High School Lesson/AP - Evolutionary advantage of the Eastern Gray Squirrel

Evolutionary Advantage of the Eastern Grey Squirrel

Lesson Description: Students will use the Eastern Gray Squirrel Case Study to create a claim about the evolutionary advantage of coat color in a particular environment.  They will use data from SquirrelMapper and other resources for their evidence.  Working in small groups, students will create a poster to display their findings.  Students will submit a CER for a summative assessment.

grade level : High School (upper level biology or AP biology)

NYS Standards: AP Biology CED EVO-1.E & HS-LS4-1; HS-LS4-2; HS-LS4-3, HS-LS4-4, HS-LS4-5, HS-LS3-1

21st century skills: collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking & problem solving, information literacy

Created by: Beth Krauss & Maureen Collier

objectives: the student will be able to…

  • design, execute, analyze and present a research project on the potential evolutionary  benefits of the different color morphs of the Eastern Gray Squirrel in different habitats.

  • generate a claim as to the evolutionary adaptive advantage of coat color in the  Eastern Gray Squirrel in a particular environment.

  • evaluate a scientific claim using evidence from data

key vocabulary: natural selection, morph, melanic, range, crypsis, thermogenesis, homozygous, heterozygous, phenotypic variation, selective pressure, fitness

Kika Tuff