1. How come you are different from your cousins, or parents or grandparents? How does that improve your chances of survival?

2. What would happen to the make up of the human race, if the sun suddenly became too hot, and all white people got skin cancer?

Choose one question to discuss with your partner.

Darwin & the Theory of Evolution• To define evolution

• To explain how evolution happens

• To evaluate if the theory of evolution is a problem for the Church

Natural SelectionIf there is a natural disaster – like a virus, or long term water-shortage, some people might be better adapted to cope, because they have a better gene mix for coping with this situation. Others will be wiped out.

So natural disasters end up weeding out the wimps…only the fittest survive !

Gene MixYou get a different mix of genes from your father and mother, than your brother or sister would. So every individual is unique. This is good because it means that you personally get a unique body, and it just might be better at surviving, than your parents’ or your siblings. You get the best of your parents’ gene mixes, plus some unique ones of your own.

Maybe you will be:fasterStrongerClevererProcess food more efficientlyMore resistant to some diseasesBetter at coping with thirst

1. Why is it a good thing that everyone has a unique mix of genes? How does this happen?

2. How does nature weed out those with a bad gene mix? What is this process called?

**What do you think has a bigger impact on what creatures end up like – gene mix, or natural wipeouts?

Watch the video. Then explain to your partner how come animals get to be the way they are.- gene mix- natural disasters, selecting out

From 1:04 to 3:22

Darwin’s theory of Evolution Literal Bible view of Creation (Creationism)

1. Separate out the points in 2 columns (Darwin and Creationism). Match up opposite points. Write them out.

2. Summarise the main differences between Darwin’s theory and Creationist account of the Bible.

**How would a Creationist argue that their account was correct? eg why there is a fossil record, or why we have a tail, if we were all made perfectly on the same day?

Darwin’s theory of Evolution Creationism

Creatures changed – evolved - over time, from a common ancestor. They weren’t made separately, by themselves.

God made each kind of creature separately.

The world is 4.5 billion (thousand million) years old

The Bible timeline suggests that the world is 6000 years old

Human beings evolved from apes The Bible says human beings were made “in the image of God”, by God’s own spirit

Creatures are not made perfect: they changed. Humans only have the remains of a tail bone – we don’t need one! It proves we evolved from a tailed ancestor.

God made all creatures completely perfect from the start.

According to the fossil record, dinosaurs, and humans never lived together at the same time.

The Bible says all land creatures were made on day 6, and were living together at the same time

1. Separate out the points in 2 columns (Darwin and Creationism). Match up opposite points. Write them out.

2. Summarise the main differences between Darwin’s theory and Creationist account of the Bible.

**How would a Creationist argue that their account was correct? eg why there is a fossil record, or why we have a tail, if we were all made perfectly on the same day?

70% of all species of earth are thought to be descended from this insect eating mammal, after the dinosaurs died out – 65million years ago..

including us!!

Darwin Song of Natural Selection

`Is it on your grandfather's or grandmother's side that you claim descent from the apes?'