Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Draft Lesson Set

Common ancestry and evolution through natural selection are foundational understandings in biology, but we haven’t always had teaching materials well suited to adult classrooms. To address this need, CUNY has developed a new lesson set, Evolution: Unity and Diversity, that focuses on the central pieces of Darwin’s theory, including inheritance of traits, evidence of common ancestry, natural selection and adaptation.

We are using an inquiry and content-based approach to science through reading/writing instruction, with connections to mathematics. Students will examine evidence that confronted Darwin and follow a chain of logic moving from the facts of variation, inheritance and struggle for existence to the theory of natural selection as a unifying explanation of the diversity and constant change in nature. The lessons in this set are drawn from different sources, with some written by CUNY teachers and some pulled from other sources.

We have heard from some teachers that they don’t feel they have the liberty to spend so much time on evolution, as just one of many topics in science, while also being responsible for teaching social studies, writing, etc. You may not use all of these lessons with your class, but we encourage to use enough lessons that students are given time to consider evidence, ask questions and understand the material, rather than just trying to remember what they read or heard. There is a logic to Darwin’s theory that takes some time to put together. This isn’t content that we can race through, not if we want our students to really understand. Many of our students have come to believe that they can’t understand science; this is our chance to give them a different kind of experience.

It is also possible to layer different topics and skills while teaching evolution. The timeline of life on Earth allows us to branch off into plate tectonics and movement of the continents, photosynthesis and oxygenation of the atmosphere. A timeline of Darwin’s life provides opportunities to read about colonialism, slavery, and the Industrial Revolution (also connected to the lesson on peppered moths). We encourage teachers to consider reading Charles Darwin, by Kathleen Krull (Giants of Science series) with their students while teaching this curriculum. Students can use the book for independent reading, close reading activities with class support, vocabulary lessons and writing activities. Rather than being an afterthought, Evolution as a science topic could be an organizing approach to a reading/writing curriculum, with the potential to give students a rich body of knowledge they investigate and connect to other subjects they are learning.

– Eric Appleton, CUNY Professional Developer, eric.appleton@cuny.edu

To access Evolution: Unity and Diversity lessons: http://bit.ly/CUNYEvolution.

To access supplementary materials for this curriculum, visit: http://collectedny.org/frameworkposts

CUNY Videos on the evolution curriculum are available at: http://collectedny.org/nysedtl

Description of Evolution: Unity and Diversity lessons:

1. Characteristics of Living Things (Meghan McNamara)
   Through a fun icebreaker activity, students explore questions about classification of life: What are the different kingdoms of life? What are some similarities and differences between organisms. Why are there so many kinds of organisms? And… What is life?
2. Timeline of Earth’s History (CUNY) math connection
   Students create a timeline of the history of the Earth, explore how life has changed, and consider huge numbers in the millions and billions. They consider questions such as: How old is the Earth? How did life develop? The Earth is much older than you might have thought (and there is plenty of time for species to have evolved). Has life on Earth always been as abundant and diverse as it is today?
3. Darwin and the Journey of the Beagle (CUNY) social studies connection
   We follow Darwin’s trip on the Beagle through a map and timeline of his journeys. What was a 5-year trip around the world like? We read about some of his first discoveries of giant armadillos and sloths. Why do fossils of extinct animals show up where similar species exist today? Species clearly change over time, but how?
4. Evidence of Common Ancestry (CUNY)
   Students are presented with a mystery: What are these bones we’re looking at? Similarities among skeletons (homologous structures) give evidence of shared ancestry. Are cats and dogs and bats related? Could we all be related? Is it possible that we came from a common ancestor?
5. The Struggle for Existence (CUNY) math connection
   Introduction to the struggle for existence through a bunny population growth math problem. Populations have the potential to increase exponentially, so why aren’t we knee deep in bunnies? Populations generally remain stable once they reach a certain size (carrying capacity).
6. Artificial Selection – Dog Breeding (UCMP, adapted by CUNY)
   Dog breeding, heritable traits. Individuals in a population are not identical, they vary in many characteristics. Many characteristics are heritable (i.e., are passed on from parent to offspring). The breeder chooses the individuals with desirable traits and allows only those individuals to have offspring. Basic mechanics of natural selection, though humans are doing the selecting. Darwin’s interest in pigeon breeding.
7. Natural Selection – Who Survives? (CUNY) social studies connection
   The mechanism of adaptation, example of peppered moths and the Industrial Revolution. The example of the peppered moth allows connections to industrialization, population growth, environmental change, globalization and slavery.
8. Natural Selection – Darwin’s Finches (nsta.org, adapted by Meghan & Eric)
   Peter and Rosemary Grant in the Galapagos have been observed finches in the Galapagos since 1973, counting and measuring birds, seeds and beaks. Do small differences in beak size give some finches advantages over others? If so, what is the effect?
9. Natural Selection – Adaptation (CUNY)
   Environments, traits, advantages. Animals adapt to their environment, arctic bunnies, cactus. Which animals are adapted to the arctic? The desert? How do you know?
10. Evolution Now (CUNY)
    Antibiotic resistant bacteria. Life continues to evolve. Knowledge of evolution through natural selection is important for the health and well-being of ourselves and the planet. Evolution is an ongoing process and is present in all forms of life. How does evolution continue to operate in the world and possibly affect my life?