The document provides instructions for students to complete various classroom activities related to evolution, including a Venn diagram comparing mitosis and meiosis, defining science, completing surveys on the nature of science and evolution, modeling natural selection through an activity, and taking notes on key concepts like natural selection, fitness, and evidence for evolution such as homologous structures.

2. Warm up
 Classroom clean up. Your tasks are written on your
tables.
 Create a Venn Diagram on your own sheet of
scratch paper. Compare and contrast similarities
between mitosis and meiosis. Use your notes to help
you.
 FYI: I‟m still getting my voice back. 

3. Nature of Science
We will now start our section on evolution. Before we
do, we need to understand how science works (nature
of science).
What would your definition of science be. Think about it
for a minute and then share with your neighbor. Be
ready to share out with the class.
Hopefully by the end we will talk about all of your
definitions.

4. Nature of Science
Complete the Nature of Science Survey in the Before
column.

5. Nature of Science
 Science can only answer questions that address
natural phenomena (things we can see and
measure) not questions that are
subjective, political, religious, ethical etc.
 Science is evidence based: uses standards of
evidence and logical ways to answer questions, all
of which are based on observations, tests, or other
types of data (CAN use the scientific method but not
always!)

6. Nature of Science
Testable and Falsifiable: Can be tested over and over
again and can be proven false by evidence
Consistent: A scientific explanation must fit all of the
observable facts or it is proved to be untrue.
Practical: The scientific explanation has work in the real
world outside of the lab setting.

7. Nature of Science
 Making Explanations: must show a pattern of cause
and effect based on observable evidence
 Reviewed by Peers: must be open to criticism by
other people. Usually other scientists
 Self-correcting: Statements are made with caution
and scientists always note possible sources of error
and degrees of error

8. Nature of Science
Limitations of Science
Science is not absolute truth: scientific statements are
best approximations based on available evidence
 Note!: This doesn‟t mean it‟s not reliable. Take
gravity for example.
Science is not Democratic: you cannot vote on science.
Science policy and laws may be voted on but science is
based only on evidence.

9. Nature of Science
Limitations of Science:
Confirmation Bias: bad science starts with a belief and
then looks for evidence to confirm that belief. Science
should start with facts and the beliefs follow after.

10. Nature of Science
A video: A video of a physics teacher explaining the
nature of science. He will probably make more sense
than all these notes….
Terms used to Describe Nature of Science
 Fact: an observation that has been repeatedly
confirmed and for all practical purposes assumed to
be true. (Ex: Right now we can see the sun If we
walk outside)

11. Do you feel like your perception
of science is changing? How so?

12. Nature of Science
Terms used to Describe Nature of Science
Hypothesis: a temporary statement about the natural world that
can be tested. Used to build more complex inferences and
explanations
Law: A descriptive generalization about how the natural world
behaves (Ex: objects tend to fall towards the center of the
earth.)
Theory: A well-substantiated (well-tested) explanation of the
natural world and can incorporate facts, laws, inferences and
tested hypotheses.

13. Nature of Science
 3 Things Scientists DO
 Acknowledge and estimate possible errors
 Identify their own assumptions
 Publicize work and ask for criticisms

14. Nature of Science
 It sometimes can be difficult determining what is a
scientific claim and what is not. Let‟s have a little
practice by taking this survey.

15. Nature of Science
 The Nature of Science – You can’t handle the truth!
 Directions: Work in groups of 2-3 Go to the class
website (hthbio2012.weebly.com) Under Assignments is
a Nature of Science Assignment Page. Pick 5 of the sites
and determine whether the sites are stating true facts or
not. Find at least one site that is stating true data. After
you determine whether the sites are true or not support
your statement with 3 different reasons. List 1 to 2
reasons why this site can be deceptive or make a reader
uncertain if the content in the website is true or not.

16. Discussion Rules
As we get into evolution, we might be getting into some sensitive
subjects. In order to maintain a safe class environment, we will all abide
by the following rules:
 Listen and give your full attention to the person who is speaking
 Only one person speaks at a time
 Raise your hand to be recognized if you want to say something
 When you disagree with someone, make sure that you make a
difference between criticizing someone‟s ideas and the person
themselves
 Be respectful of everyone in the classroom
 Encourage everyone to participate
 Any other rules we decide at agree on

17. Natural
Selection/Evolution Survey
Complete the evolution survey

18. Nature of Science
“Everything you‟ve learned in school as „obvious‟ becomes
less and less obvious as you begin to study the universe. For
example, there are no solids in the universe. There‟s not
even a suggestion of a solid. There are no absolute
continuums. There are no surfaces. There are no straight
lines”
- R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983)
“The truth can sometimes be deceptive.”
- - Galileo

19. Warm Up
Finish the Nature of Science website activity.
When you are done, browse through the other website
you haven‟t visited yet. We will also go over those
websites later.
Honors: Take out SAT Book Page 224-245/Video Notes


20. Nature of Science
Let‟s go over the Nature of Science Survey Again. (After
column)

21. Natural Selection
 Natural Selection is theory that explains how
evolution works. Rather than take notes on natural
selection, we are going to do an activity and you will
try to come up with a theory for natural selection.
 Take out Your Lab Notebooks
 Title: Modeling Natural Selection
 Purpose: To model and define how natural selection
works

22. Natural Selection
Popcorn Reading: As a field scientist…
Procedure: Popcorn Reading
- Cut and Paste the front page into Lab Notebook as
the procedure.
- Practice using your feeding apparatus. Create a
section called pre-lab questions and answer the
questions on page 2 of your modeling natural
selection handout in your lab notebook.

