It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative shell hardness" by crushing them according to a prescribed technique. By thoroughly following the scientific process, learners discover adaptations and population change over time. The resource includes all data tables, record keeping, and follow-up questions.

Concepts

survival of the fittest, charles darwin, survival, evolution, the theory of evolution, adaptations

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Additional Tags

adaptations, competition, evolution, survival of the fittest, science

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Instructional Ideas

• Review key terms such as evolution, genetic variation, and survival of the fittest prior to the investigation

Classroom Considerations

• Activity requires a specific set of materials and time for preparation
• Consider allergies before using foods containing peanuts

Pros

• Includes a detailed teaching guide offering suggestions for implementing the different parts of the activity
• Provides handouts for pupils to organize and analyze their data

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.9-10.3 RST.9-10.7 RST.11-12.3 RST.11-12.7 MP2 MP4 HSS-ID.A.3