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Project Description: Natural selection can be a tricky subject to teach, but it is part of California's mandated State Standards. This lesson incorporates many different methods of technology to teach this standard to achieve high student proficiency. Students participate in hands on activities such as a web-based "Flashy Fish" guppy breeding simulation which shows them natural selection taking place in a real environmental situation. This lesson uses PowerPoint, SBCEO Portal streaming videos and clips, a document camera, Moodle and a game called Eggspert to teach and assess students.
How it works: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of how animals have special adaptations which are selected by their environment through natural selection to survive and reproduce. In this unit students will learn vocabulary terms associated with Natural Selection. The highlight of the lesson is where students will diagram an example of natural selection through a web-bases guppy breeding simulation in a computer lab. Students pick different genetic characteristics for color in guppy fish and selective breed them through multiple generations. They then analyze the data in a graph form and fill out a lab worksheet. This lesson also uses PowerPoint, SBCEO Portal streaming videos and clips, a document camera, Moodle and a game called Eggspert to teach and assess students. The use of technology throughout all my lessons, I believe, has played an instrumental role in the past few year of my students Honors Biology CST test scores dramatically improving. Since 2007 the percent of students placing Advanced had gone from 37% to 65%.
Assessment: Students keep a whole semester interactive notebook in which they write, tape, staple every assignment tot he right hand page and then reflect on each assignment on the left hand page. Student will turn in their video questions, the simulation lab work sheet and a quiz as assessments. The review game will be an assessment of vocabulary terms before the test.
Standards: CA State Standards in Biology sections 7 and 8
- 7. a. Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than the genotype of an organism.
- 7. c. Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a gene pool.
- 7.d. Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a species will survive under changed environmental conditions.
- 8.a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of organisms.
Estimated Number of Class Periods for Students To Complete Unit: 5 Class Periods or more.
What you need: Laptop, projector, internet connection, SBCEO Portal access or (equivalent), Moodle page, California Streaming for video or clip (or equivalent), lap size white boards or Eggspert game console.
Software or Materials Used: Laptop, projector, internet connection, SBCEO Portal access or (equivalent), Moodle page, California Streaming for video or clip (or equivalent), lap size white boards or Eggspert game console.
Keywords: Natural Selection, Genetics, Simulation, Gregor Mendel, Gene Pool, Phenotype, Genotype, Variation, Survivial
The Students: This assignment was made for 9th Grade Honors Biology but can also be used for 10th grade Biology or even 7th grade life science. Students should have a basic knowledge of navigating a Web site. Vocabulary will be introduced at the beginning of the lesson. The power point can be modified and printed as notes with blank for students who struggle with taking lots of notes.
Overall Value: This series of 5 natural selection lessons gets student out of the classroom and exposes them to a multitude of different technology based assignments. It allows students to participate in a neat web-based laboratory assignment at low monetary cost. The success rate of understanding the standards addressed is very high. It s fun, innovative and different from traditional teaching. My students enjoyed every aspect of it.
Subject Area: Science
Grade Levels: Grades 7 - 12
Tips for the Teacher: Have fun!
