Reproductive Barriers & Evidence-Based Speciation Analysis.
This digital lesson examines how new species form using real biological examples and structured student choice. Students investigate speciation as a process driven by population separation, selective pressures, and reproductive isolation.
Students work through the lesson using a choice-based structure:
they select two of four leveled activities focused on different speciation mechanisms
they then study the well-documented speciation of apple flies and hawthorn flies, choosing from multiple analytical angles within that case
they analyze additional real-world examples of speciation to compare patterns and outcomes
Across all pathways, students are expected to:
explain how populations become reproductively isolated
connect environmental or behavioral changes to genetic divergence
use evidence from case studies rather than relying on definition-based explanations
The lesson is built around materials adapted from University of Utah resources and organized into an interactive Google Slides format that supports independent work and guided discussion.
This lesson is designed to support:
understanding of speciation as a mechanism of evolution
application of evolutionary concepts to real data
comparison of multiple speciation scenarios
structured student choice without changing learning goals
It functions well as:
a core speciation lesson within an evolution unit
an applied case-study investigation
or a follow-up to instruction on natural selection and population divergence
HS-LS4-1
HS-LS4-2
HS-LS4-3
HS-LS4-4
Developing and Using Models; Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Constructing Explanations; Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Cause and Effect; Patterns; Stability and Change
RST.9-10.1
RST.9-10.7
RST.9-10.8
WHST.9-10.1
Reproductive Barriers & Evidence-Based Speciation Analysis.
This digital lesson examines how new species form using real biological examples and structured student choice. Students investigate speciation as a process driven by population separation, selective pressures, and reproductive isolation.
Students work through the lesson using a choice-based structure:
they select two of four leveled activities focused on different speciation mechanisms
they then study the well-documented speciation of apple flies and hawthorn flies, choosing from multiple analytical angles within that case
they analyze additional real-world examples of speciation to compare patterns and outcomes
Across all pathways, students are expected to:
explain how populations become reproductively isolated
connect environmental or behavioral changes to genetic divergence
use evidence from case studies rather than relying on definition-based explanations
The lesson is built around materials adapted from University of Utah resources and organized into an interactive Google Slides format that supports independent work and guided discussion.
This lesson is designed to support:
understanding of speciation as a mechanism of evolution
application of evolutionary concepts to real data
comparison of multiple speciation scenarios
structured student choice without changing learning goals
It functions well as:
a core speciation lesson within an evolution unit
an applied case-study investigation
or a follow-up to instruction on natural selection and population divergence
HS-LS4-1
HS-LS4-2
HS-LS4-3
HS-LS4-4
Developing and Using Models; Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Constructing Explanations; Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Cause and Effect; Patterns; Stability and Change
RST.9-10.1
RST.9-10.7
RST.9-10.8
WHST.9-10.1
