Foster's Rule? Allopatric speciation? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation, class members use Venn diagrams to compare endemic species on the Channel Islands with mainland related species. They then create a storyboard that explains how the speciation events occurred.

Concepts

speciation, reproductive isolation, plate tectonics, continental drift, fossil formation, fossil records, fossils, woolly mammoth, seed dispersal, invasive species

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Begin the unit by showing the West of the West's Tales from California's Channel Islands that provides an overview of and the context for the documentary
• Use the video to introduce the concepts of Foster's Rule and allopatric speciation

Classroom Considerations

• The activity presumes class members are familiar with Foster's Rule, natural selection, allopatric speciation, and selective advantage

Pros

• The six-page packet includes the plan, graphic organizers, research questions, and links to additional resources for the research project

Cons

• No rubric for the project is included

Common Core

WHST.9-10.6 WHST.11-12.6