Table 3 Summary of alignment of the key learning outcomes of individuality in ETI theory to the sixth to eighth grade NGSS performance expectations along with key insights
Lower Anchor: Cooperating in a group helps individuals with survival-related activities, such as obtaining food, defending themselves, and coping with changes. However, cooperation creates an opportunity for cheating which can decrease the survival of cooperating group members | ||
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Upper Anchor: There are different kinds of biological individuals such as unicellular, multicellular, and social insect colonies. Individuals can form groups in which they cooperate by specializing in collective goals such as group survival and reproduction | ||
ETI key learning outcomes | NGSS performance expectations | Key insights |
Evolutionary individuals are entities that can survive and reproduce on their own | MS-LS4-4: Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment | • Critical examination of the term ‘individual’ in biology and its application to ecology and evolution (MS-LS4-4; MS-LS4-6) |
MS-LS4-6: Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time | ||
There are different types of individuals (e.g., unicellular and multicellular individuals, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells) and these individuals can form groups | MS-LS1-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells | • Application of concept of evolutionary individual to species other than charismatic megafauna and domestic animals, including microscopic individuals (MS-LS1-1) |
MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function | • Analysis of differences between whole ‘individuals’ (individuals who can survive and reproduce on their own) and ‘parts’ of individuals (MS-LS1-2) | |
Individuals in groups can cooperate by specializing in specific tasks to achieve collective objectives, including survival and reproduction of the group | MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function | • Explicit discussion of division of labor between different parts of the cell as it relates to the structure and function of cells and multicellular individuals (MS-LS1-2) |
MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells | • Identification of the hierarchical organization of life beyond the levels of organization in the human body (e.g., cells, multicellular individuals) (MS-LS1-3) | |
• Integration of the concepts of individuality and cooperation within the context of survival and reproduction (proposed performance expectation) | ||