Evolution & Genetics
Genes, Traits, and Natural Selection
These resources reinforce classroom learning about evolution and genetics and provide interactive examples and activities to deepen students’ understanding. Students explore how genetic differences and mutations create variation in traits, and how natural selection favors individuals that are better adapted to their environment.
Through examples like the peppered moth, students see evolution in action, linking theory to real-world observations. The activities also prepare students for further hands-on learning during the optional incursion, helping them connect classroom concepts with living animals and practical examples.
🧩 What students will learn
- Reinforce classroom learning about genetic differences and variation in traits
- Explore how natural selection favors better-adapted individuals for survival and reproduction
- Learn how DNA, genes, and mutations contribute to traits and can affect survival
- Investigate real-world examples of evolution in action, such as the peppered moth during the Industrial Revolution
- Understand how advantageous traits are passed on across generations
✅ Recommended Learning Levels
Activities are suitable for Years -12.
Course Content
Reptile Encounters would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the people of the Kulin Nation, who have never ceded sovereignty. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
