An environmental factor, such as a drought, sometimes speeds up the rate of natural selection. Scholars analyze data on the beaks of birds around the time of the drought. They compare those that survived to those that perished and find the important statistical numbers. From there, they draw conclusions about natural selection.

Concepts

evolution, data analysis, natural selection, speciation, statistics

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Either assign as homework prior to the lesson or watch in class the following a 15-minute film
• Extend the lesson by using the entire data set rather than just the small sample

Classroom Considerations

• Relies on prior knowledge of bar graphs, descriptive statistics, genetics, evolution, adaptation, and natural selection

Pros

• Provides a complete answer key
• Includes teacher tips for implementing the lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

HSF-IF.C.7.a HSS-ID.A.1 HSS-IC.A.1 HSS-IC.B.3 RST.9-10.7 RST.11-12.7 WHST.9-10.1.a WHST.11-12.1.a MP1 MP2 MP5