23. Warm-UP
 Clear the tables of everything except a writing
utensil and your lab notebook or data sheet.
 Practice using your feeding apparatus. Answer the
questions on page 2 of your modeling natural
selection handout in your lab notebook.

24. Results
Create a graph of your data that best shows which type
of pretendie was best suited for the environment over
time.

25. Conclusion
Answer the post-lab questions as your conclusion.

26. Warm Up
Take out your annotations and PD
Discuss the evolution reading packet and take the
evolution survey. Use the survey as points of
discussion. Be ready to share out.
Turn in the list of things you did for engineering in the
inbox

27. Back to Natural Selection
Create a Graph in your lab notebook that shows how
the number of different pretendies changed over time.
Then answer the post lab questions. Be ready to
discuss answers.

28. Natural Selection Notes
Take out a sheet of paper.
Natural Selection: The gradual process where biological traits become more or
less common.
Facts:
1. Overproduction and competition: the population of species has to produce
lots of offspring. Offspring compete with each other for food
1. Fitness: How many babies you can have that can have babies
2. Individual Variation: Individuals in a population vary (Ex: People look
different)

29. Warm-Up
How would you define fitness? In other words, when
you think of someone who is fit, what comes to mind?
Any questions about evolution?
If evolution is about survival of the fittest, do you think
there can ever really be true altruism?

30. Natural Selection Notes
 Species organisms that have similar physical
features (traits), DNA, and can reproduce to make a
fertile offspring.
 Mules and Ligers are not a species. Why?

31. Natural Selection Notes
 Population a group of the same species living in the
same location at the same time

32. Natural Selection Notes
 Fitness the ability of an organism to produce
offspring that survive and can reproduce

33. What is Evolution
 Evolution is a change in population overtime and a
change in gene pool in a population over
generations
 Gene pool: all the genes/DNA in the population

34. Natural Selection Notes
 Darwin made two points in the Origin of Species
 1 found evidence that new species had evolved from
ancestral populations
 2 Natural Selection – explains how evolution works

35. Natural Selection Notes
 Darwin‟s Theory of Natural Selection
 1 Overproduction: organisms produce more offspring
than are able to survive
 2 there are difference in appearance of traits found in
individuals of the species or organisms of the same
species look different from each other
 3 Natural Selection is the mechanism for how
evolution works.

36. Natural Selection Notes
 Darwin‟s Theory of Natural Selection
 4 In a specific environment, some traits will help with
survival and reproduction (fitness) more than others
 5 Over generations, the population will change to
have more traits that help survival and reproduction

37. Natural Selection Notes
 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck – contemporary of Darwin
who proposed an alternate theory of evolution.
Thought that organisms strived to be more perfectly
suited to their environment

38. Natural Selection Notes
Remember (aka Key Points)
 A population is the smallest unit that can evolve.
Individuals CAN NOT evolve
 Natural Selection diminishes (decreases) or amplifies
(increases) existing traits
 Natural Selection depends on environment

39. Natural Selection Notes
Why is diversity important in a population?
Increases the likelihood of a species surviving during
environmental changes.

40. Natural Selection
 Darwin‟s experiment on Natural Selection with
Asparagus

41. Natural Selection
Complete the worksheet to practice explaining how
natural selection works in each situation

42. Warm up
Turn in Introduction to inbox or email the assignment to
me. If you already turned it in, that‟s fine. 
Take out a sheet of paper and title it evidence for
evolution. This will be your notes for evidence for
evolution.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Treekiller ran out of toner. Please
print out work on Chainsaw

43. Evolution Choice
 Evidence for Evolution
 Watch Darwin‟s Dangerous Idea Video: List the
evidence he provides for evolution.

44. Lab
 You can work alone or in groups of 2-3
 Finding Homologous Structures Lab
 Title: Homologous Structures Lab
 Purpose: To find homologous structures in the same
phylum
 Method: Compare 2 organisms from the same phylum.
Sketch the organisms you are comparing. Label the
phylum and the name of the organisms. Look for
homologous structures and different structure and list
them. (You only need to compare organisms from 6
phylums out of the 9)
 Results
 Conclusion: Are organism in the same phylum more similar
that those from a different phylum? Why or why not?