1. what score would you assign to a fossil specimen that has only one pelvic spine visible?

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Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab

Correspondent

Laura Bonetta, Ph.D., Peter J. Park, Ph.D.; and Ann Brokaw: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Blazon Category

Instructional Materials

Types

Interactive Simulation , Activity

Note

This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resource and expert recommendations provide teachers with physical examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adjusted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

This virtual evolution lab utilizes data drove and assay to allow students to study evolutionary processes using modern stickleback fish and fossil specimens.

Students nearly analyze the pelvic structures of the threespine stickleback fish, using photographs of living fish and fossil specimens.  Students complete three experiments, each focusing on changes to the pelvic girdle and pelvic spines of freshwater stickleback populations. In the first experiment students clarify the pelvic structures of stickleback populations and compare two freshwater populations to ane some other (one lake has large predator fish, the other does not) and to marine stickleback fish. In the second experiment students analyze and compare pelvic structures of fossil stickleback specimens and analyze their information to determine the rate at which pelvic reductions evolved.  In the optional third experiment students examine pelvic asymmetry by measuring the differences between left and right sides of the pelvis in living stickleback populations. Students explore the connections between the evolution of the pelvic asymmetry and genetics. The lab includes several short videos explaining research methods and the evolutionary history of the stickleback fish. The educatee activity also includes tutorials, which fix students for the 3 virtual experiments, as well as graphing tasks, and data analysis questions/quizzes.  The lab emphasizes quantitative measurement of phenotypic multifariousness in related stickleback populations and encourages enquiry into the role of natural selection and underlying genetic mechanisms. Besides available is the HHMI short film The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies, which can be accessed at http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/making-fittest-evolving-switches-evolving-bodies. Students are encouraged to picket the short picture when doing the lab.

There is too a student worksheet that guides students through the procedure of completing the tutorials, experiments, and quizzes in the lab. The worksheet comes in ii iterations, allowing the teacher to select the depth to which students take this activity.

Intended Audience

Learner

Educational Level

• High School

Language

English

Admission Restrictions

Gratuitous access - The right to view and/or download material without fiscal, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

HS-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on prove for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.

Description Statement: Emphasis is on using data to provide evidence for how specific biotic and abiotic differences in ecosystems (such as ranges of seasonal temperature, long-term climate change, acidity, light, geographic barriers, or evolution of other organisms) contribute to a change in cistron frequency over fourth dimension, leading to adaptation of populations.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resources is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
This virtual evolution lab utilizes data collection and analysis to allow students to report evolutionary processes using modern stickleback fish and fossil specimens. Students virtually analyze the pelvic structures of the threespine stickleback fish, using photographs of living fish and fossil specimens. Students complete three experiments, each focusing on changes to the pelvic girdle and pelvic spines of freshwater stickleback populations. The virtual lab also connects to HS-LS2-vi. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consequent number and types of organisms in stable conditions, but irresolute conditions may result in a new ecosystem. In the stickleback virtual lab students reverberate on the effect of geographic isolation and the presence/absence of predators on the pelvic structures of stickleback fish. By examining and explaining the change of pelvic structures of stickleback fish over time, students work towards the performance expectation as they construct an caption based on show for how natural selection leads to accommodation of populations. Multiple resources/video clips are embedded throughout this lab. While it is not necessary that students watch every single one of the video clips, watching them provides the students with a fuller picture of not only the unfolding conceptual storyline, but besides of the work of scientists. Watching the videos of the study sites and fossil specimen training, etc. lends authenticity to this virtual laboratory experience. Students work with a partner when completing the virtual lab and discussing answers to the quiz questions, followed past a large group discussion, facilitated by the teacher.

HS-LS4-three Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms defective this trait.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on analyzing shifts in numerical distribution of traits and using these shifts every bit show to back up explanations.

Cess Purlieus: Assessment is limited to basic statistical and graphical analysis. Assessment does non include allele frequency calculations.

This resources is explicitly designed to build towards this functioning expectation.

Comments most Including the Operation Expectation
This virtual evolution lab utilizes information drove and analysis to allow students to study evolutionary processes using modernistic stickleback fish and fossil specimens. Students about clarify the pelvic structures of the threespine stickleback fish, using photographs of living fish and fossil specimens, during a set up of three experiments. This virtual lab provides students with multiple opportunities to work towards meeting the performance expectations. Depending on which version of the student worksheet is being used as students complete their virtual lab investigations and which activities students are completing, more than or less emphasis tin be given to statistical analysis. The activity likewise provides connections to operation expectations of other loftier school life science standards. The resource has connections to HS-LS2-ii. Apply mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on prove virtually factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. As students clarify the data from different stickleback populations they explicate the deviation in pelvic structures based on the presence of predatory fish as well as the geographical isolation by freshwater lake populations from the marine population. HS-LS3-3. Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population, is addressed when students perform a chi-foursquare test (optional) to determine whether the observed differences in pelvic structure are due to run a risk (sampling mistake) or whether they stand for a statistically significant change.

