Download Misconception-Lesson-Plan

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Evolution and Natural Selection
State Standards
Objectives:
Students will be able to describe why evolution is not goal directed
Students will be able to describe evolution and natural selection
Students will be able to explain how natural selection drives evolution
Vocabulary: evolution, natural selection, adaptation
Technology: Overhead projector and Computer
Materials:
Bags of beans (northern or lima), trays for holding the beans, clothespins, plastic
Pacing:
SC11.1.2, SC11.1.3,
SC11.1.4
National Science
Education
Standards
Biological Evolution
knives, plastic spoons, plastic fork, tweezers, any utensil or item can serve as a
mouthpart, use your imagination or improvise with available materials, Evolution
and Natural Selection PowerPoint
15 minutes
1. Focus (3 minutes)
Targeted Resources
Ice Breaker
Pass around a box filled with statements about evolution and natural
selection. Play music, when the music stops, the student with the box
must pick out a statement, read it and decide whether it is true or false.
The statement can then be placed in a corresponding hoop, true/false.
Check
Using the Poll Everywhere website www.polleverywhere.com ask the
class about the common misconception of whether or not evolution is
goal directed.
2. Instruction (10 minutes)
Build Science Skills: Applying Concepts
Run through the short PowerPoint presentation with students. Have
students discuss each slide title before showing them the answer (ex.
What is Evolution?).
When finished introduce lab.
Lab
Set Scene On a distant planet there exists 5 species of a creature called a
Woolybooger. Each Woolybooger is similar except their mouth has
variations. All woolyboogers eat beans. Some woolyboogers have a
clothespin mouth (demonstrate how to use the clothespin to pick up
beans). Some woolyboogers have a tweezer mouth (demonstrate), some
have a needle mouth (demonstrate). One year a new species of
woolybooger was discovered, this woolybooger was called the SpoonMouthed Woolybooger (demonstrate). Each of you will play the part of a
woolybooger on this planet. The spoon-mouth wooly booger is rare, so
only two of you will get to be this type of wooly booger.
Procedure:
- Pass out the utensils,
- Give each group a tray with beans
- Students can share bean trays but each should have their own utensil
- Make sure students know to only use their utensils in the way their
intended to use them (as demonstrated) and may only pick up one bean
at a time.
Targeted Resources
- Run through several trials. Each trial will require each Woolybooger
(student) to acquire at least 10 beans. If 10 beans are not acquired during
the time period, the Woolybooger (student) has died.
- Start with 30 seconds on the clock for the first trial. Then reduce the time
to 15 seconds for another trial.
- At the end, the only surviving Woolyboogers will most likely be the
Spoon-Mouthed Wollybooger.
Discussion
Have students discuss the following questions to check for
comprehension.
1. What adaptation was the most beneficial to the species survival?
2. What adaptation was the least beneficial to the species survival?
3. What adaptation will be selected for?
4. Propose different scenarios and ask students what adaptation would
be the best in those scenarios.
Special Considerations:
Students whom require special accommodations may receive a copy of
the PowerPoint to help them further comprehend the material. The may
also receive the questions asked in class in written form and may be
allowed a partner to help guide them through activity.
Gifted students may be asked to research how a specific organisms
adaptations that have allowed them to flourish.
3. Assessment (2 minutes)
Targeted Resources
Ask student the following questions to check for comprehension.
1. What happens to animals that cannot compete as well with other
animals in the wild?
2. Can you think of any real-life examples of the Woolybooger, where one
species has a definite advantage over another?
3. Sometimes animals that are introduced into an area that they never
lived in before out-compete and endanger resident species, why do you
think this happens?
4. If only one species is considered the "fittest", why do we still have so
many variations among species? Why do some birds have very long
pointy beaks, while other birds have short flat beaks?
5. How do you think diseases can affect natural selection?
Reflection: I felt this lesson went very well and was perfectly laid out for the time period we had. Students were very
engaged throughout the entire lesson. Students were quick to answer questions and all participated in instruction and
the activity. The part of this lesson I wish to improve on is my catch. I should not start by asking a question but instead
by providing something that stimulated student’s interest as to what we might be doing in class. Over all I think this
lesson was very successful and students met all the objectives.