SHS

Understanding Culture, Society & Politics

Module 12: Human Adaptation on New
Challenges in the Physical, Social and
Cultural Environment
Understanding Culture, Society & Politics
SHS-Module 12:Human Adaptation on New Challenges in the Physical,
Social and Cultural Environment
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Jovelyn L. Carig, T III

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team

Reviewer: Mario V. Mario Jr.

Mario B. Paneda, Ed.D., EPS in Charge of Araling Panlipunan

Belen C. Aquino, Ph.D., EPS in Charge of English

Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Layout Artist: Ernesto Ortiza Jr., T III

Management Team:

ATTY. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent

Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph.D

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

German E. Flora, Ph.D, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Mario B. Paneda, Ed.D, EPS in Charge of Araling Panlipunan

Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II

Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II
 SHS

Understanding Culture, Society & Politics

Module 12:
Human Adaptation on New Challenges in the
Physical, Social and Cultural Environment
 Target

Change is the only permanent in this world as they say, do you agree with
this? If yes, what are your coping mechanisms with these changes? How will these
changes affect you as an individual? or the society as a whole?
These changes in our society brought a great challenge to humanity.
However, humans are generally adaptive to changes in the environment. If people
perceive relevant changes in the environment they are in, they readily adapt their
behavior to meet these new challenges for their own benefit. Even in the past,
humans modify their behaviors to suit themselves in the new conditions where they
are.
In your previous lesson, you have learned the about social inequalities, the
existence of uneven opportunities and rewards for a diverse social positions. You
have learned the ways on how to manage these inequalities.
This learning material consists of discussions and activities that will help
you understand how human societies should adapt to new challenges in the
physical, social and cultural environment.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. identify the new challenges to human adaptation and social change;
2. explain the effect of global warming, climate change and transmigration
of families and values;
3. examine human responses to emerging challenges in contemporary
societies.

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 Jumpstart

What I Know Assessment. Read each statement below carefully. Mark “T” for
statements you believe are true, and “F” for statements you believe are false. Write
your answers in a separate sheet of paper.

1. Adaption refers a change by which an organism or species becomes better

suited to its environment.
2. Behavioral adaptions are always heritable, unlike the other kinds of
adaptations.
3. Humans normally adapt to environment changes in several ways such as
genetic change, developmental adjustment, acclimatization, and cultural
practices and use of technology.
4. People relocate to other places or countries in the hope of finding greener
pasture and employment opportunities.
5. Migration is defined as the process of geographic mobility, or the change of
residence of a person from one community to another.
6. A change in residence within a country is called internal migration.
7. Internal immigrants can be classified as legal immigrants, illegal immigrants
and refugees.
8. Transnational migrants as those persons who having migrated from one
nation-state to another; live their lives across the borders, participating
simultaneously in social relations that embed them in more than one nation-
state.
9. The improvement in the quality and availability of communication and
transportation options to people makes migration process more complex but
fast.
10. Behavioral adaptation is defined as the things organisms do to survive.

Discover

A change or the process of change by which an organism or species

becomes better suited to its environment is called adaptation. This also refers to
the action or process of adapting or being adapted or the process of changing to
suit different conditions. Adaptations enhance the fitness and survival of everyone.
Adaptation is not always easy and not something simple. An individual or
organism must be physically fit and viable at all stages of its development evolution

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to be able to survive. All of organisms or even human should possess adaptation
traits and these may be:
A) Structural adaptations are physical features of an organism such as
shape, body covering, armament; and even the internal organization
(e.g. a penguin has blubbered to protect itself from freezing
temperatures).
B) Behavioral adaptations are composed of inherited behavior chains
and/or the ability to learn (e.g. bears hibernate in winter to escape the
cold temperature and preserve energy).
C) Physiological adaptations permit the organism to perform special
functions like venom (in the snakes and the like), secreting slime,
phototropism; and more general functions such as growth and
development, temperature regulation and ionic balance. This means
that adaptation is making adjustments to decisions and activities in
order to manage risks and capture potential opportunities brought
about by any changes in the environment such as global warming and
climate change.

Humans like any other organisms and animals try to act more cautious if
changes in their environment are perceived to have a dangerous impact on their
welfare. They may try to work on new ways to meet own goals more effectively. This
action is called behavioral adaptation, risk compensation or risk homeostasis, or
rebound effect. Behavioral adaptation is defined as the things organisms do to
survive. Unlike other adaptations, these are not always heritable but are learned.
An example of this is the difference between populations of animals that live in the
wild and those that live among humans. Wild birds tend to be scared of people, but
birds that live in urban areas are often less fearful of people and they even see
people as source of food.
The ability of humans to be able to rapidly adapt to varying environment
conditions and changes has made it possible for them to survive in any regions or
places anywhere in the world. They can normally adapt to environment changes in
several ways such as:
A) Genetic change is an inherited or acquired modification in organisms
that makes them better suited to survive and a particular environment.
For instance, people whose ancestors have lived in areas that had
endemic, malaria for thousands of years often inherit some degree of
immunity to this serious disease.
B) Developmental adjustments. One of the more powerful types of
adjustments to environmental stresses is a change in growth patterns
and development. This occurs in childhood and typically results in
anatomical and/or physiological changes that are mostly irreversible in
adulthood. An example of the latter was the now illegal custom in
China of tightly wrapping or binding the feet of young girls with cloth in
order to hinder normal growth. While this caused permanent, crippling
deformities of the foot bones, it also resulted in extremely tiny feet
which were considered to be very attractive. Parents crippled their
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 daughters with good intentions. Small feet would make them more
attractive marriage partners for rich important men and save them
from a life of drudgery.
C) Acclimatization and cultural practices. All other forms of adjustment
to environmental stresses are usually reversible whether they occur in
childhood or adulthood. These reversible changes are referred to as
acclimatization or acclimatory adjustment. It is useful to consider the
different forms of acclimatization in terms of the length of time over
which they can occur. An example of a long term acclimatization is
people who lose excess body fat and are very slender as a result of mild,
long- term undernourishment. If they later increase their diet to a
consistent level of excessive calories, they will very likely retain more
body fat and eventually become obese.
D) Use of technology. Humans do not only interact with their
environments biologically. People invented technological aids that
allowed us to occupy new environments without having to first evolve
biological adaptations to them. Houses, clothing, and fire permitted us
to live in temperate and, ultimately, arctic regions despite the fact we
still essentially have the bodies of tropical animals. Human made
technology eliminates the biological adaptive advantages of particular
individuals or groups. People wo have thicker layers of fat insulation
under their skin still usually survive better in cold climates, while
people who are slender do better in hot ones.

Adaptation to Global Warming and Climate Change

Adaptation to global warming and climate change will be needed, but it will
not be as simple as it seems to be. Global warming is still unsolved issue. There are
different programs implemented to avoid global warming and climate change. These
actions seek to lessen the vulnerability of all social and biological systems to the
current and immediate issue of climate change. But, in reality is, even if emissions
are stabilized relatively soon, global warming and its effects will definitely still last
many years from now. And as human population will increase in number and more
people are living in highly arranged societies, there is a greater impact of global
warming, the more difficult adaptation will be.
Adaptation councils or committees have been formed to oversee the various
way people can adapt to the changing environment in some countries. Each
councils and committees have duties to ensure that private parties should be
responsible for managing risks to private assets and incomes, while government
entities, on behalf of the community should be responsible primarily for managing
risks to public schools and assets including the natural environment and to
government service delivery, and for creating an institutional, market and
regulatory environment that support and promotes private adaptation.
Mitigation is another term for adaptation to climate change which is
defined as technological change and substitution that reduces resource inputs and
emissions per unit of output. Several ways of mitigation include the following:
A) Using efficient energy generation technology.
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 B) Using more efficient energy end user technology.
C) Replacing fossil fuels with none or low carbon emitting energy
generating technology such as renewable energy sources or nuclear
energy.
D) Adopting a more sustainable natural resource management.
E) Harvesting or extraction technologies and practice.

Adaptation is a broader one than mitigation because adaptation requires a

good understanding of the natural environment and the ongoing effects of climate
change within and needs a thorough earth and environment observation.

