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By Christen Lubbers

Evolution: the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth” – The Oxford Dictionary.

MANY INDIVIDUALS AND organizations have tried to define evolution in a simple way. The definition above, as found in the Oxford Diction-

ary, for example, is a broad, simplified definition that only scratches the surface of the theory. The theory of evolution seeks to explain why and how organisms change over time and is accomplished by genetic variations, mutation, genetic drift, natural selection, and/or descent.1 Charles Darwin is most notably credited for theorizing evolution. He was a naturalist that observed species who were visibly or physi-cally similar. Minor differences in individuals native to dif-ferent islands have variations which help them to survive in the unique demands of the different geographic areas. Darwin noticed these patterns throughout the many species he encountered during his travels and terms the process by which this would occur natural selection. Natural selection thus means that reproduction would involve individuals with favorable traits, leading to evolutionary change.

The activity included in this article is a great way to lead students through the process of natural selection in a hands-on lesson. It will allow students to use creativity while researching a species they are interested in learning more about. I have found this lesson to be successful with my stu-dents, and encourage you to try it out with your grade four through grade eight students.

The traits that are selected for through natural selection are called adaptations, which are traits or behaviors that help organisms survive in their habitats. When organisms have variations between individuals, the variations with the best likelihood for survival will be selected for through natu-ral selection. If a species is somehow separated into two groups (maybe a road is placed in the middle of their habi-tat and they can’t travel to the other side – although it does not always have to be a physical separation) and each group adapts to the demands of the different habitats through favor-able variations, it could lead to speciation. These individual groups are no longer able to reproduce with one another.

With climate change occurring at a faster rate than ever before, organisms are left in a wake of increased weather events, drought, melting ice, rising sea levels, and an increase in temperature, among other hardships.2 In addition to these, deforestation is a global issue, eliminating habitats that organisms rely on. For these organisms to survive, they must be able to adapt to their changing environments.

The Future of EvolutionA lesson that puts the topic of evolution into the hands of your fourth through eighth grade students

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Younger, Hoff, Wienecke, Hinden, and Miller conducted a study on how emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forster) and Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) could adapt in order to survive glacial melting.3 They found that while both of these animals are predators living in the same Antarctic region, they would respond to the change to their habitat in very different ways. Emperor penguin populations were pre-dicted to increase, while the Weddell seal populations were predicted to remain static. A spike in population of emperor penguins could mean increased gene flow, and a better chance for adaptive variations. This is needed for emperor penguins, who will be losing ice that they rely on, but Wed-dell seals appear to be more sturdy as a species against vary-ing temperatures. This is an example of population growth, but shows that different organisms will respond to climate change in various ways.

As you take your students through the following lesson, make sure that they are thinking through their organism’s niche, the species distribution, and anything else that could specifically alter the way they would need to adapt to the way their habitat is changing.

As I was teaching this lesson to an art class, I created a quick, ten-slide presentation to give the students a foun-dation of understanding before they began their research. However, you can walk your students through the above background information however you see fit. One thing that was very obvious from teaching this lesson to varying skill levels was how adaptable it is. Each student took on the challenge in their own unique way and the result of that was brilliant. Feel free to adapt the lesson in whatever way you see fit to meet the needs and interests of your students.

Christen Lubbers is the Education Director at the Ar-chitectural Foundation of Cincinnati. She completed this project as part of her graduate work with Project Dragon-fly at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. As an adult who struggled as a student herself, she is always looking for ways to make difficult lessons more fun and approachable for every student. She would like to thank Brittany Forsythe and her grade seven and eight art classes for testing this lesson plan.

