Charles Darwin Lesson
- 1. Charles Darwin The Theory of Evolution
- 2. When was he born? What were his hobbies/ interests? What did he study?What was his book called? Where did he visit? What was he famous for? Where was he born? What was the name of the ship he travelled on? Did he get married? What did he study? When did he die?
- 3. • Lesson Objective: To be able to explain Darwin’s ‘Theory of Evolution’. • Context: By explaining how different animals have changed over time. • Success Criteria: I understand the ‘Theory of Evolution’. I can explain how an animal has changed over time. I can explain why an animal has changed over time.
- 4. Watch the following clip and think about how the giraffes have changed and why they have changed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z4vfb9q
- 5. Task In your envelope you have a selection of pictures and explanations. In pairs you need to match the text with the right picture and then put them in chronological order. You should then have the story of how and why your animal has changed over time.
- 6. The first known giraffes did not have the long neck that they have today. They were no taller than elephants or antelopes. These short necked giraffes could not compete with all the other animals for food. All the plants and trees that they could reach were being eaten before they could get there. Over time, some giraffes were born with slightly longer necks than all the others. These giraffes were able to reach the leaves that were higher up. The giraffes with the longer necks survived and reproduced as they had lots of food. The giraffes with the shorter necks started to die out as they did not get enough food. Over millions of years, the giraffes with the slightly longer necks were able to survive and reproduce. This meant gradually the necks of the giraffes being born were getting longer until the modern day giraffe that we recognise today had evolved.
- 7. Over 60 million years ago, the first known horses were dog sized creatures that lived in rainforests. They had three large toes which helped them walk across the forest floor. About 20 million years ago the climate (weather) changed. This meant large grasslands began to grow. The small dog-sized horses moved out of the forests and onto the grasslands to feed. As a result of moving onto the grasslands, the three large toes which helped them walk across the forest floor evolved into single- toed hooves more suited for running over open country. The horses were less protected in the open grasslands than they were when they lived in the forest. The horses with longer legs were able to run away from predators whilst the shorter legged horses were caught and eaten. Over time the shorter legged horses began to die out and the longer legged horses increased in numbers. The modern day horses that we recognise today evolved around 1 million years ago. They have changed a lot from the small dog- sized animals they once were. Their hooves have changed to help them walk across the grasslands and their legs have become longer to help them run away from predators.
- 8. 1700 Peppered moths are a pale brown colour. They like to rest on the trunks of trees where they are well camouflaged. Occasionally there is a mutation in the colour of the peppered moth and it is born a darker colour. When this darker moth rests on the white tree trunk it is spotted by a bird and eaten. 1850 The industrial revolution has started. Factories are producing huge amounts of pollution and the trees are going black. The pale peppered moths are no longer camouflaged resting on the dark tree trunks. Their numbers decline. However, the mutant black moths are now better adapted and are camouflaged on the tree trunks. Their numbers increase. Once the factories stop producing as much pollution, the trees return to their natural, pale colour. Again this changes which colour moth has the advantage. The pale moths are now camouflaged and the darker moths are easily spotted by predators. The moths have evolved twice in 300 years, both times adapting to their environment.
- 9. Has your partner included- • How your animal has changed. Eg: the necks got longer, the legs got longer, their feet changed, their colour changed. AND • Why your animal has changed. Eg: to reach more food, to escape predators, to adapt to their environment.