Evolution 90 Minute Planetarium and Life Science Lesson Planetarium and Gallery Program Grades: Evolution. Description.

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1 TEACHER GUIDE Evolution 90 Minute Planetarium and Life Science Lesson Planetarium and Gallery Program Grades: 8-12 Evolution Description Earth is an amazing planet. How the Earth became suitable for life and how living organisms changed the Earth are covered in the Shafran Planetarium viewing of, Life: A Cosmic Story. The Museum gallery portion of the lesson explores the diversity of vertebrates revealing the increasing complexity of life and the evolutionary traits enabling each vertebrate group to evolve over time. Objectives Define the word theory and tell what this concept means in science List and distinguish the five vertebrate classes and their appearance in the fossil record Identify at least four mechanisms for evolution that can be seen in the fossil record or in modern classes of vertebrates Relate possible models for the evolution of amphibians and reptiles, and reptiles and birds Explain how variation in structure, behavior and physiology helps animals adapt to specific environments Ohio s Learning Standards Grade 8: Life Science - Species and Reproduction Reproduction is necessary for the continuation of every species Diversity of species occurs through gradual processes over many generations. Fossil records provide evidence that changes have occurred in most species The characteristics of an organism are a result of inherited traits received from parents High School: Biology Evolution Mechanisms Diversity of Life

2 Before Your Museum Visit If this will be your first trip to the Museum for your students, you may want to review the following: What is a Museum? What is our purpose for visiting The Cleveland Museum of Natural History? How should we handle objects at the Museum? Introduce the vocabulary and additional resources provided below. Vocabulary adaptation - an anatomical structure, physiological process or behavioral trait that facilitates an individual s survival in a given environment. amphibian - two lives, a vertebrate animal which ordinarily has an early, juvenile, stage as an aquatic form and an adult land-based stage, for example: tadpole--frog. biological evolution -change through time of genetically determined traits to fit an environment. bird an endothermic, feathered vertebrate animal which lays hard-shelled eggs. DNA deoxyribonucleic acid. A molecule that is the main component of chromosomes and transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms evolution descent with modification of different lineages from common ancestors exaptation an adaptation that originally evolved for one purpose but was later useful for another (e.g. the bones in the lobe-finned fish allowed them to move through shallow water or emergent vegetation, but proved to be pre-adapted to allow limited movement over land) fish -a vertebrate animal which uses gills to breathe within a water environment and has fins for movement. gene flow migration. The movement of genes between subpopulations of species. Flow can be close or far depending on the species (ex. Corn is wind pollinated, pollen (male genes) can only be carried so far by the wind on the other hand a mallard duck may migrate miles or hundreds of miles hence the genes from a distant subpopulation) genetic drift random changes in the frequency of alleles in a gene pool, usually of small populations. Classic example are the Galapagos finch beaks genotype the genetic makeup of organisms with reference to a single trait, a set of traits or an entire complex of traits hypothesis - a possible explanation, statement or model which can be used as the basis for further testing. invertebrate - an animal which does not have an internal skeleton. law - a formal statement which describes the invariable behavior of a natural system - can often

