Unit 1: Mystery of the Monkeyflowers
Mystery of the Monkeyflowers is a 10 week, NGSS-designed, project-based learning unit for high school lifescience. Students use a monkeyflower plant experiment and an engaging comic book to learn how traits evolve over time through natural selection. The experiment is based on the research of Dr. David Lowry, plant biologist at Michigan State University, who is studying plant speciation and how different environments affect the development of different traits in the population of one species of monkeyflowers (Mimulus). The curriculum and comic book were developed in collaboration with Dr. Lowry’s research team. Monkeyflowers, which grow quickly, produce many seeds, and have a simple genome, are the subject of study of many researchers who study plant evolution and adaptations. Monkeyflowers have adapted to have many colors and forms, diverse lifestyles, and extraordinary hardiness.
This website provides access to the open-source curriculum and comic book, a list of supplies and equipment, an order form for ordering free monkeyflower seeds, instructional videos for growing the plants, and professional learning slides. The curriculum has been tested in classrooms and can be used with appropriate citations.
- Acknowledgements
- Citation - Morales, Consuelo J., Lee, J., Adler, I., Makori, H., Bayer, I., (2022). Health in Our Hands: Mystery of the Monkeyflower (High School) [Curriculum]. Michigan State University: CREATE for STEM Institute.
- Storyline
- Supplies/Resources List
- Plant Growing Supplies - Link to Amazon List
- Monkeyflower Seed Ordering - To order Monkeyflower seeds for your classroom, contact Dr. David Lowry at dlowry@msu.edu. Seeds are available free of charge while supplies last.
- Plant Set Up Videos
- Monkeyflower Comic Book
Curriculum:
Learning Set 1: How are the traits of the two varieties of monkeyflowers similar or different? (7 days) - This learning set introduces the mystery story of the monkeyflower to the students through an immersive comic book and a plant experiment with monkeyflowers. The comic book and plant experiment are based on the scientific work of Dr. David Lowry, and his research about speciation of monkeyflowers at Michigan State University. https://davidbryantlowry.wordpress.com/people/
Learning Set 2: What causes the similarities and differences between monkeyflower traits? (18 days) - In this learning set, the students will figure out the process of sexual reproduction of plants and the structure and function of DNA.
Learning Set 3: How does changing the environmental conditions affect the survival of different monkeyflowers? (9 days) - In this learning set, the students will continue their experiments with the monkeyflowers to examine how adaptive traits can become non-adaptive traits if the environmental conditions change. The students will plan and carry out an investigation to examine what happens to the coastal and inland monkeyflowers when their environmental conditions change.
Learning Set 4: How do the differences between monkeyflowers develop over time? (13 days) - In this learning set, the students use the context of stickleback fish in Loberg Lake to figure out the principles of natural selection. Then, they will apply the concept of natural selection and adaptation to the changes of monkeyflowers.
