**Why do humans walk on two legs? Why do fish have gills? Life on Earth
is incredibly diverse and part of the reason for this is evolution, or
the theory that living things change with time.
**
Evolution: How Life Adapts to a Changing Environment explores the
theory of evolution, its history, how we think it works, examples of
creatures who have evolved in response to specific circumstances, and
what this might mean for the future of our planet.
For billions of years, the amazing story of life on Earth has been
unfolding. Millions of years ago, life on earth was nothing like it is
today. Dinosaurs roamed the earth and pterosaurs flew through the skies.
Millions of years before the dinosaurs, it was even more different.
Strange ocean creatures lived in the seas, while the land was barren.
Throughout its history, Earth has been home to an incredible diversity
of living things that have changed dramatically over the many millennia.
How have these living creatures changed so much? And how did that change
happen? The answer: evolution!
In Evolution: How Life Adapts to a Changing Environment, readers ages
9 to 12 will study evolution, or the process by which living things
change over time. One of the most important ideas in biology, evolution
explains why there are so many different living organisms on earth. It
also explains why you are the way you are. Because of evolution, you
walk on two legs and communicate with language. And although evolution
is the story of our past, it also helps us understand our future and how
we continue to evolve.
Throughout Evolution, investigations and experiments provide hands-on,
problem-solving opportunities for students, incorporating various
challenges and tools. Readers simulate the process of natural selection,
trace the blue whale's evolutionary tree, and examine how fossils
provide evidence of evolution and adaptation. Using readily available
household and recycled materials, each activity takes the reader through
an inquiry-based, open-ended investigation that leaves plenty of room to
explore individual creativity. Evolution: How Life Adapts to a Changing
Environment takes readers on a journey from our common ancestry to our
shared future on an incredibly diverse planet.
Nomad Press books in the Build It Yourself series integrate content with
participation. Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science
Standards and STEM Education all place project-based learning as key
building blocks in education. Combining content with inquiry-based
projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's
unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while
allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.
