Month: April 2018

Monday: Whale DNA

/ Ms Lea

A century after Darwin’s Tree of Life was introduced to show evolutionary relationships between different species, scientists can use DNA to better understand how organisms share common ancestors and where they fit even more precisely on the tree of life.  In class today, students will be comparing segments of whale DNA with other aquatic and land mammals to determine which species they are most closely related to.  The more similar the DNA, the more closely related the species.  A copy of the activity can be found here:Whale DNA Activity

Here are some additional links with information about whale evolution:

Image result for right whale

Friday: Introduction to Evolution

/ Ms Lea

According to the theory of natural selection, adaptations (also called traits) that help an organism survive are passed on over generations while unhelpful traits are not passed on.  Today, students will learn the basics of how scientists think this works as well as learn more about the “Tree of Life.”  Here are resources from class:

https://gerardas94.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/charles_darwin_tree_of_life_poster.jpg

ASSIGNMENTS:

  • Adaptations Webquest due Thursday (Core A) and Friday (Core B, C and D)
  • Students that received less than a 3 on the Genetics Test are expected to retake it on Friday at 7:15 or Friday after school.  Students will need to show Ms Lea their completed study guide before retaking the test.

Wednesday: Wrinkled Fingers Lab

/ Ms Lea

To investigate adaptations, students are doing a lab testing if the phenomena of fingers wrinkling in water leads to better grip.  This is the hypothesis put forth by scientists in the past few years.  Here is more information about the research:

Image result for wrinkled fingers

  • Adaptations Webquest due Thursday (Core A) and Friday (Core B, C and D)
  • Students that received less than a 3 on the Genetics Test are expected to retake it on Friday at 7:15 or Friday after school.  Students will need to show Ms Lea their completed study guide before retaking the test.

Tuesday: Animal Adaptations Webquest

/ Ms Lea

Yesterday students explored adaptations and how specific adaptations helped species survive in their environment.  Today students will have some time to do independent research about adaptations.  Here are the resources from class:

Students that have extra time and are caught up on their work can check out this NOVA Special: NOVA ScienceNOW How Smart Are Animals?

Image result for animal adaptations

ASSIGNMENTS:

  • Adaptations Webquest due Thursday
  • Students that received less than a 3 on the Genetics Test are expected to retake it on Friday at 7:15 or Friday after school.  Students will need to show Ms Lea their completed study guide before retaking the test.

Monday: Weird Creature Adaptations

/ Ms Lea

This week students are learning about how a specie’s adaptations help it survive in its specific habitat and how they adaptations change over time (or not) to aid in the survival of a species.  Today’s activity asks students to take a look at some unusual species and make inferences of about the species environment based off of its adaptations.  Resources from class are here:

Students that have extra time can check out these links:

Image result for star nosed mole

ASSIGNMENTS:

  • Students that received less than a 3 on the Genetics Test are expected to retake it on Friday at 7:15 or Friday after school.  Students will need to show Ms Lea their completed study guide before retaking the test.