Monstrous Mutations Preplanning

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs): 1. Students will be able to demonstrate which species can survive based on survival of the fittest. 2. Students will be able to hypothesize which group will be the quickest to pick up their candy, store it, and eat it. State Goals: 1. 11.A.3f Interpret and represent results of analysis to produce findings. 2. 12.B.3b Compare and assess features of organisms for their adaptive, competitive and survival potential (e.g., appendages, reproductive rates, camouflage, defensive structures). Concepts (or terms) to be introduced and Operational Definitions: 1. DNA: a double-stranded nucleic acid that contains genetic information for cell growth, division, and function. 2. Mutation: when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in such a way as to alter the genetic message carried by that gene. 3. Adaptation: when a species accommodates its living conditions to be able to survive. Science Processes to be used: 1. 2. 3. 4. Communicating Experimentation Space/Time Relationships Inferring

Engagement
Introductory Directions: Greet the students at the door as they enter the classroom. The teacher hands them a note card with a letter on it. Say, Find your letter on the floor and stand behind it. Put your things up against the back wall. Safety Precautions: The blind and peripheral vision parts of the lesson were removed for fear the students would trip or run into each other and become injured. The blanket was taken out of the materials list for fear students would trip over it while retrieving the candy. The teacher instructed the students to move carefully to their containers (secret hiding places) without touching each other. This activity will be held in a larger classroom with a lot of space for full student participation in this activity. Materials: One stopwatch, 24 note cards with species letter on them, two large rolls of duct tape, 50 plastic knives or spoons, 5 pairs of socks, a large amount of wrapped candy, six buckets or

containers, 12 full-paper labels with the letters of each species on them (2 per letter), printouts of the instructions/guidelines, and a dry erase board and marker for recording the times. The students are responsible for bringing their own science notebooks and a pencil or pen. Groups: Students will be in groups of three to five students. They will be randomly placed based on entering the classroom and receiving a note card.

Activity Steps (time: 30 minutes)

1. When students enter the classroom, the teacher hands the students a note card. The students are to stand behind the corresponding letter and follow the Introductory Directions above. Say, Find your letter on the floor and stand behind it. Put your things up against the back wall. 2. Activate students prior knowledge. Say, Who can tell me what a mutation is? (Pause for answers) Who can describe what an adaptation is? (Pause for answers). Continue a brief review of mutations and adaptations and their relation to DNA. 3. The teacher explains the rules/guidelines of the activity. Say, After you receive your mutations, the first person in each species will come to the field of candy in the center of the room and pick up two tootsie rolls. The first person will take the tootsie rolls to their species secret hiding place and then return to their habitat. The next person will take their turn repeating this process until everyone in the species has had a chance to collect tootsie rolls and hide them. When your species is ready, raise your hand or jump up and down. I will tell you when hibernation is complete and it is okay for your species to return to your secret hiding spot to eat your tootsie rolls. When your species is finished eating, call out your species name (letter) and I will record your time on the board. Then, your species may remove your mutations. Throw the duct tape in the trash can, but place the socks and the spoons on the desks in the back where you started. Grab a your science notebooks and a pencil and sit with your group in the center of the room and wait for further instructions. 4. The teacher gives each species a different mutation. Group A has hands duct taped together in the front. Group B has hands duct taped together behind their backs. Group C has legs duct taped together. Group D has arms duct taped to their sides. Group E has socks duct taped on their hands. Group F has spoons duct taped to the ends of their fingers. The teacher and the students help each other prepare their mutations. 5. When the mutations are securely on the species, say, Ready. Get set. Go! and the teacher starts the stopwatch. The teacher records the times when students shout out their species. 6. The teacher helps the students remove their mutations appropriately. 7. When the students are sitting and ready, the teacher asks the students some questions. The answers to these questions should be written in their notebooks. Say, What did you learn about mutations and adaptations from this activity? (Pause for response). Which species is most likely to survive the longest? Why? (Pause for response). Which species is most likely to die off the quickest? Why? (Pause for response). 8. When the students are finished writing, the teacher asks the students to share their responses aloud with the class. The teacher should expand their learning by asking how they would adapt and survive as humans with these different mutations. For example, texting, typing, brushing teeth, etc.

Assessment
Science Notebooks: Students will be responsible for turning in their science notebooks at the end of the unit. The section used for answer these questions will be evaluated by a checklist. Students will receive credit if they have complete answers and represent an understanding of how the lesson incorporated adaptations and mutations. Teacher Observation: The teacher will observe the students responding and keep note on a checklist of who accurately related the activity to their understanding of mutations and adaptations.

Checklist: Monstrous Mutations

Student Name:______________________________ Class Period:______ Date:___________

What did you learn about mutations and adaptations from this activity? ____ Full understanding ____ Partial understanding ____ Little understanding

Which species is most likely to survive the longest? Why? ____ Full understanding ____ Partial understanding ____ Little understanding

Which species is most likely to die off the quickest? Why? ____ Full understanding ____ Partial understanding ____ Little understanding

Participation in discussion: ____ Multiple times _____ One time _____ No participation

Monstrous Mutations Guidelines (Full Sheets of Paper Each)

Start at your habitat.

When the teacher says, Go, the first person gathers 3 pieces of candy from the field.

The first person puts the candy in your species secret hiding place and returns to their habitat.
When your species is finished hiding their candy, raise your hands and wait until the teacher says that your group has completed hibernation.

This process is repeated for the remaining members of your species.

Move carefully to your species hiding place and eat your candy.

When your candy is eaten, raise your hands and the teacher will record your species time.