Variation and a Changing Environment

Variation and a Changing Environment Worksheet (Grade 6 Science, TEKS 6.13C)

How can variation help a population survive when its environment changes? This one-page sheet tells the real story studied by Peter and Rosemary Grant on Daphne Major in the Galapagos. In the 1977 drought, only large, hard seeds were left, and finches with deeper beaks survived. Average beak depth rose from 9.2 mm to 9.7 mm.

What's Inside

• A Big Question box and a short reading on the 1977 drought
• A bar graph of real average beak depth before and after the drought
• Activity 1: Three circle-the-word sentences using the graph
• Activity 2: Students put five drought events in order
• A visual answer key with answers marked in red

How Teachers Use It

Use it as practice or a quick check for TEKS 6.13C. The sheet takes about 10 minutes, needs no prior knowledge, and prints clearly in black and white.

This worksheet is part of the Reading in Science series for grade 6. It supports TEKS 6.13C: describe how variations within a population can be an advantage or disadvantage to the survival of a population as environments change. It is one of eleven connected TEKS 6.13 sheets: cell theory (6.13A), the basic characteristics of organisms (6.13B), and variation and survival (6.13C), plus a vocabulary review.

Why It Works

Each sheet opens with a Big Question, teaches the key terms in plain words with simple black-and-white doodles, and then asks students to use only what the page taught. Activities stay at the circle, sort, match, and fill-in level, so students can finish in about 10 minutes, and the visual answer key lets teachers check work fast.