Week 10: Evolution and Natural Selection

 

This week in lab we refreshed our learning from two weeks ago. We talked about natural selection and evolution and how those affect different species. We did an activity in lab where we each got a different utensil, and we had to see which utensil could collect the most beans. The utensils represented different traits, and the beans represented prey. We tallied up at the end of each round to see who had the least amount of beans. That person got to pick a new utensil to have. Picking a new utensil represented evolution because over time new traits become more popular and favored. 

This activity was easy, and the instructions were pretty clearly laid out for us. This activity helped show me how natural selection and evolution happen over time. I think it would have also been cool to actually change the environment to see how that would affect this experiment. 

This activity would make a good addition to my future classroom. I want to teach younger students, so I think this is an easy enough activity to have them do to learn about natural selection and evolution. It would be a good introduction activity for students and would leave lots of room for continued learning whether in my class or in their future science classes. 

Comments

  1. BellaApril 4, 2025 at 1:53 PM

    Hi Kendra! Your idea about using this activity with younger students is great. I think the hands-on aspect would really help them stay engaged while learning a big concept like evolution. Plus, the simplicity of the materials makes it really doable in a classroom setting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carly BorthApril 4, 2025 at 3:27 PM

    Hi Kendra! I enjoyed reading your blog this week and agree that it was a nice refresh for our learning the past two weeks. I found it interesting learning about natural selection and evolution and how they affect different species. I thought that our lab activity helped deepen our understanding of these concepts. Similar to you, I would also use this activity in my future classroom. I think it would be fun for students while also strengthening their understanding. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Peyton Wilson Science MethodsApril 6, 2025 at 8:38 PM

    Hi Kendra!
    I loved reading through your blog post this week. I also agree that this activity helped show me how natural selection and evolution happen over time. I will be incorporating this activity into my future classroom.

    ReplyDelete

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