Part of Lesson Plan: Genetic Mutations

Activity Overview / Details

Take the food out of your cup and separate the three types into piles in front of you and count them.  You have forty-five seconds, "GO".  Once students have their food separated and counted, proceed. All tweezertweeters, raise your hands, one at a time you will tell me how many rubber worms, brass bugs, and silver slugs you have collected (collect data from each, then move onto the spoonbills and woodpickers). After all of the students have reported, instruct the students to total up each column with the numbers provided and then add across to the side of the page.

Now that our charts are complete, we will answer the conclusion questions for Part 1.  You will have two-minutes to answer the 4 questions individually.  Questions? GO! Allow students the time to answe the questions on their own. Circulate and help out individually if needed. TIMES UP! Turn to the person sitting next to you and share with them your answers.  You have two-minutes to complete this task, GO!

Wonderful, who will share their answer to question number one with the class? Elicit responses and continue with all questions as a group discussion.  Then discuss aloud why even though some birds didn't compete for food as well as others, they still survived as a species.  This is because their was plenty of food, and the birds were generally eating different food items.