American Museum of Natural History: 12^th grade

 

 

Evolutionary Biology

 

 

The Origin of Life

Grade Level: 12^th grade Advanced placement biology

Learning standard: S2a, S2c, S2d, S2e, S2f, S8d, A3a, A5a

Time Requirement:  approximately 40 minutes preparation time and 80 minutes class time

Topics Covered by this Lesson:  Evolutionary Biology - early evolution of life; Evidence for evolution; Mechanisms of evolution; Evolutionary relationships

Objective: The students will visit and examine the sulfide chimney exhibit (in the Hall of Planet Earth).  They will take note of the other sea creatures, which live in and near the chimneys and form various hypotheses regarding the exhibit and it's connection with the evolutionary process. 

Materials Required: pencils, crayons, sketchpad, a copy of the sulfide chimney handout from the Museum of Natural History, a notebook

Learning Prerequisites: Students would have already taken Biology and would have previous knowledge of the following , but they would be asked to do some revision: aerobic/anaerobic respiration, symbiotic relationships, archaebacteria and eubacteria, thermoacidophiles and their habitat, chemosynthesis, autotrophs, hemoglobin, prokaryotes

Visit: Students will visit the Hall of Planet Earth.  They will spend approximately 60 minutes browsing the exhibits, but particular attention will be paid to the Sulfide Chimney exhibit.  They will pay attention to the complete ecosystem of the tubeworms and their symbiotic hosts the archaebacteria.  They will make sketches of the other animal which live around the sulfide chimneys and not how they are well adapted to living in their extreme environment.  They will note that the bacteria found in the area are the most primitive forms of life found on the planet and will make notes regarding their energy source.  The students will be allowed to ask the guide questions regarding the exhibit. 

Post Visit: There will be a postvisit assessment done during class time.  Students will form groups and discuss the questions handed to them during the previsit class and see which questions were correctly answered, and which needed to be changed.  Students will, with the help of their textbooks and other reference sources, come up with various scientifically sound hypotheses regarding the sulfide chimneys and their importance in the history of evolution.

Homework: Write a report defending or refuting the hypothesis that life evolved from the depths of the ocean.  Some points to consider: