Lesson Plans

Biology 5th Edition ©1999

by Campbell, Reece, Mitchell

Week 19: Phylogeny and the Origin of Life

Chapter 25: Tracing Phylogeny
Chapter 26: Early Earth and the Origin of Life

College Board Performance Objectives:

• Explain the current biological models for the origins of biological macromolecules.
• Explain the current models for the origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
• Explain the types of evidence support an evolutionary view of life.

College Board Lab Objectives:

Suggested Laboratory Experiments:

Resources:

• Chapter 25: Tracing Phylogeny, pp. 464–487
• Chapter 26: Early Earth and the Origin of Life, pp. 488–501
• Instructor's Guide, pp. 377–401
• Student Study Guide, pp. 187–199
• Test Bank, pp. 299–321
• Lab Manual: none
• CD-ROM: Chapters 25 and 26 include narrated presentations, activities, and links to the Internet.

Pacing Guide:

• Chapter 25: Tracing Phylogeny—2 days
  Looking at fossils is a good activity to emphasize the evidence of evolution. Also, modeling how sedimentary rocks formed helped my students understand how rock can be dated according to its position in the rock layer. Take clear wide-mouthed containers (2 liter bottles cut in half), and fill the bottom with sand. Make the next layer with mud and place a plastic organism in the layer. Keep making other layers of sand on top of it. Looking at the container from the side, it will be obvious how sedimentary rock forms and how the position in the layer of rock allows for relative dating.
• Chapter 26: Early Earth and the Origin of Life—2 days
  Make a mixture of gum Arabic and geletin in a petri dish and show it to the class with an overhead projector. Identify the two substances and have students observe the resulting activity of the aggregate. Ask: "What characteristics of living things are shown by the substance formed?" Then ask: "Is the substance formed living or nonliving and why?" Also, discuss the effect of the following in the Earth's atmosphere: volcanic eruptions, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and the ozone layer. As the discussion progresses, have a group attempt to make a visual of the discussion. Then relate this information to the Miller-Urey Experiment.
• Catch up/Review day—1 day
  It is important to revisit concepts as more concepts are learned.
• Block scheduling
  Tracing Phylogeny and Early Earth and the Origin of Life can each be accomplished in 1.25 blocks and a half of a block can be used for review.

Key Words:

Suggested Exercises:
Critical thinking questions and end-of-chapter activities are included in these exercises.

1. Challenge Questions, p. 487 #1–2 and p. 501 #1
2. Science, Technology, and Society, p. 487 #1 and p. 501 #1
3. The following is a simulation of how organisms change over time. Divide the class into groups. Start with a round paper circle in each group. Make a duplicate so that you can remember what the organism was at the start. Have a set of cards with selective pressures: temperature gets hotter, wetter marsh, drier ground, and more direct light. The person with the organism card must draw a selective pressure card and make a change to the organism to make it survive. Make a copy of the organism so that you can review the changes that happened. Pass the organism to the next person and have them draw one of the remaining selective pressures. Repeat the above process until all four selective pressures have been used. Then have each group show a copy of each organism and the evolution of their organism. Attempt to start a phylogenetic tree with the information about all the groups of organisms.

Troubleshooting Tips/Error Traps: