Did You Know? Evolution and Inheritance

Subject: Science | Year: 6

Name: _________________________ Class/Set: ____________ Date: ____________

• The Banana Connection: Believe it or not, you share approximately 50% of your genes with a banana! While humans and fruit look nothing alike, many of the biological 'instructions' for how cells grow and divide are exactly the same across different species.

• Whale Walkers: Incredibly, the ancient ancestors of the massive Blue Whale used to walk on land on four legs. Over millions of years, these dog-sized mammals adapted to the water, their front legs becoming flippers and their back legs disappearing almost entirely.

• Goosebump Secrets: When you get goosebumps, you are seeing evolution in action. Our ancestors had thick body hair, and goosebumps were a way to 'fluff up' that fur to trap heat or make themselves look larger and scarier to predators.

• Rapid Results: Evolution does not always take millions of years; sometimes it happens in a flash! During the Industrial Revolution in England, peppered moths evolved from pale to dark in just a few decades so they could stay camouflaged against trees covered in black soot.

• Wisdom Tooth Woes: Many people have to have their 'wisdom teeth' removed because our jaws have evolved to be smaller than those of our ancestors. Early humans needed extra teeth to grind up tough, raw roots and meat, but because we cook our food now, our mouths have literally run out of space for them!

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⚠ TEACHER’S GUIDANCE

💡 Pedagogical Opportunities

• Model: When discussing the 'Banana Connection', Explain: that DNA is like a recipe book. Some recipes (like how to breathe or turn food into energy) are so useful that almost every living thing uses them.
• Clarify: Ensure students understand that individuals do not 'choose' to evolve. Identify: the misconception that a moth 'decided' to turn black; instead, explain that the dark moths were simply the ones that survived to have babies.
• Oracy Task: Use the 'Whale Walkers' fact to trigger a 'Think-Pair-Share'. Ask: "If whales moved from land to sea, what physical changes would be the most important for survival?"

🧬 Curriculum Links & Vocabulary

• NC Link: Recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents.
• Tier 2 Vocabulary: Inheritance, adaptation, ancestor, camouflage, DNA, species.

🏁 Steps to Success (Success Criteria)

• Identify: At least two ways animals have adapted to their environment over time.
• Describe: The difference between an inherited trait (like eye colour) and an environmental pressure (like soot on trees).
• Examine: Evidence from the fossil record (like whale ancestors) to support the theory of evolution.