Overview
Students will determine an organism’s lifestyle based on it’s fossil remains.
Objectives/Goals
- Construct an explanation based on evidence for how an adaptation leads to differential survival and reproduction of organisms.
- Analyze evidence to predict how changes in gene frequency within a population can alter its survival and reproduction.
Procedure:
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This assignment can be completed in a program called Nearpod, or a discussion board in canvas.
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Students will do a modified version of the Photo Deconstruction Strategy.
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They will view a photo of a fossilized organism that is given or one of their choosing, and infer about this animal’s lifestyle based on it’s fossil, ie. what it might have eaten, what area it may have lived, what animal do they think it’s related to and why, etc.
- Students will then view three classmates' photos and add a response that elaborates on their peer’s opinions.
- You could also show a side by side fossil of an organism today compared to the fossil of its ancestor and have students notice the differences and infer what may have caused that change.
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If completing virtually as a class,
- Share out the learners' posts affirming their post or scaffolding any misconceptions.
- The instructor could reveal information about the extinct Raphus cucullatus, dodo bird, to allow students to compare their observations to those of researchers.
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If students are completing on their own, give a 24 hour period for their initial post, and the following date for their peer responses.