Learning Goals
Students will be able to analyze fossil record patterns to explain how life on Earth has changed over time.
Students will be able to compare anatomical similarities and differences among modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
Students will be able to interpret embryological development data across species to identify hidden relationships among organisms.
Students will be able to construct evidence-based explanations of how genetic variation and environmental factors affect survival and reproduction in a population.
Students will be able to evaluate and justify habitat restoration design solutions that maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Products
Evidence Notebook with Fossil, Anatomy, Embryo, and DNA Claim Set
Each student creates a research-based evidence notebook that documents fossil patterns, organism comparison sketches, embryo observations, and short claims about evolutionary relationships. The notebook shows how firsthand and source-based evidence supports a scientifically defensible explanation of how past and present organisms are connected.
Habitat Restoration Proposal and Deep Time Design Fair Defense
Teams produce a shared problem statement, a higher-fidelity habitat restoration prototype or service model, and a concise presentation for the conservation partner and community audience. The proposal must show how evidence from fossils, anatomy, embryos, and DNA informed the team’s understanding of the problem and shaped the final biodiversity solution.
No rubric has been generated yet.