April

2, 2017

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Having thoroughly studied the topic of genetics, including the inheritance of traits,
genetic disorders, and how genes mutate, we have come to the unit on Evolution. In
this unit we will explore (and in some cases revisit) the scientists who helped to
develop the theory, the evidence that supports the theory, the mechanisms for
evolution, and the impacts evolution has on our everyday lives.

We will make podcasts that highlight the types of evidence evolutionary biologists
look at when trying to understand the origin of a species. I have posted a few of the
completed podcasts from last years class along with some informative sites on
evolution on the parent resources page of our class website. Please feel free to use
these resources to better understand what we will be doing in the classroom.

This unit will involve several labs that help demonstrate the concepts of natural
selection, genetic drift, and the bottle neck effect, all of which are ways to explain
why a species may look the way it does.

We will also have a field trip on April 18th to the American Museum of Natural
History in New York City. We will spend the majority of our time there on the forth
floor of the museum looking at the origins of animals with backbones. We are
looking for 4 or 5 chaperones to accompany our class on this fieldtrip.

Those interested in being a chaperone may call or e-mail me. Given the scope and
potential value in a trip like this, I will be hosting a webinar designed to introduce
parents (those interested in chaperoning, especially) to the work well be doing at
the AMNH so that they may help students to get the most out of this trip. Your
involvement in our classroom is paramount to our students success.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, or know someone
professionally involved in our new topic of study, please feel free to reach out to me.

Heres to another successful month!


All the Best,
Derek Gerardi

Dgerardi1@lions.molloy.edu
(631)555-5696