a scientist you can decide whether you are convinced by the evidence or not.  

• If you are not convinced, that is great news, because the process of science directs you to investigate this topic and generate new data (facts) to help us all better understand how species change over time.

Please share any questions or comments about this topic or feelings you are having about evolution.

Lines of Evidence for Evolution Online Games

After taking notes, students access the “Legends of Learning” lines of evidence for evolution games.

• Play the fossil evidence playlist: https://app.legendsoflearning.com/join/YXNzaWdubWVudC0yNDY1NTA3?google=true 

• Then play the embryo evidence playlist: https://app.legendsoflearning.com/join/YXNzaWdubWVudC0yNDY1NTM1?google=true  

These games are on the Legends of Learning platform (students log in with their school Google accounts as they normally do).

If the games are not available, go to https://login.legendsoflearning.com, click the student access button, click “Play Teacher Playlists”, and use LIEBER3 as the teacher code.

Follow-Through Activities: 

Revisit the song “Fame” and have students remind themselves and the full class what FAME stands for in the context of lines of evidence for evolution (fossils, anatomy, molecules, and embryos).

Lesson Plan Summary:  

The Lines of Evidence for Evolution Notes lesson involves students learning from a notes projected on the board, recalling information that was presented, applying understanding of the lines of evolution to new and interesting examples provided by the teacher, and playing online evolution games with relevant content and questions. Instructional strategies include the teacher playing a song sample aligned with the musical intelligence, using an acronym to help student retention, providing spoken and projected visual notes about the lines of evidence supporting biological evolution, and presenting interesting scenarios to help students apply their understanding. These instructional strategies support the behaviorist learning theory in that they are focused on the delivery of information and the recall of correct information and the cognitivist theory in that they allow students to apply their understanding to new examples/situations.