Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Evolution Unit

What does it mean to evolve? What happens when public opinion and science converge? What do you think about evolution? From now until final exams we will be looking at evolution (both micro & macroevolution).

Today students took a survey to expose their preconceived notions. After the survey we discussed questions which they felt were the most challenging to answer and why. We'll return to these surveys at the end of the unit and see if their responses have changed at all.

We watched the following video clip from PBS's Evolution series and discussed these questions: 1. How does the scientific meaning of a term like theory differ from the way it is used in everyday life?
2. Can the “facts” of science change over time? If so, how?



Homework: Watch this video clip on Darwin (also from the Evolution series) and write down your answers to the questions below. Come prepared for a class discussion.



1. What characteristics made Darwin especially well suited for science?
2. What did Darwin see and do on his five year voyage on the Beagle?
3. Why was the publication of the Origin of Species a courageous act?
4. Why was it simply good science?

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