Evolution Unit Reflection
This evolution unit was overall pretty interesting. However, the most I actually learned from this unit was from a fascinating series of videos called "Your Inner Fish". In these documentaries the host, Neil Shubin, told the long and complex history of how humans are very much connected to our ancestors of the distant past. From Your Inner Fish to Inner Reptile to Inner Mammal, these videos explained many concepts and ideas that I'd never heard of. For instance, did you know that almost all animals that evolved after fish share similar bone structures in their limbs? And that many embryos look remarkably similar to each other? Pretty cool, huh? Coincidentally, my group in class read a book authored by the same Neil called The Universe Within. In it, he explained the long and complex history of the universe and how each of us related to it. He also explained a bit about evolution and how our bodies have changed over time; Evolution is amazing.
In addition to these videos, we learned quite a lot about anatomy of organisms and how they have changed over time. Through labs such as dissections, we discovered how animals function and how similar structures are shared between species. Though these dissections were not always fun, clean, or easy, they were educational. Though personally, I believe we could have learned the same material from virtual dissections, diagrams, videos, or even reading, instead of actually cutting apart animals. In addition, our first experiment- the Alu PCR lab- gave us a refresher on genetics and was a cool way to do so. It could have gone more smoothly, but overall it was a very interesting test for a gene.
Finally, our transitional species project taught us that animals and phyla as we know them have not always existed as such. It was fun for the class to imagine what kind of species might exist between different groups. Modeling these creations was also a great way for students to consider structures, functions, etc of their species. It would be great if we could do more hands on, creative projects like this one.
This evolution unit was overall pretty interesting. However, the most I actually learned from this unit was from a fascinating series of videos called "Your Inner Fish". In these documentaries the host, Neil Shubin, told the long and complex history of how humans are very much connected to our ancestors of the distant past. From Your Inner Fish to Inner Reptile to Inner Mammal, these videos explained many concepts and ideas that I'd never heard of. For instance, did you know that almost all animals that evolved after fish share similar bone structures in their limbs? And that many embryos look remarkably similar to each other? Pretty cool, huh? Coincidentally, my group in class read a book authored by the same Neil called The Universe Within. In it, he explained the long and complex history of the universe and how each of us related to it. He also explained a bit about evolution and how our bodies have changed over time; Evolution is amazing.
In addition to these videos, we learned quite a lot about anatomy of organisms and how they have changed over time. Through labs such as dissections, we discovered how animals function and how similar structures are shared between species. Though these dissections were not always fun, clean, or easy, they were educational. Though personally, I believe we could have learned the same material from virtual dissections, diagrams, videos, or even reading, instead of actually cutting apart animals. In addition, our first experiment- the Alu PCR lab- gave us a refresher on genetics and was a cool way to do so. It could have gone more smoothly, but overall it was a very interesting test for a gene.
Finally, our transitional species project taught us that animals and phyla as we know them have not always existed as such. It was fun for the class to imagine what kind of species might exist between different groups. Modeling these creations was also a great way for students to consider structures, functions, etc of their species. It would be great if we could do more hands on, creative projects like this one.