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Notes for Teachers

The lesson is designed to help students explore the idea that populations of organisms can be affected by and respond to changes in the environment.

We want students to see that natural selection is a process that happens over a longer period of time and a number of generations.

This activity can also help demonstrate the impact of invasive species on native populations.

Students can work both individually and in a group.

If you need a shorter lesson, you can just do the goldfish cracker part and adjust the assessment if you wish.

List of Materials

goldfish crackers: purchase a variety so you will have enough gold-colored crackers and brown-colored (darker like pretzel variety) crackers. You would need a total of 26 crackers per student for the activity. It is a good idea to mix the goldfish colors ahead of time.

*You could also group students to share crackers if you do not wish to purchase crackers for individual students.

paper for students to make data tables and bar graphs on
optional: yellow and brown colored pencils, markers, or crayons for bar graphs
poster board or large whiteboard for each group

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AZ Standards

Life Science:

5.L3U1.10 Construct an explanation based on evidence that the changes in an environment can affect the development of the traits in a population of organisms

5.L4U3.11 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate evidence about how natural and human-caused changes to habitats or climate can impact populations.

5.L4U3.12 Construct an argument based on evidence that inherited characteristics can be affected by behavior and/or environmental conditions.

Ed Technology:

6-8.3.d. Students explore real world problems and issues and actively pursue solutions for them.

ELA:

5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Mathematical Practices:

5.MP.4 Model with mathematics.

5.MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically.

5.MP.6 Attend to precision.

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Objective(s):

Today we will:

collect, graph, and analyze data regarding traits in a fish population
obtain and evaluate information relating to traits of organisms and changes in environment
construct a claim supported by evidence about the relationship between predation and natural selection in a population of fish

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Agenda

Day 1 (50 min. class period)

opening and background info
activity and recording and graphing data: individual, group, class

Day 2 (50 min. class period)

analyze data in groups
groups write claims plus evidence, and reasoning/connections
Gallery Walk for sharing
class discussion of class data and Gallery Walk ideas

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Agenda

Day 3 (50 min. class period)

Peppered moths case study: video, simulation, discussion
complete assessment

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

What would happen to a population of fish over a longer period of time when one color is preferred by predators over another color?

Let’s look at some background information before we begin our activity.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Natural selection: organisms that are best adapted to their environment , having a better chance of survival, will pass on their genetic traits to the next generation and so on

These native fish are the same species but have 2 different colors, gold and brown.

gold-colored fish: easy to catch and taste good

brown-colored fish: sneaky, hard to catch, and taste very bitter

A new predator (invasive species) has been introduced to the native fishes’ environment.

These new predators consume gold-colored fish whenever possible. They will only eat the brown fish if gold is not available in order to survive.

New fish are born every year; the number of new fish equals the number that have died.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Have students make a 6 by 4 data table that has columns labeled generation, gold, brown, and total. (The total will always be 10 for each generation.)
Hand out 10 random crackers to each student. Tell them this is generation 1. Students record this and the number for each color on table.
Tell students to eat 4 gold-colored fish. If there are none, then they eat 4 brown fish (no more than 4 total).
For Generation 2: Now pass out 4 random crackers to each student (to make a total of 10 again). Students record generation and the number for each color on table. They then consume 4 gold-colored fish once more. (If there are none, then they eat 4 brown fish ).
Generations 3-5: Repeat the process of handing out 4 random crackers, students recording on table, and consuming gold-colored fish (If there are none, then they eat 4 brown fish ). Stop after Generation 5.

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Graphing and Activity Follow-up Instructions

6. Have students create bar graph from their data table. X-axis: Generations number 1-5. Y-axis: Number of Fish number 1-10. Ask students how many bars they need for each generation.

( They will need 2 different-colored bars for each generation: one for gold, one for brown fish.)

7. Have each student graph their own data from information they recorded on table.

8. Place students into groups. They will now share their individual data and create the one bar graph, similar to individual graph, only this time they will total up their group color results for each generation. (For Y-axis Number of Fish, they will need to number by 10s to 50 range).

9. Have students in group analyze and discuss the data and write down what they observed from this data.

10. Create a class bar graph and have each group report their data, keeping track on a table like the students used. Then transfer that onto the class bar graph (depending on how many students/groups you have, Y-axis- number by 10s up to 100 to 150 range). You could have student volunteers help you.

11. In the groups, students can now analyze the class bar graph and work on making a claim supported by evidence, as well as develop an explanation for why (reasoning). They could set up claim, evidence, reasoning on poster board or a large whiteboard.

For the explanation or reasoning portion, if students are having difficulty, ask them: Which color was not favorable for the fish and why? How did that affect the traits of future generations?

12. Gallery Walk: From each group, you could have half of the group visit and read other groups posters/boards. The others will stay at their area, answering any questions visitors may have. Then switch. You could also give students sticky notes to provide constructive feedback and/or write down questions.

Be sure to give groups time to process feedback.

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Activity Follow-up Instructions Continued

13. Bring whole class together after Gallery Walk. Discuss these questions using the class data:

What happened to the frequencies of the colors gold and brown in the fish population from Generation 1 to Generation 5?
Was there a color that was favorable for the fish population? Why?
Review the definition of natural selection.Did the data we gathered represent the process of natural selection? Why or why not?
What ideas did you gain/agree with/disagree with during the Gallery Walk?

14.Show video on peppered moth and natural selection:

Story Time: A Very Special Moth

IMPORTANT: STOP THE VIDEO AT THE 2:58 POINT. You do NOT want the students to see the rest of it before the assessment.

(You can show the rest of the video after they complete the assessment if you’d like).

15. Have students play a few rounds of the peppered moths simulation activity:

Peppered Moths: Natural Selection

Be sure to go over the information on the Peppered Moths and How to Play tabs with the students before they play the game. Emphasize that they are eating the moths as a bird predator, not a human. They need to take the role of a bird trying to eat as many as possible before the moths fly away. Otherwise, they will not get valid data.

16. Bring class together to summarize and discuss what they found out about peppered moths.

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Assessment

After viewing the video on peppered moths and participating in the simulation, answer the following, supporting your argument using your knowledge of natural selection. Write a paragraph with a minimum of 5 sentences.

People began to realize the negative effects burning coal has on the air we breathe. In England, they began burning less coal as they found other ways to manufacture items that did not harm the air.The air then gradually became cleaner.What do you think happened to the population of peppered moths as the air became less polluted? Why?

Note: I provide for some of my learners who need it, a graphic organizer (4 Square) for claim, 3 supporting pieces of evidence/ideas, and a conclusion. Sentence stems are also provided to some learners as well.

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Differentiation

You can provide pre-made tables and bar graph templates for students who struggle with fine motor, organization, etc.
Use closed-captioning for the video.
Check for understanding/chunk tasks frequently for students who struggle with auditory processing, following directions, language, etc.
Assign a peer helper for students who may struggle with the recording and graphing portion.
Allow speech-to-text for students who struggle with writing thoughts.
Provide graphic organizers/sentence stems for students who need assistance composing paragraph for assessment.
Be cognizant of student skill-levels and needs when grouping students.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

These questions can be posed to students for further exploration of the topic:

If you were to perform this same experiment with a blindfold (you would not see what color you are selecting) do you think a certain color would become more common over generations? HINT:predators are now using the sense of touch with prey, so would one color be more beneficial for the fish population than another?
What do you think would happen if you continued this experiment for 10 more generations?
Students could also do research on the impact of invasive species in their area.