# Only the Strong Survive
| In this lesson, students learn how the four points of natural selection drive the evolutionary patterns of a species. Students determine how to answer evolutionary questions through interpreting graphs and making connections among natural selection concepts. Students also discover how advantageous traits can increase the survival rate of a species, while unfavorable traits can lead to extinction.

Grade(s) | Subject | Course | Time Frame | Duration
9th-10th | Science | Biology | 2-3 Classes | 150 mins

## Standards

- Oklahoma Academic Standards

## Essential Question(s)

- How does natural selection contribute to the expansion of some species and the decline of others?

## 5E Snapshot

- Engage: Students watch a video of a competition between two moose and make predictions about what its outcome means for the moose involved. Students also predict whether one species can influence the evolution of another species.
- Explore: Students complete a peppered moth lab simulation, collect data, and interpret results. Students add the main ideas to a brainstorming document as they prepare to create a Mind Map.
- Explain: Using a Choice Board, students select an article to read and a video to watch to learn more about the four points of Darwin’s natural selection. Students take notes and add the main ideas to their brainstorming document.
- Extend: Students use their brainstorming document to create a Mind Map about natural selection.
- Evaluate: Students provide feedback about their peers' maps. Then, students reflect on the lesson and write a summary that explains their understanding of natural selection’s effects on a population.

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