For the remainder of the school year, we will be learning about evolution. After being out of school for the last month, you might be feeling a little bit lost with this week’s lesson. Time to refresh!
Unit 1 focused on making the connection between molecules and organisms. You learned about cells, biomolecules, and metabolism, Central Dogma, and homeostasis. All of that helped you answer the question: How do organisms live and grow?
Unit 2 focused on Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. You took a virtual road trip to Yellowstone National Park. Along the way, you explained how and why organisms interact with their environment, and evaluated the effects of those interactions through the lens of rewilding.
Unit 3 focused on Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits. You learned about cystic fibrosis and how genes, found on chromosomes, code for traits. You then researched a gene on a chromosome and shared your learning with the class. Throughout the unit, you acquired the knowledge necessary to explain how characteristics of one generation are passed to the next, and why individuals of the same species and even siblings have different characteristics.
If any of this feels like a distant memory, you need to review! Browse through the units, focus on areas that seem unfamiliar, and own your learning. As we work through Unit 4, Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity, we will answer the following Research Question: What evidence shows that different species are related? We will draw from our learning from throughout the year to answer the Research Question – buckle up!
Next, let’s “talk” Biology! Before COVID-19 shut us down, we learned all about our inner animals. With the return of school via distance learning, our study of evolution continues with learning Charles Dawin and the Voyage of the Beagle. Here is the assignment:
Watch the HHMI Biointeractive video below.
Next, you will follow in Darwin’s footsteps as he explored the Galapagos Islands.
If you have access to Internet Explorer, open the Explore the Galapagos feature on the PBS NOVA website where you will take a tour of where Darwin went and what he observed.
For those without access to Internet Explorer, my apologies. This type of interactive activity requires Adobe Flash which is blocked by the Chrome browser. Do not despair! You are in for a treat! Using the free software OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) to capture my screen, I’ve created three video walk-throughs of the Explore the Galapagos tour. Answers to the questions below are found within the video linked to the question. You will need to pause the videos frequently in order to read the content.
Create a Google Doc titled “Name – Week 30” (example: Baxter Swart – Week 30).
Share the doc with david.swart@g.highlineschools.org
Copy the questions below into your doc and then answer them all in complete sentences using the Explore the Galapagos website or the video walk-throughs below:
Where are the Galapagos Islands?
First click on “Explore the Islands” and read about three of the islands. Summarize one observation for each of the three islands you read about.
Now click on “What Darwin Saw”. You will be going through his various stages, reading about what Darwin said, and listening to interviews. Summarize Darwin’s first impressions (just writing the opening sentence will get you zero credit, click for the full story).
What surprised Darwin on the islands?
What did the tortoises offer the local people? How did it benefit Darwin?
At first Darwin thought the birds were unrelated, but what ideas eventually came from his observations of the finches?
What was the fallout (or result) of Darwin’s journey?
Go back to the “Explore the Islands”. Look at some of the interpretative panoramics and the animals. Pick two animals and summarize their unique characteristics.
Look at “Darwin’s Finches”. What do you think it means by unique niche, based on what the rest of the paragraph says?
How are the beaks different and why was that important?
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you are all rested and excited to engage in school via distance learning for our final quarter of the school year. Please work through the list of links below. Each section contains important information and ends with an assignment or short quiz. You can complete it all in one sitting or break it up as needed. Ready, set, go!
Monday, March 23, 2020 (HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS1-6, HS-ESS2-7): This week, students will engage with the Big History Project, a website packed with incredible information about the history of the Universe, Earth and the Solar System, Life on Earth, and more. Students will create accounts and then work through Chapters 1-4 by Friday. The goal for today is to complete Chapter 1.
Friday, March 27, 2020 (HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS1-6, HS-ESS2-7): Using your notes from the Big History Project, construct a timeline (to scale!) of important events from the beginning of the Universe all through today.
Monday & Tuesday, March 23 & 24, 2020: For first lesson of Week 28, we will revisit the concept of taxonomy, first introduced by Carl Linneaus back in 1735. Visit the HHMI Creating Phylogenetic Trees from DNA Sequences web page. Download and complete the worksheet by working through the Click and Learn activity.
For your work today, create a new Google Doc titled with your name – Week 28. Share the Doc with Mr. Swart. Write answers to the worksheet questions in your Week 28 Google Doc into a section titled “Creating Phylogenetic Trees from DNA Sequences Worksheet Answers”.
Wednesday-Thursday, March 25-26, 2020: Over the past few weeks, we have acquired a significant amount of evidence for evolution:
Natural selection (the common ancestry of brown bears and polar bears; dinosaurs and chickens)
Artificial selection (humans selecting for desired traits, such as dog breeding)
13 different finch species now inhabiting the Galapagos Islands all evolving from a common Mainland finch ancestor
As we continue learning about evolution, we must expand our view to consider the concept of co-evolution:
Co-evolution is the idea that organisms do not evolve in a vacuum.
The term co-evolution is used to describe cases where two (or more) species reciprocally affect each other’s evolution.
Plants and insects represent a classic case of co-evolution — one that is often, but not always, mutualistic. Many plants and their pollinators are so reliant on one another and their relationships are so exclusive that biologists have good reason to think that the “match” between the two is the result of a co-evolutionary process.
Host: an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter.
Bacteria: microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation (such as in wine) and that of decomposition.
