Project Description
In this project we learned how to make a cladogram and how evolution works. In order to make the cladogram we were given many screws, nails, bolts, etc. We were told to make a cladogram using these pieces of hardware and we had to make a scientific name for each of them using the taxonomy pyramid. After that we had to make a story for each organism (piece of hardware) and how it evolved and why it evolved.
In this project we learned how to make a cladogram and how evolution works. In order to make the cladogram we were given many screws, nails, bolts, etc. We were told to make a cladogram using these pieces of hardware and we had to make a scientific name for each of them using the taxonomy pyramid. After that we had to make a story for each organism (piece of hardware) and how it evolved and why it evolved.
Concepts
Classification: the action or process of classifying something according to shared qualities or characteristics
Evolution: the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
Adaptation: a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment
Natural Selection: survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype
Phenotype:the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment
Genotype: the genetic constitution of an individual organism
Competition: the activity or condition of competing to survive in an environment
Speciation: the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution
Family: is a group of people affiliated either by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence
Genus: a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name
Species: largest group of organisms in which two individuals can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction
Cladogram: a branching diagram showing the cladistic relationship between a number of species
Classification: the action or process of classifying something according to shared qualities or characteristics
Evolution: the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
Adaptation: a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment
Natural Selection: survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype
Phenotype:the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment
Genotype: the genetic constitution of an individual organism
Competition: the activity or condition of competing to survive in an environment
Speciation: the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution
Family: is a group of people affiliated either by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence
Genus: a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name
Species: largest group of organisms in which two individuals can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction
Cladogram: a branching diagram showing the cladistic relationship between a number of species
Reflection
In my opinion this was the worst project of the year. I thought I could easily have learned how cladograms worked and how to make one in a week but this project took many weeks and now we don't have much time to work on our final project of the year. Having to make an individual story for every organism that we had to make a name for took way too long and I think if we had left the stories out it wouldn't have affected our learning. One pit of the project was my work ethic for some of it. Since we had so much time to do it I felt like I could slack off a little bit but it was more than a little bit. One peak of the project was our end product. I think our final product was really good especially the actual cladogram. It was very well organized and neat and our stories were very creative. Another pit was that I wasn't completely ready for the presentation so I had to read off of my phone for a lot of it. It wasn't that big of an issue only because I know all the info but what I had to read was the stories which are hard to memorize. Another peak of the project was our group in general. Everyone worked very well together and had a positive attitude. No one did all the work. Each and every one of us made sure not one person had to do all the work. Overall I wasn't the biggest fan of this project but I was happy with how it ended out.
In my opinion this was the worst project of the year. I thought I could easily have learned how cladograms worked and how to make one in a week but this project took many weeks and now we don't have much time to work on our final project of the year. Having to make an individual story for every organism that we had to make a name for took way too long and I think if we had left the stories out it wouldn't have affected our learning. One pit of the project was my work ethic for some of it. Since we had so much time to do it I felt like I could slack off a little bit but it was more than a little bit. One peak of the project was our end product. I think our final product was really good especially the actual cladogram. It was very well organized and neat and our stories were very creative. Another pit was that I wasn't completely ready for the presentation so I had to read off of my phone for a lot of it. It wasn't that big of an issue only because I know all the info but what I had to read was the stories which are hard to memorize. Another peak of the project was our group in general. Everyone worked very well together and had a positive attitude. No one did all the work. Each and every one of us made sure not one person had to do all the work. Overall I wasn't the biggest fan of this project but I was happy with how it ended out.