Description

Looking for a natural selection and evolution unit that’s thorough, streamlined, and ready to use? This comprehensive lesson bundle has everything you need to introduce your students to Charles Darwin, the theory of natural selection, evidence for evolution, and population genetics! All student pages come in both PRINT and DIGITAL versions for efficient use in class or through distance learning.

*PLEASE NOTE: This unit is also included in my Full Biology Curriculum.

This is an electronic download.  You will not receive any hard copies.

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➤THIS UNIT INCLUDES:

-14 Teacher Planning Pages (standards document, pacing guide, Greek/Latin prefixes and suffixes, differentiation ideas for student interest, ability, and learning environment)

-52-slide editable PowerPoint presentation (highly visual and fully animated)

-7 pages of editable Cornell notes (both fill-in-the-blank and editable versions included)

-2 pages of my popular Doodle Notes™ and a guide to using them in your classroom

-6 activities:

• Pieces of the Evolution Puzzle
• Widget Selection Demonstration
• Antibiotic Resistance Simulation Lab
• Evidence for Evolution Stations (6 slides + student worksheets)
• Peppered Moth Camouflage
• Island Biogeography & Genetic Drift Simulation Lab

-4 Extension Pages focusing on higher-order thinking skills:

• Populations Change: A COVID-19 Case Study
• Digging Deeper: Coevolution
• Data Analysis: Speciation in the Ozark’s Lizard
• Digging Deeper: Tiger Habitat Fragmentation

-3 Practice Problem Sets to reinforce concepts:

• Principles of Natural Selection
• Hardy-Weinberg Calculations
• Selective Pressure Examples

–24 editable task cards for a quick and easy unit review

–Editable Online Quiz through Google Forms

–Editable unit test with multiple-choice, matching, and short answer questions (in both honors and regular versions)

–Supplementary Resource Ideas: links and videos for additional explanation or exploration

–Answer keys and grading rubrics for all student pages

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*For more details about the specific topics and items included, please see the included images.

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➤Why choose a unit from Suburban Science?

1) The included NGSS, state standards, pacing guides, and differentiation ideas make lesson planning a breeze.

2) Student pages are compiled into one document that’s ready to print and copy all at once!

3) Colorful, animated PowerPoints have bolded terms that match the fill-in-the-blank Cornell Notes for error-proof student notes.

4) Doodle Notes provide additional methods for summarizing and note-taking in a highly visual and aesthetic format.

4) Thorough teacher instructions and student examples are included for new teachers, but it’s still easy for experienced teachers to add in old favorites!

5) Editable PowerPoints, Cornell Notes, and assessments make it quick and easy for you to add or remove content to fit your standards and the needs of your class.

➤Teaching virtual students this year?

All student pages and presentations included in this unit are available in PRINT or DIGITAL through Google Slides™ to be completed at home or in a 1:1 classroom. Students can view the PowerPoint at home, type on the pages, fill in diagrams, and even color Doodle Notes™! These digital pages work for any learning platform in which students can access Google Slides™ (Google Classroom™, Microsoft OneDrive™, Canvas™, etc). If you’re not sure whether the digital version will work for your students, just send me an email at [email protected] and I can give you a free sample to test.

I have taught Biology both in classroom settings and virtually through homeschool courses. Although this course was not designed specifically for individual homeschool use, the materials and resources included can be easily found at home and/or completed in a virtual or homeschool setting. If you’re looking for a homeschool Biology course for one student, please click here.

➤What topics are included in this unit?

• Charles Darwin- journey and observations
• Theory of natural selection
• Fitness and adaptation
• Antibiotic resistance (microevolution)
• Evidence for evolution (fossils, homologous structures, analogous structures, vestigial structures, genetic similarities, embryological development)
• Population genetics, gene pool
• Allele frequencies
• Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (conditions and equations)
• Directional selection, stabilizing selection, disruptive selection
• Genetic drift
• Genetic bottleneck and founder effect
• Speciation (geographic isolation, behavioral isolation, mechanical isolation, temporal isolation, postzygotic barriers)

 

The unit is aligned to NGSS and many state standards. If you’d like to know whether your state standards are covered, you can send me an email at [email protected].

NGSS addressed in this unit: HS-LS4-1, HS-LS4-2, HS-LS4-3, HS-LS4-4, HS-LS4-5, HS-LS-4-6. Additional details on standards are included in the teacher planning pages of this course.

 

➤How does this unit prepare my students to succeed in higher education?

The editable Cornell notes used in this unit are a great tool for students to use in college and beyond. Guided notes with blanks are included as students learn note-taking skills. Because the notes are editable, scaffolded sections of the Cornell notes can be removed as student skills progress, providing a more challenging and realistic note-taking experience.

Extension pages included in this unit provide an increased depth of knowledge and opportunities for critical thinking, data analysis, and math calculations. These skills are crucial for success in standardized tests like the SAT & ACT as well as in future science courses.

I use Greek and Latin prefixes, suffixes, and roots in context. A list of these terms is included and I encourage my students to practice these regularly. Familiarity with these terms allows students to understand and memorize new terms more easily and allows them to be more scientifically literate citizens.

➤What textbook can I use with this unit?

This unit is comprehensive enough to stand on its own without a textbook. If you prefer to use one, this unit follows the topics and level of detail in the Miller & Levine Biology textbook, which many teachers use. For other textbook suggestions, simply send me an email at [email protected].

➤Can I edit these resources to fit my needs?

Some of the files in this unit are editable. The text on the PowerPoints, Cornell Notes, and task cards is all editable so you can adjust the level of content and wording. The pacing guide, Google Forms quizzes, and printable unit tests are all fully editable. Labs, activities, extension pages, and any images included in this unit are in non-editable PDF formats to protect my intellectual property rights and those of the illustrators whose images I’ve purchased for use in this resource.