3 be expressed in mathematical terms. Example: the Law of Gravity. mammal an endothermic vertebrate animal with fur or hair which bears live young and feeds their young milk. mutation an alteration from the parent type in inherited characteristics caused by a genetic change. Mutations can have positive effects, negative effects or no effect at all. Example; insects developing resistance to insecticides. natural selection the process by which traits become more or less common in a population due to consistent environmental effects upon the survival or reproduction of the individual with the trait. (The Peppered moth in England.) phenotype the observable appearance of an organism reptile - a vertebrate animal that has scales, breathes air with lungs and generally lays eggs. sexual selection a special type of natural selection in which the sexes acquire distinct forms either because the members of one sex choose mates with particular features or only those with certain traits succeed because the competition for mates. (Ex. large antlers on deer, bright plumage on certain birds) speciation the formation of new species as a result of geographic, physiological, anatomical or behavioral factors that prevent previously interbreeding populations from breeding with each other. theory -a hypothesis that is supported by further evidence. The greater the degree of testing, the more solidly established the theory becomes. trait a distinguishing characteristic or quality vertebrate - an animal with an internal skeleton. Extension Activities 1. Read about scientists at work. Use the attached article guide from Science Over Everything. The guide will direct you to a blog entry describing CMNH curator, Dr. Denise Su's, research on fossils in Eastern Africa. 2. Introduce students to the characteristics of fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Concentrate on the skeletal structures of the limbs, looking for differences and similarities. 3. Familiarize students with the geologic time scale. The length of time covered by the fossil record can be demonstrated with appropriate lengths of yarn, adding machine tape, etc. 4. Have students prepare reports on the animals of various time periods and then create a mural showing the eras and periods of geologic time and the typical animals present during each period. 5. Discuss the classic study of industrial melanism in moths with your students. To prepare an example of this concept, obtain several carpet squares, both solid and mottled. Amass a collection of buttons of closely related or sharply contrasting colors with each carpet square. Try buttons in large and small sizes. Scatter buttons on the rugs, and give students 30 seconds to pick out as many as they can (this is similar to birds eating moths off of tree bark). Chart which buttons were easiest to find

4 Online Resources for Teachers and Students Click the link below to find additional online resources. These websites are recommended by our Museum Educators and provide additional content information. CMNH Educators regularly review these links for quality. Web addresses often change so please notify us if any links have issues. Please note that aside from our own Museum website, the Museum is not affiliated with and does not endorse these online resources. Cleveland Museum of Natural History Educator Resource Center (ERC) The Educator Resource Center offers educator workshops, thematic teaching kits, animal dioramas, and more for loan to area teachers. Contact the ERC at for information on individual or school membership. Visit the Museum s ERC website for more information on workshops Hours o Monday, 2 to 5 PM o Wednesday, 2 to 6 PM o Friday, 2 to 5 PM o Saturday, 9 AM to 1 PM o Closed Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday Materials for Loan If you re interested in additional resources be sure to check out the following ERC materials or browse ERC materials online at Related ERC kits for this topic include: Dive Into the Gene Pool Kit: Explore DNA and reproduction with experiments on genetics, the gene pool and asexual reproduction. This kit also includes a 3D DNA model and several resources on evolution. Hominid Skull Collection: Skull casts of Homo habilus, Homo erectus, Australopithercus boisei, Australopithecus aethiopicus, and more. Includes calipers for measuring the casts and resources on evolution. Lucy Human Chimp: Includes casts of pelvis, femur, skull and mandible from Lucy, a chimpanzee and a modern human.

5 Article Guide: Paleoenvironment of Eden What was the World of Early Human Ancestors Really Like? Part 1: Directions: Read the entire article Paleoenvironment of Eden What was the World of Early Human Ancestors Really Like? to yourself o Box vocabulary words or words that you have not seen before o Underline in the text where the focus questions are addressed Answer each focus question Focus questions 1. Why is Eastern Africa so important to scientists like Dr. Su? 2. What kind of logistical challenges does Dr. Su and her research team face while working in the field? 3. What kind of environment did early humans live in? Part 2: Directions: Read each understanding question o Think about what you would need to know to answer that question Read the article a second time with a partner. o Answer each understanding question

6 Understanding questions 1. Identify two types of fossils which would be useful to reconstructing the paleoenvironment of hominids. Then explain what each fossil could tell you about the paleoenvironment. 2. Why would having a diverse diet of plants, seeds, fruits, insects, and meat be an evolutionary advantage? Why would this be particularly helpful to ancient humans? Part 3: Directions: Read the article a final time as a class. Discuss as a large group how you would address the extension question o Write a response to the extension question Extension Question Imagine you are graduate student working in the field for Dr. Su. Over the course of the field season, you find a several fossils, catalogued in the chart below. Fossil Type Species Egg Arboreal snake Pollen Ancient tree Tooth A. afarensis Tail bone Lemur What kind of environment do you think do you think our ancestors lived in? How did they live and what could they have eaten? Support your claim with evidence from the chart and explain your reasoning.