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Concepts for Grades 6-8
Jump to: History of Life | Evidence of Evolution | Mechanisms of Evolution | Nature of Science | Studying Evolution |
| History of Life Concepts |
- Biological evolution accounts for diversity over long periods of time. (See Lessons)
- Through billions of years of evolution, life forms have continued to diversify in a branching pattern, from single-celled ancestors to the diversity of life on Earth today. (See Lessons)
- Life forms of the past were in some ways very different from living forms of today, but in other ways very similar. (See Lessons)
- Present-day life forms are descended and modified from past life forms; all life is related. (See Lessons)
- Geological change and biological evolution are linked. (See Lessons)
- Tectonic plate movement has affected the distribution and evolution of living things.
- Living things have had a major influence on the composition of the atmosphere and on the surface of the land. (See Lessons)
- Most species that once lived on Earth have gone extinct. (See Lessons)
- Background extinctions are a normal occurrence.
- Extinction can result from environmental change.
- Mass extinctions occur.
| | To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Patterns of Evolution or Biogeography. |
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| Evidence of Evolution Concepts |
- The patterns of life's diversity through time provide evidence of evolution. (See Lessons)
- There is a fit between organisms and their environments, though not always a perfect fit. (See Lessons)
- Not every feature of an organism is an adaptation, but features often reflect their evolutionary history. (See Lessons)
- All organisms, including humans, retain evidence of their evolutionary history. (See Lessons)
- There is a fit between the form of a trait and its function, though not always a perfect fit.
- Fossils provide evidence of past life. (See Lessons)
- The sequence of forms in the fossil record is reflected in the sequence of the rock layers in which they are found and indicates the order in which they evolved. (See Lessons)
- There are many sequences of fossils showing transitions from group to group. (See Lessons)
- There are similarities and differences among fossils and living organisms. (See Lessons)
- All life forms share fundamental similarities. (See Lessons)
- Anatomical similarities of living things reflect common ancestry. (See Lessons)
- There are similarities in the cell function of all organisms. (See Lessons)
- Artificial selection provides a model for natural selection. (See Lessons)
- People selectively breed domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with preferred characteristics. (See Lessons)
| | To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Lines of Evidence. |
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| Mechanisms of Evolution Concepts |
- Offspring inherit many traits from their parents, but are not identical to their parents. (See Lessons)
- There is variation within a population.
- Variation is the result of genetic recombination or mutation.
- Variation caused by mutation is random.
- Evolution results from natural selection acting upon variation within a population (See Lessons)
- Traits that are advantageous often persist in a population. (See Lessons)
- Organisms with similar requirements may compete with one another for limited resources. (See Lessons)
- Individual organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and have offspring. (See Lessons)
- The number of offspring that survive to reproduce successfully is limited by environmental factors. (See Lessons)
- Natural selection is dependent on environmental conditions. (See Lessons)
- Environmental changes affect opportunities and can influence natural selection. (See Lessons)
- Extinction can stimulate evolution by opening up resources.
| | To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Mechanisms of Evolution. |
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| Nature of Science Concepts |
- Scientists pose, test, and revise hypotheses based on research outcomes. (See Lessons)
- Science explains the natural world using evidence from the natural world. (See Lessons)
- We can learn about the natural world using our senses and extensions of our senses. (See Lessons)
- Scientific ideas are developed through reasoning. (See Lessons)
- Science does not prove or conclude; science is always a work in progress. (See Lessons)
- Science corrects itself. (See Lessons)
- Theories are central to scientific thinking. (See Lessons)
| | To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Nature of Science. |
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| Studying Evolution Concepts |
- The story of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence. (See Lessons)
- Scientists use multiple lines of evidence to study life over time. (See Lessons)
- Scientists use anatomical features to infer the relatedness of taxa. (See Lessons)
- Scientists use fossils to learn about past life. (See Lessons)
- Scientists use geological evidence to establish the age of fossils. (See Lessons)
- Scientists use artificial selection as a model to learn about natural selection. (See Lessons)
- Classification is based on evolutionary relationships. (See Lessons)
- Evolutionary relationships may be explored on branching cladograms. (See Lessons)
| | To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Lines of Evidence. |
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