HS-LS4-ane Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on a conceptual agreement of the function each line of evidence has relating to mutual beginnings and biological evolution. Examples of testify could include similarities in Deoxyribonucleic acid sequences, anatomical structures, and order of appearance of structures in embryological development.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments nearly Including the Operation Expectation
In this virtual evolution lab students are engaged in examining and analyzing the pelvic structures (girdle and spines) of the threespine stickleback fish. In the second set of experiments, students work in the virtual lab to collect data by comparing anatomical structures of modernistic stickleback fish and fossil specimens. They analyze their data to determine the rate at which pelvic reductions evolved. The activity contributes to students' understanding that common ancestry and biological development are supported by multiple lines of empirical prove; in this example, the evidence is from anatomical structures. Students would benefit from completing the virtual lab together with a partner (as suggested in the resources). The answers to the quiz questions could be discussed in small groups, who then share their reasoning with the class, leading to a class discussion facilitated or monitored past the teacher.

• Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (due east.thousand., computational, mathematical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design solution.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments well-nigh Including the Science and Engineering Do
The lab includes 3 experiments in which educatee collect and analyze information using photographs of living fish specimens and fossils. In that fashion the virtual lab connects aspects of Practice 3 (Planning and Carrying out Investigations) with Exercise 4 (Analyzing and Interpreting Information) in an authentic way. It is important that students utilize the tutorials to practice scoring the living and fossil fish specimens, earlier they collect data (i.e. score samples for the experiments). The virtual lab has a characteristic build in to aid students decide whether or not they have accurately scored the fish by providing results from scientists who scored a larger sample, so that students tin compare it to the data they nerveless in the virtual lab, before they proceed to data assay. As students are scoring the specimen samples, the virtual lab keeps rail of the data in a uncomplicated table. Then students are provided with a option to graph the results using their own graphing software (students could as well graph the information by manus if desired) or have the virtual lab software graph the information for the students, allowing the instructor to make decisions to what extend to emphasize graphing skills. Higher order multiple pick quiz questions enquire students to interpret the information collected and in that way connect the phenomena to the science concept. Explanations of the right and incorrect respond choices are provided, once the educatee has answered the question. To strengthen students' date in the practise of analyzing and interpreting information, the instructor tin include a summary writing assignment or an oral presentation to supplement the existing multiple option questions.

• Empirical evidence is needed to place patterns.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments virtually Including the Crosscutting Concept
This virtual lab teaches skills of data collection and analysis to study evolutionary processes using stickleback fish and fossil specimens. In the Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab students analyze the forms and structures of the pelvic structures of the threespine stickleback fish, focusing on changes to the pelvic girdle and pelvic spines of freshwater stickleback populations. In the three experiments students analyze the pelvic structures of living stickleback populations from lakes and compare freshwater populations to one some other and to marine phenotypes, analyze the pelvic structures of fossil sticklebacks from populations that lived 10 1000000 years ago to make up one's mind the rate at which pelvic reduction tin can evolve, and mensurate the differences between the left and correct sides of the pelvis in living stickleback populations to explore the connection between anatomical change and genetics. By identifying and interpreting patterns in the data from the different populations of fish in different lakes and times (living, fossil in different layers), students necktie their findings to the process of biological development.

Resource Quality

• Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: Elements of the disciplinary core thought are significantly addressed. Working through the virtual lab provides students with the opportunities to develop an understanding on how the process of natural selection leads to the accommodation of populations over time, equally they are engaged in the practice of analyzing and interpreting data, comparison pelvic structures of modern and fossil specimens of threespine stickleback fish. As students interpret their data, they are using the crosscutting concept of patterns to explain their results and describe a specific example of biological evolution.


• Instructional Supports: This virtual lab engages students in a hands-on accurate scenario, allowing students to manipulate "real world" specimens in the virtual lab. The lab has several authentic features, including staining the specimen, and scoring a large number of specimen. The activity has several build-in resource that help students navigate and complete the virtual lab. They range from background information, video clips describing the sampling areas, specimen preparation and comparing of scientists' data. Throughout the lab, some words are bold and defined in the glossary nether a reference tab. The definitions/background data is too visible via coil-over with the cursor. Two versions of student worksheets at ii levels (bones, avant-garde) are provided, which can be used to assistance guide students through the process of completing the virtual lab, and permit the teacher to differentiate instruction. Tips for classroom instruction are provided for the teacher.


• Monitoring Student Progress: The virtual lab has the capability to go along track of individual students' progress. Both students and the teacher can admission the progress tab. The virtual lab has the adequacy for students from unlike form periods to utilise the same estimator and safe their individual progress. The virtual lab provides the choice for students to print a paper re-create of their final progress study.


• Quality of Technological Interactivity: The virtual lab allows students to treat and handle specimens. The steps to go through are intuitive and fast. Some of the features, e.thousand. staining the specimens can exist skipped, allowing the instructor/student to salve time if desired.

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Source: https://ngss.nsta.org/Resource.aspx?ResourceID=99