Parents Guide for Unit 43
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Below are notes on the main points of each assignment.
This is one of the most controversial areas we discuss in this course, and students often come to the topic with ideas from sources that have very specific interpretations of the issue. Our goal here is to help students understand as far as possible what Darwin actually said (not what people thought he said), and what modern evolutionists actually mean by their own theory, so they are better prepared to take part in the inevitable discussions of religion "vs." science they will run into in college.
Please discuss with your student the study questions at the end of the web lecture.
Here we look at the main areas modern evolutionists use to support the theory of evolution:
We also look at the strict definition of the terms "evolution" and "species", as these are sometimes used differently in the debate over evolution and creation, leading to confusion rather than clarification of issues. Microevolution of species does not require any mutations, it simple requires a change in the occurance of one existing trait over another existing trait in response to several types of factors: genetic drift, gene flow, mutations, mating habits, and natural selection, all of which can be directly observed in current populations.
The primary area of controversy is over macroevolution, or the appearance of new species over time through actual genetic mutations. Here too there is some direct evidence (particularly among plant species).
The mastery exercise questions focus on key players in the development of different theories of evolution, and the key concepts students should understand in evolution theory as a result of the reading and discussion. Make sure that the student reads and attempts the mastery exercise chat, so that he can identify questions that need to be discussed in chat.
Our discussion will focus on the definition of species and the application of the theory of natural selection, since many students find the concepts confusing.
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