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Natural Selection BrainPOP

Authored by Ashlie MS]

Science

6th - 8th Grade

NGSS covered

Used 523+ times

Natural Selection BrainPOP
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This quiz focuses on the fundamental principles of natural selection and evolutionary biology, covering Darwin's foundational observations and the mechanisms that drive species adaptation over time. Appropriate for middle school students in grades 6-8, the content requires understanding of key biological concepts including variation within populations, environmental pressures, adaptation, and inheritance of traits. Students need to grasp how organisms with advantageous characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing these beneficial traits to their offspring. The questions assess comprehension of Darwin's work on the Galápagos Islands, the relationship between environmental factors and species characteristics, and the broader concepts of common ancestry and evolutionary trees. Students must differentiate between natural selection and artificial selection, understand what constitutes environmental pressure versus simple variation, and recognize how "fitness" in evolutionary terms refers to reproductive success rather than physical strength or speed. Created by Ashlie, a Science teacher in the US who teaches grades 6 and 8. This assessment serves as an excellent tool for reinforcing core evolutionary concepts after students have engaged with BrainPOP's natural selection content. Teachers can deploy this quiz as a formative assessment to gauge student understanding before moving to more complex evolutionary topics, or use it as a warm-up activity to activate prior knowledge about Darwin's discoveries and natural selection mechanisms. The quiz works effectively as homework to reinforce classroom learning or as a review tool before summative assessments on evolution and adaptation. This content directly supports NGSS standards MS-LS4-4 (construct explanations based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence organism growth) and MS-LS4-6 (use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection leads to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time).

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10 questions

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1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Media Image

The Galapagos Islands are where Charles Darwin:

Wrote On the Origin of Species

Studied unusual animals

Was exiled after his theories proved unpopular

Was born and raised

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

The beaks of finches found on various Galapagos Islands differed based on:

The size of their island

The length of their wings

The available food supply

The predators that hunted them

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

What is a common ancestor?

An animal that has a lot of offspring

An animal from which two or more different species evolved

An animal that is related to many other species

An animal that's good at escaping from predators

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-3

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

What is least likely to be an example of a variation within a species?

Birth weight

Hair color

Number of offspring

Number of limbs (arms, legs, wings, etc.)

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Which of the following is an example of an environmental pressure?

The air pressure in the atmosphere

Breeding between two members of the same species

A lake that's gradually running out of water

A fight between two members of the same species

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

In the phrase "survival of the fittest," the term "fittest" refers to:

The best-adapted organisms

The biggest organisms

The smartest organisms

The fastest organisms

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Which variation would be most likely to benefit any organism, regardless of environment?

The ability to produce energy more effciently

The ability to swim deeper

Markings that help it blend into is background

Bigger claws and teeth

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