1) According to the cartoon, the most "fit" organisms in the video game world are not always the biggest or strongest, but those with adaptations that allow them to survive and pass on their genes, such as being small, fast, or able to blend in with their surroundings through camouflage. 2) The document discusses the concept of "fitness" in natural selection using the example of a comic about crickets. While being large might seem advantageous, the comic illustrates how traits like being quiet can also increase an organism's chances of surviving to reproduce. 3) Three necessary conditions for natural selection to occur are: traits must be heritable, genetic variation must exist in a population, and organisms must be

1. According
to this
cartoon,
who is most
“fit” in the
video game
world?

4. Survival of the fittest
Content Objective: Students will identify and
explain “fitness” as it pertains to Natural
Selection by reading the comic “Survival of the
Sneakiest”.
Reading Strategy Objective: Students will draw
inferences from the text to decipher what
characteristics make an organism more or less
“fit”.

5. Who is more fit here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbtaErurX
1c

6. So what happened here? Was the biggest,
strongest animal victorious?
So what is the definition of “fitness” then if it is
not the biggest and strongest?

7. What conditions are necessary for
natural selection to occur?
1. Traits must be able to be passed from
parents to offspring

8. Natural hair color
Dyed hair color

9. What conditions are necessary for
natural selection to occur?
2. Variation must be present in a population

10. What conditions are necessary for
natural selection to occur?
3. Fitness to the environment

11. Survival of the…sneakiest?
• Read comic
• Together, as a class
• And on our own
• Fill in the E box (summary) and
the A box (quotes) as we go

12. Discussion questions to think about
while reading:
When it comes to crickets, what does
fitness mean?
Is calling good or bad for a cricket's
fitness?
Give some examples of natural selection at
work in this cricket story.
How does selection favor calling? How does
selection favor not calling?

18. So what does it mean to be “fit”
Can being the biggest and strongest help you
survive long enough to pass on your genes?
Can being small and fast help you survive to
pass on your genes?
How about having some kind of camouflage to
blend into your background?
Any characteristic that increases an organism’s
fitness is called an adaptation.

19. Extension
• Create your own comic strip with at least 3
panels about an example of natural selection
and fitness.
• Show how the traits your organism has (being
very small, clever, fast, camouflage, good
eyesight, or anything else you can think of) help it
survive, while individuals without these traits do
not survive.
• Include descriptions or dialogue to explain what
is happening in the pictures