Chapter 14 Lesson 3, "The Theory of Evolution"

Materials:

• Darwin's Theory of Evolution
• Adaptive Advantage (optional)
• Comparing Body Parts (optional)

Objective:

• Students will define the term scientific theory.
• Students will state the two theories that come from Darwin's work.
• Students will give two types of evidence that support the theory of evolution.

Anticipatory Set:* Remind students that there has always been disagreements between science and church. Show Nicolas Copernicus. Explain that many religions once taught that the earth was the center of the Universe. Copernicus showed that the Earth revolved around the sun. His theory was got him put in jail for a while but the mathematics behind the science helped him prove the theory true.

Show a map of the Galapagos Islands. Mention the many different types of animals living there, lizards, penguins, tortoise. Three different ocean currents converge and volcanic islands have periodically wiped out all wildlife on the individual islands. Show a picture of the galapagos finches. In the entire mid west there are only a few types of finches. Ask, how could there be so many types in the Galapagos islands. Show them a picture of Darwin and discuss his journey. Traveled aboard the "HMS Beagle" around the Galapagos Islands. When Darwin came up with his theory of evolution he was not as lucky as Copernicus because there was no mathematics to use to prove it.

Teacher Input:* Darwin was not the first scientist to propose the theory of Evolution the greeks proposed the theory long ago but didn't support it with evidence and methods like Darwin did.

Darwin spent 5 years traveling around the world. Darwin began by studying fossils. He noticed that the organism in newer rock layers were slightly different than those in the older rock layers.

Darwin had some competition, Alfred Wallace. Wallace traveled in South America and India and came up with very similar ideas to Darwin. When Darwin heard of this he published his findings in "The Origin of Species"

When Darwin wrote the book he proposed a hypothesis. What is a hypothesis? After a lot of testing by many scientists Darwin's hypothesis is now broken down into two theories. Descent with modification and natural selection, natural selection2, natural selection3.

Have the students go through Darwin's four points that summarize his whole book.

1. More offspring than can survive.

2. there are slight variations between organisms.

3. Individuals struggle to survive .Define Adaptive advantage P373.

4. Survivors pass on there genes to their offspring.

Further Evidence for Evolution. Discuss with the students Embryo development and how similar organisms go through similar development.

Discuss organs that are no longer useful to an organism. (Vestigial structures1, Vestigial structures2, Appendix 3)

Discuss organs that are similar in different creatures. (homologous structures)

Guided Practice:* Students will complete the worksheet, Darwin's Theory of Evolution

Check for Understanding:* Students will take a quiz on Lesson 3, "The Theory of Evolution"

Duration:

30 minutes + 10-15 for Independent Practice (Could be longer if taken for homework).

Alaska Content Standards Addressed in this lesson:

• SCI A-11 Students will understand that similar features are passed on by genes through reproduction (Heredity).
• SCI A-12 Students will distinguish the patterns of similarity and differences in the living world in order to understand the diversity of life and understand the theories that describe the importance of diversity for species and ecosystems.
• SCI A-13 Students will understand the theory of natural selection as an explanation for evidence of changes in life forms over time (Evolution and Natural Selection).
• SCI A-14 Students will understand
  • the interdependence between living things and their environments:,
  • that the living environments consists of individuals, populations, and communities: and
  • that a small change in a portion of an environment may affect the entire environment (Interdependence);

• SCI A-15 Students will use science to understand and describe the local environment (Local Knowledge);
• SCI C - 1. know how the words "fact," "observation," "concept," "principle," "law," and "theory" are generally used in the scientific community;
• SCI C -2. understand that scientific knowledge is validated by repeated specific experiments that conclude in similar results;