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Science 10 (Week 6)
MARCH 21-25, 2022
Learning Competency: Explain the occurrence of evolution.
MONDAY
Learning task 1
Directions: Read the article below and answer the following questions.
There are many different theories which explain how different life forms exist. In the mid-18th century, most
people believed in creationism. Creationism held the idea that all forms of life were created in its present form and
they remain unchanged since the beginning. Do you know that even the famous Carl von Linnaeus, the Father of
Taxonomy, believed in the fixity of species? From the last lesson, we learned that fossil records, and developmental
and molecular biology are possible evidence of evolution. To prove that evolution did exist, scientists travelled and
explore the world and came up with their own theories. One of these is Charles Darwin.
A long time ago, a small flock of sparrow-like birds called finches were blown out to sea by a fierce storm.
They lost their bearings but flew on in search of the mainland, going further and further out to sea. At the point of
exhaustion, 600 miles from home, they spotted a speck of land - an island in the middle of the sea. They were saved
and could rest, drink and feed before returning home. But this island was perfect: it had abundant seeds and other
food, plenty of shelter, nesting sites and (amazingly) no predators or other birds to compete with. Life was much
harder on the mainland. There was no need for the birds to move on.
Their numbers grew - until they became just a bit too numerous for the little island. Some found it hard to find
enough food for themselves or their offspring, and young birds were driven away from areas where food was
available. Some birds were forced to fly across the sea to nearby islands. There, they found new territories, also with
no predators or other birds to compete with. As the plants and their seeds were just a little different on each island,
some birds were better than others at finding and eating the new food sources. Birds which could break open fruits
and eat the seeds survived well enough to produce lots of babies. Eventually, after a very long time, all the islands
became occupied by these birds but the finches on each island were slightly different.
1. Explain why it is unlikely that more than one flock of birds would find the islands in this way at the same time.
2. Suggest two possible reasons why there were no predators on the island.
3. Why were there no other birds to compete with? (see Question 1)
4. Why might some finches survive better than others on the same food sources?
5. Why were the finches slightly different on each island?
TUESDAY
Learning task 2
Directions: Read the article below and answer the following questions.
Theories of Evolution
Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck - In 1809, the year when Charles Darwin was born, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck
(1744-1829), a French naturalist, published a book entitled Zoological Philosophy wherein he presented his ideas on
evolution. Lamarck was the first biologist who offer a concrete hypothesis to explain how plants and animals might
have evolved. Lamarck made two major assumptions: theory of use and disuse and theory of acquired
characteristics.
Theory of Use and Disuse - organs not in use will disappear while organs in use will develop.
Theory of Acquired Characteristics - parent animals could pass on its offspring the characteristics it had acquired
during its lifetime; thus, the offspring would inherit those characteristics that had become enlarge because of
excessive use, or that which has grown smaller from disuse.
Evolution of the giraffe’s neck according to Lamarck
Lamarck believed that giraffes before have short necks, but because of the need to survive and in order to
reach tall trees for food, they kept stretching their necks until these became longer and able to reach taller trees.
These acquired characteristics were believed to be inherited by their offspring and propagated by the next
generation of giraffes. If you change the color of your hair from black to blond, do you think your child can inherit
the blond color of your hair? A young lady keeps on using whitening soap and becomes fair? Can her child inherit
her acquired fairness? Many scientists rejected the theories of Lamarck. They understood that if there were changes
in cell or body structure, there could be changes in the genetic information of the species. Today, Lamarck’s idea
was proven to be incorrect. Phenotypic changes acquired during an organism’s lifetime cannot pass onto next
generations. Cutting the cat’s tail will not produce kittens without tail!
Charles Darwin
The more popular Theory of Evolution proposed by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) based on natural selection is
different from the theories of Lamarck. According to Darwin, giraffe species originally have varying neck lengths but
natural selection favored the survival of giraffes with longer necks that could feed on taller trees due to lack of
accessible food supply. Fifty years after Lamarck’s Theory of Use and Disuse, Charles Darwin suggested the Theory
of Natural Selection, after his voyage to the Galapagos Island in HMS Beagle. He was fascinated by the diversity of
organisms he found along the journey.
Natural Selection on giraffes according to Darwin
In Galapagos Island, he observed that finch species have different beak structures for different food types.
The abundance of certain finch species in an island was somehow related to the type of available food for these
birds. In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Here are
the four main principles of Darwin’s theory of natural selection:
Variation - differences among members of a population that can be passed on to the next generation. Variations
are the basis for natural selection.
Overproduction - having many offspring increases the chance that some of them will survive. These offspring will
compete for resources (food, shelter, and water). Very few survive long enough to reproduce.
Adaptation - set of genetically acquired traits that make the organism better suited to its environment. Individuals
with advantageous adaptations are more likely to survive and reproduce than those individuals lacking the
adaptations.
Inheritance - Some traits are consistently passed on from parent to offspring. Such traits are heritable, whereas other
traits are strongly influenced by environmental conditions and show weak heritability.
NAME: SECTION:
1. Who is Charles Darwin? How did he think species evolve?
2. What is adaptation?
3. What is natural selection?
4. What does the phrase “survival of the fittest” mean?
5. How are the concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest related?

Learning task 3
Directions: Make concept map showing the ideas about the theories of Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck and Charles
Darwin in evolution. List at least 3 ideas each.

Theories of Evolution

Jean-Baptiste de Charles Darwin

Lamarck theories theories
WEDNESDAY
Learning task 4
Take this situation: As you flip through a newspaper, you have suddenly noticed that the front-page article talks
about evolution. You are curious! Since you are becoming an expert on evolution, you started to read it. These are
the first 4 sentences of the article:
There is no way that evolution happened. It is something that scientists made up. There is no proof that it has
ever happened. How can we even know what happened millions of years ago?
After reading the whole article, you feel that it is your duty as a science scholar to write a letter to the editor
of this newspaper to provide facts about evolution to the public.
Please follow these guidelines:
1. Begin the letter with: Dear Editor,
2. Write a paragraph (with at least 6 sentences) about how scientists know that evolution indeed happened, or that
life has truly changed over time.
3. In your paragraph, use explain the following terms and underline: - evolution, comparative anatomy, homologous
structures, DNA, & fossil
4. At the end, sign your name.

THURSDAY
Learning task 5 Directions:
Look for at least 5 terms related to the concepts of evolution. The terms may be read in reverse. You may also find
words horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Some words were given already to give you examples. Write it on your
paper.

FRIDAY

THIRD PERFORMANCE TASK

Poster Making: On a short bond paper, make a poster about the Theory of Evolution. See the examples
and the rubric below.
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Date of Submission: APRIL 4, 2022

Rubric