The ocean is an incredibly unique habitat for life, with diverse habitats including sandy beaches, rocky shores, vast open oceans, and abyssal depths! Despite this, marine environments are full of weird and wonderful creatures that have developed strategies for survival unique to this deep blue world. In our Adaptations and Evolution program, students explore the physiological and behavioural adaptations of different animals required for survival in their environment, and how the marine mammals we see today came to be.

Students will define adaptation and investigate the factors which drive organisms to adapt and evolve including environmental change, convergent, and divergent evolution. Through an interactive practical activity, students will demonstrate their knowledge by designing their own organism with adaptations for survival within a specific environment.

This program provides assessment opportunities for students, with all assessment data provided to teachers upon completion of the practical activity.

*This program is suited for Level 5-6, Level 7-8, Level 9-10

*This program is suitable for delivery as:

Classroom incursion
Online webinar

Define adaptation and evolution.
Define structural adaptations and behavioural adaptations
Understand that behavioural adaptations can occur quickly, and structural adaptations take many generations.
Develop an understanding of convergent and divergent evolution, and identify examples.
Demonstrate environmental, ecological and anthropogenic impacts which cause species adaptation, evolution, and extinction.
Demonstrate how structural and behavioural adaptations support species survival.
Using evidence, communicate and share ideas and findings using scientific language.

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MMF’s Adaptation and Evolution program is a classroom incursion delivered as an interactive lecture-style presentation with hands-on practical activity. Following an approx. 30-minute introductory presentation, students will be tasked with completing a practical activity where they will demonstrate their knowledge by developing and identifying the structural and behavioural adaptations living organisms may demonstrate in different habitat types. Students will work collaboratively to complete the practical activity, and once completed, a closing consolidation will allow students to share findings and demonstrate knowledge.

All incursion materials and resources will be provided by MMF. A practical assessment activity is included in this program.

This incursion can be delivered in a classroom or presentation space. MMF requires an interactive SmartBoard or projector/screen to deliver this incursion.

MMF can tailor program content to meet your curriculum learning needs, so please speak with an MMF Educator if you require specific content development.

For further information, please see the MMF Policies page.