Unit: Evolution/Geology
Unit: Evolution/Geology
State Standards Covered:
3. Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual
processes over many generations.As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution
and diversity of organisms.
b. Students know the reasoning used by Charles Darwin in reaching his conclusion that
natural selection is the mechanism of evolution.
c. Students know how independent lines of evidence from geology, fossils, and comparative
anatomy provide the bases for the theory of evolution.
d. Students know how to construct a simple branching diagram to classify living groups of organisms by shared derived characteristics and how to expand the diagram to include fossil organisms.
e. Students know that extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and that the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient for its survival.
4. Evidence from rocks allows us to understand the evolution of life on Earth. As a basis for understanding this concept:
b. Students know the history of life on Earth has been disrupted by major catastrophic events, such as major volcanic eruptions or the impacts of asteroids.
c. Students know that the rock cycle includes the formation of new sediment and rocks and that rocks are often found in layers, with the oldest generally on the bottom.
d. Students know that evidence from geologic layers and radioactive dating indicates Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old and that life on this planet has existed for more than 3 billion years.
e. Students know fossils provide evidence of how life and environmental conditions have changed.
f. Students know how movements of Earth's continental and oceanic plates through time, with associated changes in climate and geographic connections, have affected the past and present distribution of organisms.
g. Students know how to explain significant developments and extinctions of plant and animal life on the geologic time scale.
Learning Targets & Progress
Learning Targets / Activities/Resources1. vocabulary: species, adaptation, scientific theory, natural selection, competition, variation, fossil, petrified fossil, trace fossil, cast, mold, preserved remains, extinction, gradualism, punctuated equilibria, homologous structures, cladogram, igneous rock, absolute age, relative age, radioactive (radiometric) dating, law of superposition, extrusion, intrusion, fault, unconformity, index fossil, half life / reading guide 6.3, 6.4, learning contract, scientific theory notes, natural selection notes, Quizlet terms
2. Explain what the law of superposition is. / fossils and relative dating activity, learning contract, Quizlet terms
3. Contrast relative age to absolute age. / learning contract, Quizlet terms
4. Explain what radioactive (radiometric) dating is and explain what it is used for. / radioactive m & m’s
5. Calculate how many grams will be left after 100,000 years if the radioactive element has a half life of 25,000 years. / radioactive m & m’s
6. Explain what the theory of evolution is. / theory and evolution notes
7. Explain what a species is. / notes
8. Identify the time frame of evolution. / evolution/geologic timeline
9. Name the 3 pieces of evidence that supports the theory of evolution. / Introduction into Theory and Evolution
10. Explain what a mutation is. / who is your closest relative
11. Explain how mutations assist natural selection. / natural selection notes, who is your closest relative
12. Given pieces of DNA determine how closely related different species are. / who is your closest relative
13. Explain how the theory of natural selection works. (Name the components of natural selection in order). / natural selection notes, let’s grub on some grass beetles
14. Identify who developed the theory of natural selection. / natural selection notes
15. Explain why the theory of natural selection is important to evolution. / natural selection notes
16. Explain how a species’ environment affects natural selection. / let’s grub on some grass beetles, natural selection simulation
17. Explain what an adaptation is. / Quizlet terms
18. Explain what a variation is. / let’s grub on some grass beetles
19. Given a diagram of rock layers, identify the relative ages of fossils, identify index fossils, identify intrusions, extrusions and unconformities. / learning contract
20. Identify how long Earth has existed and how long life has existed according to scientific evidence. / evolution/geologic timeline
21. Describe what happened to Pangaea and how that effected life and climate on Earth / evolution/geologic timeline
22. Identify the causes of mass extinctions / evolution/geologic timeline
23. Explain what an extinction is and how it is caused. / extinction notes
24. Construct and read a cladogram (phylogenetic tree). Explain what a phylogenetic tree is used for. / who is your closest relative