Alexis Anderson

Student Work Analysis

Assessment question:
The dark-colored peppered moth was first found in1848. It became the most common type of
peppered moth over the next 50 years. By 1900, the peppered moth populations around English
cities were about 98% dark moths. During that time, England was experiencing what is known as the
Industrial Revolution. Factories were being built, and they ran by burning coal for fuel. Dark smoke
covered the countryside. Trees that had been light-colored before and covered by lichens were now
dark and bare. This clearly was having some impact on the moths.

1. What is the variation in the population?

2. Which trait is the advantageous trait in 1900?
3. Predict how the population will change over a long period of time starting in 1900.
Specifically, what will happen to the number of dark-colored moths? What will happen
to the number of light-colored moths? What will happen to the species as a whole?
Remember our main conclusions and Darwin's tenets of Natural Selection from the unit if
you need help.

Student response #1:

1) The variation is light colored moths and dark colored moths
2) The advantageous trait in 1900 is to be a dark colored moth because light colored moths stood
out against the tress after the start of the industrial revolution in 1900.

3) The population of the dark colored moths probably won't change much they are at 98% and the
population of the light colored moths is probably critical and will have trouble recovering if the
population ever does. The population as a whole will likely not die out the dark colored moths are
surviving in the new environment but a variation of their species will likely become rare or extinct.
The dark colored moths could reproduce with the light colored moths to make a different color
variation in the moth species.

Student response #2:

The variation is that it’s two different color moth species. The advantage trait is that one is darker
which helps adapt to the environment around them. Over time the dark colored moths will decrease.

Student response #3
The variation of the population is that the moths were covered dark and bare.

2. The advantageous is the Indutrail Revolution

3. I think the population of the dark colored moths would increase because of the fact more would be
born and they could easily hide from predators .

Student response #4
The variation in the population is the wing color. The black moths have the advantageous trait which
is the color of their wings. I believe that overtime the dark colored moths will increase in the
population, but the lighter colored moths will decrease in population rather than increase. The
species as a whole will grow but just having more black than white moths.

Problem of Practice:
The framing of the short answer question is the problem of practice here. I should’ve said
“Using the model of species change we developed in class, explain ​why​ the dark colored
peppered moths came to be the predominant color of moth. Please remember to use all of
the ideas of our model and give a very detailed explanation!” Then I could have guiding
questions underneath that question if I thought it was necessary like: “What is the variation
in the population? What is the advantageous trait? What is the disadvantageous trait? What
happened to the number of moths with the advantageous trait and the ones with the
disadvantageous trait? Why?” Instead, I asked them to ​predict what​ would happen in the
future. This caused some to get confused and think the dark-colored moths wouldn’t
continue to increase because they were at such a high number already. Also, it wasn’t
asking them how or why this happened, just asking them to regurgitate information from the
prompt.