Transnational Migration and Overseas Filipino Workers

People on earth are also facing adaptation challenges borne by the need for
mobility. Life has been moving so fast and people as well as changing residences as
rapidly.
The process of geographic mobility or the change of residence of a person
from one community to another with the intention of settling temporarily or
permanently is migration. The movement is often over long distances and from one
country to another, or it can be within the immediate community. Migration can
also be done by individuals, family units or in larger groups. There are three types
of mobility or migration namely:
A) International Migration is the permanent transfer of residence from
one country to another. It is the change of residence over national
boundaries. An international migrant is someone who moves to a
different country. International migrants can be further classified as
legal immigrants, illegal immigrants and refugee. Legal immigrants are
those who moved with the legal permission of the receiver nation. Illegal
immigrants are those who moved without legal permission, and
refugees are those crossed an international boundary to escape
persecution.
B) Internal Migration is a change in residence within a country and
refers to a change of residence within national boundaries, such as
between states, provinces, cities, or municipalities. An internal migrant
is someone who moves to a different administrative territory.
C) Circulation Migration is a temporary movement of a person. The
change in residence is temporary due to work or study, but the migrant
will definitely return in his home community.

Migration is not a one-way street. There are reasons why people transfer
from one residence to another because they just want to. Sometimes, people
relocate to other places or countries in the hope of finding a greener pasture. Some
move from an insecure land to a securer region or from places without employment
opportunities to areas which are hoped to offer better economic, political, cultural,
and social prospects. Some people move to places even if they do not want t, given
the chance, but because they need to.

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 A new form of migration is termed as transnational migration. These are
the people who having migrated from one nation-state to another live their lives
across borders, participating simultaneously in social relations that embed them in
more than one nation-state are called transnational migrants. Not all migrants can
be considered as transnational migrants, and not all who take part in transnational
practices do so all the time. Most migrants are occasional transnational activists.
They more focused on their countries of origin while at others they are more
involved in their countries of reception.
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a person of Filipino origin who works
and lives outside the country. This term applies to Filipinos who are abroad
indefinitely as citizens or as permanent residents of a different country and to those
Filipino citizens who are abroad for a limited, definite period as workers or as
students.
What are the effects on family of migrants? Work migration is increasing
globally. Children of migrant workers have grown up not knowing both of their
parents and have experienced long term absence of parents which is the reason
why there is very little affection between them. Many family relationships are
broken as one parent emigrates which causes a larger proportion of children
growing up with divorced or separated parents.
Some families experiencing these effects on family of migrants want to
avoid getting into this situation; some Filipinos do not have much choice because of
very limited job opportunities in the country. Filipinos believe that they and their
family will have a bigger chance of having a better future if they work abroad. To
keep in touch with their family, OFW can use video chat, Facebook, Messenger,
Instagram, Twitter, and the like to keep in touch with their family.

Explore

Enrichment Activity 1: Diamond Picture Collage. Draw pictures that show the
effects of climate change. Give a simple one to two-lines descriptions for each
image. (Things Needed: Separate sheets of bond paper, Pencil, Crayons)

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 Rubrics for Scoring the Output

Criteria 10 15 20
Content Drawing helps Drawing helps Drawing helps
explain the a few explain majority of explain all the
details of the the details of the details of the
content. content content
Clarity Drawing is illegible Drawing is legible Drawing is clearly
and Size and details are in and details is legible, and details
small size. visible hence some are large and clear
details are vague. enough.
Neatness Mistakes/Erasures Mistakes/Erasures Mistakes/Erasures
of the drawing are of the drawing is of the drawing is
untidily done. neat but small dirt neat, and colors are
are seen. nearly done/
Total - 45 Points

Enrichment Activity 2: Take A Note. Answer the following questions briefly.

Use separate sheet of paper.
1. What are the different ways on how humans can adapt to climate change?
2. What are the adaptation challenges faced by people borne by the need for
mobility? How will they respond to these challenges?
3. What are the effects of migration to families? Do you agree that both
parents should go abroad to work so they can provide more comfortable
living conditions for their children? Justify your answer.

Rubrics for the Output

Criteria 5 10 15
The answer talks
The answer
about what is
directly talks
The answer is not being asked in
about what is
connected to what is each item hence
Content being asked in
being asked in each there are
each item all
item. information
information is
included that are
necessary.
unnecessary.
The answer
The answer provided The answer
provided gives
Clarity does not give clear provided gives
clear and exact
points. some clear points.
points.
Output is written Output is written Output is written
Neatness illegibly and has a legibly but with legibly and has
lot of erasures. few erasures. no erasure.
Total – 30 Points

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 Deepen

Good Job! You are almost done with this module. Now,
are you ready to proceed?

Enrichment Activity: Make it!

