6th - 8th Grade Module 10 Concept 3

Cycle 1

How does the environment influence populations of organisms over multiple generations?
Cycle Summary

Natural selection provides a way for species to adapt to changes in their environment. When an environment changes, it may impose new challenges on the populations in that environment. Some individuals will have traits that are advantageous in the altered environment.

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Session 1
Elicit

Students create a list of ways that organisms could be impacted by their environment.

Engage

Students view the video “What is Natural Selection?” and jot down 3 facts and any questions in their science notebook.

Explore

Students analyze data from finch beak modeling activities.

Session 2
Explore

Students analyze data from finch beak modeling activities.

Session 3
Explain

Students view the video, “The Origin of Species: The Beak of the Finch” and complete a KWL chart.

Elaborate

Students analyze historical data of the peppered moth.
Students perform a simulation lab.

Session 4
Elaborate

Students analyze historical data of the peppered moth.
Students perform a simulation lab.

Session 5
Evaluate

Students complete the Cycle 1 Quiz.

Extend
Extend

Students make a CliffsNotes® guide on the mechanisms of evolutionary change.