CLEARING Compendium 2009

Try this sample TOPS IDEA!
hide-a-moth
…adapted from ANIMAL SURVIVAL
#
37
by TOPS Learning Systems
1. Trace moths onto white 2. Camouﬂage to look like surfaces in your
paper, using classroom.Use paint, crayon, or
this pattern. colored pencil.
I’ll make this
one match our
bulletin board.
How did I get
talked into
this?
3. Mount on chosen surfaces with tape
rolled sticky-side-out.
4. Invite Hungry Bird, a family member
or friend, to hunt for one minute.
5. Talk about the survivors’ coloration
and adaptations.
©
2008 by TOPS Learning Systems. Photocopies permitted if this notice appears. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE EVALUATION
To grasp camouﬂage as an adaptive survival strategy, an outcome of natural selection.
Q. England’s industrial revolution gradually coated the
LAB NOTES
countryside with dark soot from factories. How did this
Give a copy of the lab to each student.
affect moth coloration over time?
Steps 1-3. More is better! Work with as many kids as possible, and let them make several
A. Darker moths were less likely to be found and eaten,
moths apiece. Trace but don’t cut moths until step 3. This allows kids to color their moths
and more likely to pass their coloration on to their off-
against chosen sites with less risk of marking the wrong surfaces. Trim away visible outlines
spring. Through natural selection, the moths gradually
for best camouﬂage effect.
became darker over many generations.
Step 2. Basic rules for resting sites: Moths must be visible from the center of the room, not
EXTENSION
under or behind things. They must be within reach (not on the ceiling or outside a window). Mix 12 toothpicks each of several colors. Scatter these
Step 4. Count moths placed before Hungry Bird arrives. Tally moths as they are “eaten,”
over different outdoor areas, then challenge students to ﬁnd
calling time before all perish.
as many as they can in 1 or 2 minutes (no bare feet!). Which
color hides best on a lawn? Dirt or rocks? A parking lot?
DISCUSSION
5. Why did some moths survive and others perish? Some were better camouﬂaged. Are
MATERIALS
luck and location important factors? Yes; this does not dim the importance of camouﬂage.
How will offspring of survivors appear? Similar, but with individual variations. Natural se-
•
White paper; pencil, a bright window to trace against.
lection requires many generations to effect change across an entire population. What are
•
Paint, crayons, or colored pencils.
some advantages and disadvantages of camouﬂage as a survival strategy? Works while
•
Scissors and tape.
asleep, but not while moving. Works only on certain backgrounds. • Colored toothpicks (for Extension).
More science with simple things at www.topscience.org
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