Notes1. OpenStax College (2016). Chapter 18: Evolution and the origin of species. OpenStax College, Biology. OpenStax College. Retrieved from: http://cnx.org/contents/GFy_h8cu@10.54:noBcfThl@7/Understanding-Evolution 2. Cook, J., Orestes, N., Doran, P. T., Anderegg, W. R. L., Verheggen, B., Mai-bach, E. W.,Carlton, J. S., Lewandowsky, S., Skuce, A. G., Green, S. A., Nuc-citelli, D., Jacobs, P., Richardson, M., Winkler, B., Painting, R., and Rice, K. (2016). Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming. IOPscience 11(4) doi:10.10883. Younger, J. L., van den Hoff, J., Wienecke, B., Hindell, M., & Miller, K. J. (2016). Contrasting responses to a climate regime change by sympatric, ice-dependent predators. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 1661. doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0630-

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Activity: Putting Evolution in YOUR Hands!In this activity, students will show what they have learned about evolution and think about the process in a more creative and critical way. In the end, students will have a more cohesive understanding of how evolution works. It is designed specifically for grades four through eight as a supplemental research lesson for a unit on evolution. However, it can easily be altered to work with a wider range of grades.

Materials: Books, computers, magazines and various research materials; Notebooks/folders for collecting and recording research; Poster paper for drawing; Colored pencils, crayons, markers, or other drawing supplies; Recycled materials to create a model (more on this later).

Time: Two to three sessions of 45-60 minutes

Day 1 | IntroductionStart by talking to students about the way our world is changing and how different species will have to continue to evolve in order for their species to survive. Then, have each student identify a species (plant or animal) – prompt them to choose their favorite one or one they want to learn more about. Have each student research his or her chosen species. How has that organism evolved to survive in its habitat? What adaptations can they find to back up their answers? Have students record these adaptations by writing or drawing them out. Ask your students to draw a picture of their species natural habitat, based on the research they did.

Day 2 | Main ActivityThis is the fun part, and where the students really get to use their imagination. Encourage them to think about the impact we have on the environment and how that will eventually change the landscape of where their studied species lives. Have a conversation with the students about what happens to a species when the land around it changes - do they need to evolve so they can survive?

Students will then draw what they think their species’ habitat will look like 1000 years from now. Once their habitat is drawn, they should draw what their species could look like 1000 years from now as well, again highlighting the ways in which the ani-mals had to evolve. When students have completed their drawings, have them present them to the class, explaining each of the decisions they made in their drawings. As students present their creations and the reasons they made specific decisions, actively encourage the class to discuss each project.

Depending on how your students work, they may need an extra day to complete this activity.

Teacher TipsIf students make off the wall decisions for what their species would look like in the future, make sure they have a reason that is based on their research of how the species would evolve, not just because it looks cool or is funny. Do let the students have fun with this though, it is supposed to be an enjoyable activity that gets them excited to learn!

Additional ActivitiesTake this lesson to the next level by having your students build a model of the habitat and evolved animal they dreamed up. Challenge them to use recycled materials for this project. Shoe boxes, bottle caps, paperboard and yogurt cups are all great resources for projects like this. With advance notice, students could begin collecting items a week or two before the lesson plan begins. They could also set up a bin in the cafeteria to collect materials from.

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Issue 113, Summer 2017

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Features

Departments

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /43

The Pathway to Stewardshipby Jacob Rodenburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /3

Partnering with Ski-Hills for Active Learningby Kathy Snow and Annamarie Hatcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /8

Secondary Science Outdoorsby Julieta de los Santos, Man-Wai Chu and Marie-Claire Shanahan . . . /12

Lights, Camera, Action! by Emily M . Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /15

Pledging for Changeby Heidi Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /18

Eco-Detectivesby Jennifer Yurky, Ryan Carpenter, Bruce Martin, Natalie Kruse and Andy Szolosi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /21

Plug Kids in to Natureby Kendra Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /25

Natural Colours from Plantsby Annamarie Hatcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /30

Turn The Key To Be Idle Freeby Emily Gee and Emily Stewart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /34

The Future of Evolutionby Christen Lubbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /36

Feeding Plants to Feed the Worldby Kent Lewarne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /39

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