LabLearner—The Science of Learning
LabLearner—The Science of Learning

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Adaptation

Investigation 3 – PreLab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Investigation 3

ZERO-IN

Italicized font represents information to be shared orally or physically completed with the students at this time.

The non-italicized font represents additional information included to support the teacher’s understanding of the content being introduced within the CELL.

ASK WHY

Remind students that the planet we live on is constantly changing. To survive and reproduce, all living organisms must adjust to these changes. If organisms are not able to adapt to changing environmental factors — including competition for resources, predation, infectious diseases, and climate – they may not survive.

BRANCH OUT

Remind students that climate change analysts synthesize results from direct field measurements, satellite remote sensing and ecosystem modeling to better understand the processes driving changes in the landscape, plant communities, insect populations, wildlife, and human communities.

GET FOCUSED

Inform students that the Investigation is designed to help them to answer the following Focus Question:

  • How can an environmental change affect a population? When a new environmental pressure is introduced, some organisms in a population will not survive. The organisms with the genes that are most adapted to the environment will have the highest chance of surviving and passing their genes on to the next generation.

Note: These questions are located in students’ SDRs at the beginning and end of the Investigation.

Note: These are succinct responses to the Focus Question and are placed here for your reference at this time. A fully developed response to the Focus Questions can be found on the PostLab page.

GO DEEPER

As a class, read the Background(s) in the Investigation. Have students read the information aloud or silently to themselves. When students have finished, discuss the following concepts as a class:

  • Conditions in the environment can affect which genetic traits survive in a population.
  • Organisms that possess traits that allow them to survive will be more likely to reproduce, which is crucial for the survival of the species.
  • At times the environmental conditions can be so severe that the organisms do not have traits that enable them to adapt. In this case, a species may completely die out.
  • Paleontologists study the history of animals and plants by looking at fossils.
  • Fossils are hardened remains of previous life that are found in the crust of the Earth.
  • Sometimes scientists uncover fossils of a species that is not currently found on the Earth. This species lived in the past but has become extinct.

Note: These concepts are integrated into the Background(s) and are used to deepen students’ comprehension of the big ideas.

 

LEARN THE LabLearner LINGO

The following list includes Key Terms that are introduced in the Investigation Background(s). They should be used, as appropriate, by teachers and students during everyday classroom discourse.

  • fossil
  • paleontologist
  • extinct

Note: Definitions to these terms can be found on the Introduction page to the CELL.

Note: Additional words may be bolded within the Background(s). These words are not Key Terms and are strictly emphasized for exposure at this time.

SET FOR SUCCESS

  • Direct students to complete the Recall section in their SDRs. Student answers will vary.
  • What is natural selection?
  • What is extinction?
  • What is the difference between natural selection and extinction?
  • Play the video below. Stop to ask students questions or answer students’ questions when necessary. Remind students to follow along with their SDRs and make any notes that they think might be helpful.
  • After the video, direct students to divide into their lab groups to discuss their strategy for the lab. For example, they may assign certain group members to perform specific functions during the lab.

Note: The purpose of the video is to allow students to anticipate the laboratory experience they will soon encounter. Students should leave this PreLab session with a firm idea of what to expect and how to perform in the lab.

Note: Homework is posted below the video.

HOMEWORK

Tell students that they should review the Investigation in preparation for the Lab.