Direction: Make a poster slogan on how human societies respond to
changes/challenges in contemporary societies.

Criteria for
5 10 15 Total
Judging
Some
Very few Concepts reflected
Content concepts are
concepts are accurate
accurate
Hardly makes Make some Essay to
Clarity
sense sense. understand.
Quality of Quality of work is
Quality of work
work is fair, competent,
Creativity is poor, showing
showing life showing life
no imagination.
imagination. imagination.

Gauge

I. Assessment 1: Multiple Choice. Read very carefully the questions below and
choose the letter that corresponds to your answer. Write your answers in a
separate sheet of paper.

1. The process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited

to its environment
A. Adaptation
B. Climate change
C. Migration
D. Mitigation

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2. Adaptive traits can be:
A. Behavioral, structural, and physiological
B. Cultural, structural, and physiological
C. Physiological, cultural, and behavioral
D. Structural, cultural, and behavioral

3. A technological change and substitution that reduces resource inputs and

emissions per unit of output.
A. Adaptation
B. Climate change
C. Migration
D. Mitigation

4. The process of geographic mobility or the change of residence of a person from

one community to another with the intention of setting temporarily or
permanently.
A. Migration
B. Mobilization
C. Transnationalism
D. Urbanization

5. This kind of migration exists when a person is moved against his will such as
slaves, or when the move is initiated because of external factors like natural
disaster or civil war.
A. Circulatory migration
B. Force Migration
C. Internal Migration
D. International Migration

6. All of the following are example of mitigation, EXCEPT:

A. Using a more efficient energy generation technology.
B. Using more efficient energy end user technology.
C. Conducting local or regional assessment of sensitivity to environmental
impacts.
D. Replacing fossil fuels with none or low carbon emitting energy.

7. Those persons who having migrated from one nation-state to another live their
lives across borders, participating simultaneously in social relations that
embed them in more than one nation-state.
A. Illegal Migrants
B. Legal Migrants
C. Refugees
D. Transnational Migrants

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8. Those people who moved with the legal permission of the receiver nation.
A. Adaptation
B. Climate change
C. Migration
D. Mitigation

9. This refers to a change of residence within national boundaries such as

between states, provinces, cities, or municipalities.
A. Circulatory migration
B. Force Migration
C. Internal Migration
D. International Migration

10. Persons who moves to a different administrative territory.

A. Illegal Migrants
B. Legal Migrants
C. Internal Migrants
D. Refugees

11. The following are the challenges faced by transnational migrants, EXCEPT:
A. Family Disruption
B. Access to pensions and health insurance
C. Loss of sense of identity and belongingness
D. Making clear and tangible policies to address the issues

12. The positive effects of transnational migrations are:

A. Personal enrichment and development
B. Enhanced lifestyle opportunities
C. Improved language abilities
D. All of the Above

13. It refers to the adjustments made regarding decisions and activities in order
to manage risks and capture potential opportunities brought about by any
changes in the environment.
A. Adaptation
B. Development
C. Evolution
D. Environmental Challenges

14. All of the following are ways on how human adapt to environmental changes,
EXCEPT:
A. Genetic Change
B. Developmental Adjustments
C. Acclimatization and cultural practices
D. Use of obsolete technology

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15. It includes seamen and others who work outside the country but are neither
permanent nor temporary residents of the country.
A. Illegal Migrants
B. Internal Migrants
C. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)
D. Refugees

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY: Enumerate the following.

1. Give three (3) several ways on how humans normally adapt to environmental
changes.

2. Give two (2) negative effects of migration on families.

Good job! You are almost done with this module!

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 12
ACTIVTY 1. TRUE OR FALSE
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. T
6. T
7. T
8. T
9. T
10. T
ASSESSMENT 1
1. A 6. C 11. D
2. A 7. D 12. D
3. D 8. C 13. A
4. A 9. C 14. D
5. B 10.C 15. C
Answer Key
References
Printed Materials:

Balena, Ederlina D, et.al New Challenges to Human Adaptation and Social Change
(pp.186-211), Understanding Society and Culture

Websites:

https://www.google.com/search?q=RUBRICS+IN+POSTER+SLOGAN Retrieved
October 23,2020
https://www.google.com/search?q=meaning+of+adaptation Retrieved October
24,2020
https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/animal/default.htm Examples of Human
Adaptation Retrieved October 25,2020

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