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Heredity and Adaptation
goes beyond content areas that are generally taught in elementary life
science, and provides a grounding in these topics to place curriculum
in the context of the larger K-12 science scope and sequence.
Course Objectives
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Examine what variations are, and how they are
passed from one generation to the next
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Investigate why individuals belonging to the
same species share many characteristics but also vary
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Examine the effect of variation on survival and
reproduction in a population, given a particular
set of environmental circumstances
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Explore your own understanding of heredity and adaptation
and how it can help you prepare your students for
their own future study of these topics
Course Syllabus
Session 1:
Heredity
Differentiate between characteristics that
are inherited and those that are affected by
the environment, and examine how DNA passes
on hereditary traits. Teaching and learning
strategies focus on ways to prepare students
for future study of genetics.
Session 2:
Adaptation
Examine the process of natural selection, by
which variations in structure and function within
a species lead to changes in that species over
time. Teaching and learning strategies focus
on ways to prepare students for future study
of evolution.
Additional Course Information
- 15 contact hours
- Third in a series of four courses for teachers of
elementary life science
- Other courses in the series:
- A full survey course (45 contact hours),
Teaching Elementary Life Science, is also available.
We recommend course modules be taken in order. If this is not possible,
it's important to have a basic knowledge of the content and methodology
described in the preceding courses.
See also: Course Tour
example
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