Natural Selection and Evolution
This lesson covers the fundamental mechanism of evolution: natural selection. Students will learn how genetic variation, competition, and environmental pressures lead to the survival of individuals with advantageous traits and the subsequent inheritance of these traits by future generations.
Learning objectives
- State that variation exists within a population due to genetic mutations.
- Explain the process of natural selection using the terms 'survival of the fittest' and 'inheritance'.
- Describe how natural selection leads to evolution over many generations.
- Apply the principles of natural selection to the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Lesson plan (60 minutes)
Starter · 5 min
Retrieval practice: 5 questions on DNA and Genes to bridge to today's lesson.
Introduction · 15 min
Teacher-led explanation of the 5-step process of natural selection using the 'VSRGP' acronym (Variation, Selection, Reproduction, Genes, Population).
Guided Practice · 10 min
Worked example: The evolution of long necks in giraffes or antibiotic resistance.
Independent Practice · 20 min
Differentiated worksheet completion (Support, Core, Stretch).
Plenary/Check for Understanding · 10 min
8-question multiple choice quiz to check for understanding.
Key vocabulary
- Variation
- Differences between individuals of the same species.
- Mutation
- A random change in the DNA sequence of an organism.
- Alleles
- Versions of a gene that lead to different characteristics.
- Natural Selection
- The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
- Selection Pressure
- Factors like predators, climate, or disease that affect an organism's ability to survive.
Core worksheet (first questions)
- Describe the four main stages of natural selection.
- If a mutation helps an animal hide from a predator, what kind of mutation is it called?
- Explain how the Industrial Revolution changed the population of peppered moths in England.
- Why is 'reproduction' just as important as 'survival' in natural selection?
Quiz (sample)
1. What term describes the differences between individuals of the same species?
- A. Variation
- B. Cloning
- C. Mitosis
- D. Stagnation
2. What is a mutation?
- A. A type of selection
- B. A change in DNA sequence
- C. The process of breathing
- D. A method of reproduction
3. Which of these is a 'selection pressure'?
- A. Abundant food for everyone
- B. Lack of predators
- C. Competition for resources
- D. Stable environment
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