LABORATORY EXERCISES IN EVOLUTION

Compiled by:
Samantha Dolen

Dept. of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4120

These resources were compiled as part of an Independent Study project in science education conducted under the supervision of Prof. J. E. Armstrong. Project Completion: July 1993

INTRODUCTION

This file is presented as a supplimentary resource to Biology and Chemistry teachers in Secondary Education. With the increased emphasis on improving the problem solving abilities of today's students, laboratory activities have become more and more important in the science curriculum. Unfortunately, many teachers are not equipped with the resources (e.g. money, time, facilities) to conduct full-scale investigative laboratories. However, many science teachers have developed, through years of teaching and testing, methods by which students can become familiar with laboratory work and increase their ability to solve problems.

The following entries are from books, journals, and microfiche and provide many ways in which simple, inexpensive laboratories may be run. Using the information provided below, you may locate the article and prepare an activity that has been shown to provide useful learning in the secondary classroom. It is the intention of this project to provide only resource and helpful citations to teachers interested in performing successful laboratories. These resources were compiled in preparation for student teaching, and having done the work, these citations are made available to teachers without access to ERIC and other educational databases, and to save others from having to make similar searches.

What is ERIC?

The following lists of resources are largely from the ERIC database (Educational Resources Information Center), a national information system designed and supported by the U.S. Department of Education to provide ready access to exemplary programs, research and development efforts, and related information that can be used in developing more effective educational programs. ERIC gives listings of both educational journals and microfiche. ERIC uses systematic keyword searches to refernces of innovative programs, conference proceedings, bibliographies, professional papers, curriculum-related materials, and reports of educational reasearch. "Descriptors" are assigned to each report so that they may be found through a subject index. The descriptors used to locate the following citations are listed so that similar articles may be located if the user desires to conduct a future search. Two other resources that correspond to ERIC are Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education.

Learning objectives for study of evolution

1> Students should be able to summarize Darwin's theory of descent with modification and concept of natural selection.

2> Students should be able to account for variation in species.

3> Students should be able to summarize current explanations for the appearance of new species.

4> Students should know the major course and chronology of Life on Earth.

AUTHOR: McComas,-William-F.

TITLE: Resources for Teaching Evolutionary Biology Labs. An Analysis. 1991 American-Biology-Teacher; v53 n4 p205-09 Apr 1991

DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal Articles (080); Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052); Reference Materials - Bibliographies (131)

DESCRIPTORS: Biology-; Case-Studies; Geology-; Population-Growth; Radiation-Effects; Science-Education; Secondary-Education; Teaching-Methods

DESCRIPTORS: *Evolution-; *Inquiry-; *Science-Activities; *Secondary-School-Science; *Simulation-

ABSTRACT: A rationale is presented for the use of inquiry activities in the biology classroom when teaching the concept of evolution. An annotated list of evolution laboratory activities from 18 nontextbook sources is included. Each annotation includes the title, source, major evolutionary concepts, and a brief description. (KR)

AUTHOR: Bishop,-Beth-A.; Anderson,-Charles-W.

TITLE: Evolution by Natural Selection: A Teaching Module. Occasional Paper No. 91.

CORPORATE SOURCE: Michigan State Univ., East Lansing. Inst. for Research on Teaching.

SPONSORING AGENCY: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. 1986

AVAILABILITY: Institute for Research on Teaching, College of Education, Michigan State University, 252 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1034 ($5.50).

DESCRIPTIVE NOTE: 58 p.; For other teaching modules in this series, see SE 046 875 and SE 046 877.

DOCUMENT TYPE: Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052); Tests /Questionnaires (160)

DESCRIPTORS: Ecology-; Genetics-; Higher-Education; Learning- Modules; Preservice-Teacher-Education; Problem-Solving; Science- Education; Science-Experiments; Science-Instruction; Secondary- Education

DESCRIPTORS: *College-Science; *Evolution-; *Misconceptions-; *Science-Activities; *Secondary-School-Science

ABSTRACT: Designed to address the major conceptual problems associated with evolution and variation and survival in populations, this module can be used with high school students or college nonscience majors including those in elementary education. It is one in a series developed by the project "Overcoming Critical Barriers to Learning in Nonmajors' Science Courses." The materials offer guidance to teachers in diagnosing student deficiencies, in creating dissatisfaction with misconceptions, and in providing opportunities for application practice. This module contains: (1) an introduction (specifying the critical barriers to understanding natural and explaining how to use the module to overcome these barriers); (2) diagnostic test and commentary (designed to be used as a pretest and/or posttest); (3) materials for lecture or discussion with commentary (consisting of a series of copy-ready masters for use as overhead transparencies and student handouts on evolution by natural selection); (4) laboratory activities and commentary (including a lesson on the evolution of "bead bugs"); and (5) problem sets (addressing the value of variation of traits to the process of natural selection and the nature of adaptive traits). All instructional materials for the students are juxtaposed with instructor commentaries. (ML)

AUTHOR: Adams,-Clark-E.

TITLE: Resource Ecology Activities for Introductory High School Biology. 1990 American-Biology-Teacher; v52 n7 p414-18 Oct 1990

DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal Articles (080); Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)

DESCRIPTORS: Biology-; Higher-Education; Science-Education; Science-Experiments; Secondary-Education; Secondary-School- Science

DESCRIPTORS: *Animals-; *College-Science; *Ecology-; *Laboratory- Procedures; *Natural-Resources; *Science-Activities

ABSTRACT: Provided is an outline of laboratory activities involving a full year of student investigations of natural- resource ecology and an example of an activity, "Home Range Analysis." Objectives, background information, key vocabulary, skills, materials, procedures, extension activities, and evaluation of this three-lesson activity are discussed. (CW)

AUTHOR: Will,-Nancy-A., Comp.

TITLE: Regents Biology Resource Units.

CORPORATE SOURCE: New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Curriculum Development. 1984

DESCRIPTIVE NOTE: 95 p.

DOCUMENT TYPE: Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)

DESCRIPTORS: High-Schools; Resource-Materials; Science- ; Science-Education; Units-of-Study

DESCRIPTORS: *Biology-; *Course-Descriptions; *Demonstrations- Educational; *Science-Careers; *Science-Experiments; *Secondary- School-Science

ABSTRACT: This publication provides supplemental information which can be used by the teacher to accompany each unit in the Regents Biology Syllabus. Each unit of the supplement addresses topics and understandings in the corresponding unit of the syllabus. These units are: (1) unity and diversity among living things; (2) maintenance in living things; (3) human physiology; (4) reproduction and development; (5) transmission of traits from generation to generation; (6) evolution; and (7) ecology. Topics listed in the supplement are keyed into major topics and understandings in the syllabus and are treated in three ways: suggested laboratory activities; suggestions for demonstrations; and importance for various careers. In addition, some of the laboratory activities can be used to foster the development of the 16 basic laboratory skills indicated in the introduction to the syllabus. (JN)