KO: Evolution and Inheritance
Subject: Science | Year: 6
Name: _________________________ Class/Set: ____________ Date: ____________
1. Key Knowledge / Core Facts
- Timescales: Evolution is a process that occurs over millions of years, not within a single lifetime.
- Fossils: These are the remains of living things from millions of years ago, usually found in sedimentary rock.
- The Fossil Record: Scientists use fossils to provide evidence of how animals and plants have changed over time.
- Shared Ancestry: The theory that different species today share common ancestors from the distant past.
- Extinction: This occurs when a species is unable to adapt quickly enough to changes in its environment.
- Offspring: Living things produce young of the same kind, ensuring the survival of the species.
2. Key Vocabulary
- Evolution: The gradual process by which living things change over many generations.
- Inheritance: When characteristics are passed from parents to their offspring through genetic information.
- Adaptation: A specific trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive in its particular environment.
- Variation: The small differences between individuals of the same species.
- Natural Selection: The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
- Species: A group of living things that are similar and can breed with each other to produce fertile young.
- Palaeontology: The branch of science concerned with fossilised animals and plants.
3. Key Figures in Science
- Charles Darwin: An English naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his book 'On the Origin of Species'.
- Mary Anning: A pioneering palaeontologist from Lyme Regis who discovered several important fossil skeletons, including the first Ichthyosaur (a marine reptile, not a dinosaur), a complete Plesiosaur, and Britain's first Pterosaur.
- Alfred Wallace: A scientist who independently developed the theory of natural selection at the same time as Darwin.
- HMS Beagle: The ship Darwin travelled on for five years, visiting the Galápagos Islands to study unique wildlife.
- Lamarck: An earlier scientist whose theory (that traits acquired during life are passed on) was later proved incorrect by Darwin’s work.
4. Inheritance and Variation
- Inherited Traits: Features passed down from parents, such as eye colour, hair texture, or skin tone.
- Acquired Traits: Characteristics that are not passed on through DNA, such as a scar, a tattoo, or the ability to ride a bike.
- DNA: The complex molecule that acts as the 'instruction manual' for building every living thing.
- Unique Offspring: While offspring resemble their parents, they are not identical because they inherit a mix of traits from both.
- Environmental Factors: Differences in living things caused by surroundings, such as a plant growing taller because it has more sunlight.
- Selective Breeding: When humans choose specific animals or plants to breed together to highlight a particular trait (e.g., dog breeds).
5. Adaptation in Action
- Darwin’s Finches: Birds on different islands developed different beak shapes to suit the specific food available (seeds, insects, or fruit).
- Polar Bears: Evolved white fur for camouflage in the snow and a thick layer of blubber to survive Arctic temperatures.
- Cacti: These plants have spines instead of leaves to reduce water loss and thick stems to store water in desert heat.
- Peppered Moth: A famous example where darker moths survived better in soot-covered industrial cities than lighter moths.
- Camels: Evolved wide feet to walk on sand without sinking and long eyelashes to protect eyes from dust storms.
- Giraffes: Natural selection favoured individuals with longer necks who could reach high-up leaves during food shortages.
6. The Process of Natural Selection
- Mutation: A random change occurs in the genetic code of an individual, sometimes creating a new trait.
- Advantage: If the new trait helps the individual find food or hide from predators, it has a 'survival advantage'.
- Survival of the Fittest: Individuals with the best adaptations are more likely to reach adulthood and survive.
- Reproduction: Those that survive are able to breed and pass their advantageous traits to the next generation.
- Generations: Over many thousands of years, the advantageous trait becomes common across the whole population.
- Selection Pressure: Challenges like climate change, new predators, or disease that 'select' which individuals survive.
⚠ TEACHER’S GUIDANCE
🎯 Pedagogical Implementation
- Delivery Context: This Knowledge Organiser (KO) is designed for Year 6 students. It uses 'Tier 2' vocabulary such as examine, contrast, and significance to bridge the gap toward Key Stage 3.
- Sticky Knowledge: Use this resource for weekly "low-stakes" retrieval quizzes. Focus on the distinction between inherited and acquired traits, as this is a common area of confusion.
- Misconception Alert: Ensure students understand that individuals do not "choose" to evolve or adapt. Adaptation is a passive process resulting from random mutations and survival over vast timeframes.
- Inquiry Link: Pair this KO with a practical 'Bird Beak' experiment (using tweezers, spoons, and various 'seeds') to model Darwin’s observations of finches.
🔍 Year 6 Calibration Check
- Scaffolding: For lower-attaining pupils, highlight the 'Key Vocabulary' section first before moving to 'Natural Selection'.
- Greater Depth (GDS): Challenge advanced learners to research Alfred Wallace and debate why Darwin is more famous, despite both discovering the theory simultaneously.
- Safeguarding & Sensitivity: When discussing inheritance, be sensitive to the diverse family structures in the classroom (e.g., adopted children or fostered children). Focus on the scientific principle of genetic inheritance while acknowledging environmental variation.