Virus: Any of various simple submicroscopic parasites of plants, animals, and bacteria that often cause disease and that consist essentially of a core of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein coat. Unable to replicate without a host cell, viruses are typically not considered living organisms.
Infection: Invasion and multiplication of an infectious agent in body tissues of the host and may lead to clinical symptoms or local cellular injury as a result of competition in metabolism, production of toxins, intracellular replication, or antigen antibody response.
Symbiosis: the interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association.
Symbiotic Relationships:
Mutualism: symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved.
Commensalism: an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Parasitism: a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.
For your work today, create a new section in your Week 28 Google Doc titled “Biological Relationships Vocabulary”. Then, for each of the 12 words from this lesson highlighted in red bold text, research your own examples of these biological relationships and write up your work in your Week 28 Google Doc. Include source citations as appropriate.
Friday, March 27, 2020: Yesterday you learned about the many different ways organisms can live together. Today we will focus on the type of symbiotic relationship called parasitism. We will begin by watching a National Geographic video about zombie parasites. The presenter, Anand Varma, applies his expertise in photography to the study of parasites. Mr. Varma travels the world collecting specimen for study, and his ability to apply biological concepts to his work, think creatively, and drive to overcome failure make him and his work truly remarkable.
Next, read the article Meet the Parasites That Control Human Brains. In your Week 28 Google Doc, create a section titled “Zombie Parasites” and share your thoughts on the following questions:
Why do zombie parasites persist?
What niche do they fill within an ecosystem?
Think about behaviors you see in yourself and those around you. Ever wonder why people do what they do?
Does the existence of zombie parasites cause you to think differently about people and their actions?
Monday & Tuesday, March 16 & 17, 2020: Last week we learned all about our inner animals. Our study of evolution continues online this week with a dive into Charles Dawin and the Voyage of the Beagle. To begin, watch the HHMI Biointeractive video below:
Next, you will follow in Darwin’s footsteps as he explored the Galapagos Islands. Using the Explore the Galapagos feature on the PBS NOVA website, you will take a tour of where Darwin went and what he observed. You will document your work by creating a Google Doc (title: Name – Week 27) and sharing the doc with Mr. Swart. Copy the questions below into your doc and then answer them all in complete sentences:
Where are the Galapagos Islands?
First click on “Explore the Islands” and read about three of the islands. Summarize one observation for each of the three islands you read about.
Look at “Darwin’s Finches”. What do you think it means by unique niche, based on what the rest of the paragraph says?
How are the beaks different and why was that important?
Now click on “What Darwin Saw”. You will be going through his various stages and reading about what Darwin said (if you have headphones you can listen to the interviews as well). Summarize Darwin’s first impressions (just writing the opening sentence will get you zero credit, click for the full story).
What surprised Darwin on the islands?
What did the tortoises offer the local people? How did it benefit Darwin?
At first Darwin thought the birds were unrelated, but what ideas eventually came from his observations of the finches?
What was the fallout (or result) of Darwin’s journey?
Go back to the “Explore the Islands”. Look at some of the interpretative panoramics and the animals. Pick one (or two for a bonus point) animals and summarize their unique characteristics.
Wednesday & Thursday, March 18 & 19, 2020: We continue our investigation into the history of biological research by moving past Charles Darwin and learning about the work of Carolus Linneaus, the father of modern taxonomy. To help place the concept of taxonomy into historical perspective, review the individuals listed below and briefly summarize their major accomplishments into your Google Doc. For reference, a link to a previous lesson about Watson & Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA is also included, as are links to the texts by Darwin and Linneaus.
Next, complete the Biological Classification POGIL and email Mr. Swart with any questions. Options for showing your work include:
Print your own copy, fill it out, and then email Mr. Swart with pictures of your completed work
Write answers to the POGIL questions in your Week 27 Google Doc into a new section titled “Biological Classification POGIL Answers”.
Keep Learning!
Students who would like additional learning about taxonomy are encouraged to watch the Crash Course video below:
Friday, March 20, 2020: Congratulations on completing your first week of distance learning in Biology! For our Friday lesson, sit back and enjoy Jack Horner’s entertaining TED Talk in which he describes his research connecting dinosaurs and chickens.
After the video, open your Week 27 Google Doc add definitions for the terms embryology, the fossil record, atavisms, and behavior. Include an example of each from Dr. Horner’s talk. Double-check your Week 27 Google Doc is shared with Mr. Swart, then have a great weekend!
With the sudden closure of all schools across our region, we didn’t have the chance for a real goodbye or to discuss plans for how to keep things going outside of school. My hope is that you will make the most of your time away from school and keep your brains active and engaged.
Students who wish to improve current grades: Use Synergy to identify missing assignments, then locate those assignments here. Complete the work, then email me a picture of what you have completed. All missing work will be awarded a maximum of 60% credit. Email with any questions or to obtain copies of assignments that cannot be posted online.
Students who wish to earn bonus credit: Contribute to the STEAM Punks section of this website. Pick a topic, explore it in depth, then write up your findings into a post that can be linked to one of the STEAM sections. Wondering how to begin? Visit the post on Sleep.
Students who wish to earn Honors credit: Complete the following learning enrichment opportunities. Email Mr. Swart with any questions and send evidence of completed work by email or as a shared Google Doc (student-created, shared with Mr. Swart).
Immunology is the study of the immune system. To help build out this page, visit the links below and begin exploring immunological networks. Pick a network, write it up, and contribute your findings.
Science with Swart 
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