Natural Selection and the Evolution of Darwin’s Finches

Diagram of a finch cladogram overlaying a map of the Galapagos.

Topic

Resource Type

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
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54 Users

Description

In this activity, students develop arguments for the adaptation and natural selection of Darwin’s finches, based on evidence presented in the film The Beak of the Finch.

Students watch segments of the film and then engage in discussion, make predictions, create models, interpret graphs, and use multiple sources and types of evidence to develop arguments for the evolution of Darwin’s finches. The activity highlights two key NGSS science and engineering practices: engaging in argument from evidence using mathematical and computational thinking, and analyzing and interpreting data.

The “Card Images” ZIP file contains individual image files for the cards used in this activity that can be used in the classroom, particularly in online courses. A document within the ZIP file contains suggestions for their use. These card images are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CCC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. We would ask that you attribute these to BioInteractive and not use them for commercial purposes.

Student Learning Targets

  • ​​​​​Make claims and construct arguments using evidence from class discussion and from a short film on the evolution of the Galápagos finches.
  • Use data to make predictions about the effects of natural selection in a finch population.
  • Construct graphs to illustrate predicted results and compare them to actual results.

Estimated Time

Two to three 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

adaptation, evolution, mutation, natural selection, rationale, trait

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published
Date Updated

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2-1, HS-LS3-3, HS-LS4-3, HS-LS4-5; SEP1, SEP4

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1.C, EVO-1.D, EVO-1.E, EVO-1.H, EVO-1.J, EVO-1.O, EVO-3.A, SYI-3.D; SP2, SP3, SP4, SP6

IB Biology (2016)

5.1 5.4, C.1

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 2.6, 2.7
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.H, SP2, SP5

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

3.2

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.4, ELA.WHST.9-12.1
MP2, MP4

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC5; DP1, DP2

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Beaks as Tools

Jason Crean describes how he uses BioInteractive's "Beaks as Tools" activity to supplement understanding of Rosemary and Peter Grant's research on the evolution of the Galápagos finches.
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