In this short film for primary schools Michaela Strachen introduces the concept of inherited characteristics in animals and vegetables, and we see how dog breeders and vegetable growers make use of artificial selection.
A dog breeder explains selective breeding, looking at puppies that have useful and less useful traits.
Michaela explains how artificial selection is also used in vegetables, showing how broccoli, sprouts and cauliflower all originate from a wild cabbage called Colewort.
This short film is from the BBC series, Evolutionwatch.
Teacher Notes
You could lead a class discussion on artificial selection – which dog would you breed from and why?
Which dogs would you breed in order to create a hunting dog that can run fast?
Pupils could look at photos of their own family or a famous family, such as the royal family, to identify family traits.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching primary science, particularly on the topics of animals and evolution.
More from Evolutionwatch:
Why do animals and plants have camouflage? video
In this short film for primary schools, Michaela Strachan looks at fish and mammals and explains how they have evolved to become better camouflaged to suit their environment.
How have animal skeletons adapted? video
How have animal skeletons adapted over thousands of years of evolution? In this short film for primary schools Martin Hughes-Games looks at the skeletons of animals and humans and explains how and why they have changed.
Different types of leaves. video
In this short film for primary schools Martin Hughes-Games investigates variation in leaf material from a pine and broad leaf forest and discusses why some leaves drop and some leaves stay all year round.
How animals have adapted to become successful predators. video
In this short film for primary schools Michaela Strachan visits an owl sanctuary with some primary school pupils to find out how a barn owl is adapted to be a successful predator.
Timeline of life on Earth video
In this short film for primary schools Martin Hughes-Games describes the role of a palaeontologist; someone who studies ancient living things and how planet Earth has evolved over millions of years.
