Which is Best? An Investigation (Kaitlin Baker)
Title: Which is Best to Survive?
Principle(s) Investigated: Life Science of Evolution, Natural Selection with popular genetics
Standards :
Next Generation Science Standards
Life Sciences
LS 1: From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes LS 2: Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics
LS 3: Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits
LS 4: Biological Evolution: Unity and diversity
CA State Standards of Evolution
3. Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and diversity of organisms.
e. Students know that extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and that the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient for its survival.
Materials:
(Provided is 2 per station to ensure multiple students work at once)
2 Sporks
2 Forks
2 Beakers of water
2 Graduated Cylinders
4 Baking Pans (2 per station)
2 Pipettes
2 Sponges
8 Gummy Worms
2 Tweezers
2 Salad Tongs
8 Styrofoam pieces
2 Slotted Spoons
2 Regular Spoons
* all materials can be found at your local convince store
Procedure:
Each station will consist of two different traits for the same species of animals. Each feature will provide an advantage or disadvantage in how the particular species eats, grabs, or flies. It will be the students’ responsibility to observe each trait and identify which they think is more favorable in the animal’s daily life. The students will be provided with hands-on materials that represent each type of feature, providing a visual and hands-on way for students to comprehend the concept of each trait much better.
Each of the challenge activities are timed—each group will be given about two minutes to complete the challenges, and about three minutes for each individual in the group to fill out the corresponding sections on this worksheet, making it a total of five minutes per station.
i. Station One: A duck’s webbed feet (Spork vs. Fork)
a. A duck can swim more easily with its webbed feet as seen with the spork.
b. The fork doesn’t move much water, not making it the best selection.
ii. Station Two: A humming bird beak. (Pipette vs. Sponge)
a. A humming bird can absorb more out of the test tube with the pipette than with the sponge.
b. The pipette is better to absorb the nutrients rather than the sponge.
iii. Station Three: A Blue Jay’s beak. ( Tweezers vs. Salad Tongs)
a. The gummy worms will represent the worm and the tweezers will represent the smaller beak.
b. The bird is able to worms better with smaller beak as seen with the tweezers.
iv. Station Four: A Pelican’s beak. (Slotted Spoon vs. Regular Spoon)
a. The beak can grasp more of the floating Styrofoam pieces out of the water with the slotted spoon rather than with the regular spoon.
b. The Seagulls beak doesn’t hold the water, making it dive and get food faster.
Student prior knowledge:
At the start of the demonstration, the students ' prior knowledge will be activated through their understanding of the term “best”, what they personally would rather experience, and their knowledge of survival needs. I would start with an engaging mini-activity that would have students engaged and interested in what they would be doing. I would start by asking the students for a one or two non-verbal response indicating what they would prefer in the provided situation. The questions would be things related to needs of survival such as, “Would you rather be stranded in the winter cold with a thick jacket and many layered clothes underneath or would you rather have shorts and a shirt on?” or “Would you rather have a long arm that can reach the hidden food source that never dies out, or rather have short arms that can reach a food source that only will last or be around for three months?” Based on the student responses I will explain the scenarios and answers are much like what is naturally occurring due to evolution’s natural selection. Some traits are more preferred or wanting, causing them to dominate over time.
Explanation:
Natural selection, or positive evolution, is when a species has a trait that makes them better to survive in their surroundings. Having a more suitable trait that helps them adapt to their surroundings better typically results in more reproduction of that trait, causing the trait to spread and become more dominate. This is known as evolving.
An example of how something works better and spreads throughout the population we can look at a bird’s beak and its source of food. There is a small supply of soft shell seeds and a lot of seeds with hard spiky shells on an island where finches eat the seeds within the shells. The finches that could only open and eat the soft shell seeds eventually ate their supply, and without the finches evolving to better suit their food supply, they eventually died off due to lack of food supply they could reach. If they would have evolved their beaks into a way to crack open the spiky shells they would’ve lived.
Within my lesson, demonstration of natural selection the students will be able exposed to a hands-on and visual activity of various species within an environment to explore which trait is best for the particular species. The species and traits that will be explored will be familiar to the students in order to deepen student understanding of why species are the way they are based off evolution.
There will be six total stations a group of students will rotate through, containing two different traits for the same species in the same environments. Through the exploration the students will log observations and determine which trait is best suited for the particular species.
Questions & Answers:
Give three thought-provoking questions and provide detailed answers.
1. There are many laws in place to protect endangered species. Is it right for us to put such laws in place? Should these species be protected or are we imposing on nature’s evolution of natural selection by protecting those unable to adapt and change to their environment?
2. What would humanity do if we were to experience a negative evolution? Imagine a day if a more dominate species were to arise. What would we do? Would become martyrs or would we out with nature’s course?
3. Should major genetic diseases and weakness (ie: cancer, legally blind eyesight) be viewed as negative traits that shouldn’t receive treatment or cures? Should these natural weaknesses determine which person is better fit for the current living environment? Should those born with such weakness be left alone to naturally succumb to natural selection? Is it appropriate for us to use and find various cures and treatments?
Applications to Everyday Life:
1. Consumer Driven- We are currently living in an evolving world. The trend right now is sleek technology. Every six months we experience and evolution changes within Apple Software products. The company, to ensure their success, is evolving to be the best in the market. The companies who are unable to evolve and change to consumer demands eventually die off and are no long in use such as the T-Mobile Sidekicks.
2. Problem Solving and Experimentation- In life you are faced with challenges, jobs, activities ect. which you will be responsible to complete in the most efficient way. Through experimentation you can determine which way or method is best and most efficient for the particular task. You then can pass on that trait and keep using the effective method to ensure your success.
3. Stay Healthy- Virus are fighting against our vaccines to stay alive. Due to vaccines viruses are evolving to survive the vaccination. If a virus can’t evolve to their new surroundings of vaccinations, they will not live on. The virus that is able to evolve and not be affected has a positive trait causing it to live on, causing the vaccine ineffective.
4. Peppered Moth- In England the number of black moths sky rocketed. Studies have shown the reason the black moths were able to survive was due to their ability to evolve and adapt to their changing environment during the industrial revolution. During the industrial revolution the moths who were black in color possessed a positive trait because they were better able to blend in with their surroundings and avoid predators; while the white moths were unable to adapt to the industrial changes causing the moths to diminish.
Photographs:
Videos: Include links to videos posted on the web that relate to your activity. These can be videos you have made or ones others have made.
http://science.discovery.com/games-and-interactives/charles-darwin-game.htm
Fun survival game for students to visit where they act out being a species living in a changing environment.
Great introduction to Darwin and natural selection, downside commercial breaks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnCsQ3CJlnM
Great for background information on where the changes stem from through generations and to provide .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkwRTIKXaxg Informational for educator purposes, a bit more complex and in-depth for sixth grade student understanding. Rather I would show clips such as 1:30 mark to 2:04 mark.