Evolution Over Time

Performance Expectation

MS-LS4-6: Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

In Student-Friendly Words...

I can use data to explain how traits become more or less common in a population over time.

Big Ideas

Populations change over many generations.
Traits that improve survival become more common.
Less helpful traits may become less common.
Scientists use data and graphs to explain these changes.

Interactive Learning

Evolution Simulator

Bunnies Natural Selection PhET

Watch & Learn

Evolution

Watch antibiotic resistance evolve

How Evolution Works (And How We Figured It Out)

Natural Selection and Evolution: How Species Change Over Time

Ear Worms

Population Adaptation | Rap Video by SquidBooks

Real-World Connections

Antibiotic Resistance

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria shows how populations can change over generations when environmental pressures favor certain traits.

Changing Species

Scientists can use evidence from fossils, DNA, and living organisms to understand how species have changed over Earth's history.

Conservation

Understanding how populations change can help scientists protect species that are struggling to survive in changing environments.

Our Future

Evolution is still happening today, meaning populations of organisms will continue to change as their environments and challenges change.

Take It Further

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