Subscribe

9th grade · Science · Unit 7 of 7

Evolution & Selection

Variation, adaptation and how populations change over time.

What your child practices

Practices variation, adaptation, natural and artificial selection, mutations, the evidence for evolution from fossils and rock layers, and how new species can form.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 9L.3.2.1.4; 9L.3.2.1.5 · the causes of evolution, and how natural selection leads to adaptation

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Variation and mutations give individuals different traits. Adaptations help them survive where they live.
  2. Natural selection lets well-suited individuals reproduce more; in artificial selection, people choose.
  3. Fossils and rock layers show life changed over time, starting with single-celled organisms.

Example: A cactus stores water in its thick stem. This is an adaptation to what? Storing water helps when rain is rare. Answer: dry climates

Evolution & Selection in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 7 of 7 in 9th grade Science, after Photosynthesis & Respiration.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Roughly how old is Earth?

    • about 4.5 billion years
    • about 4500 years
    • about 4.5 million years

  2. Question 2

    Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics when…

    • some bacteria survive the drug and multiply
    • all bacteria change on purpose
    • the drug creates new bacteria

  3. Question 3

    A difference between natural and artificial selection is that…

    • in natural selection, humans choose
    • only artificial selection involves traits
    • in natural selection, the environment does the selecting

  4. Question 4

    Thick fur in an arctic fox is an adaptation for…

    • swimming in the ocean
    • climbing trees
    • staying warm in cold climates

  5. Question 5

    Natural selection is when…

    • individuals with helpful traits survive and reproduce more
    • nature chooses on purpose
    • the strongest always win

  6. Question 6

    Why do scientists compare similar bone structures in different animals?

    • to make fossils
    • to find evidence of shared ancestors
    • to name the animals

More 9th grade