Rap Guide to Evolution - Arts Centre Melbourne

The Rap Guide to Evolution
Written and Performed by Baba Brinkman
Presented by the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Performances
Program 2014
Years 9 – 12
ARTS CENTRE TO INSERT PICTURE
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The Arts Centre Melbourne’s Performances Program is dedicated to fostering the arts by giving
schools the opportunity to see a diverse range of excellent theatre in fully produced form.
These notes have been created by the team behind The Rap Guide to Evolution.
They have been adapted to complement the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and AusVELS.
NOTE: Please remember to arrive 30 minutes before the starting time of the show.
Contents
ABOUT The Rap Guide to Evolution ..................................................................................................... 3
ABOUT Baba Brinkman......................................................................................................................... 3
THEATRE ETIQUETTE......................................................................................................................... 4
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
THEME #1: Artificial Selection ............................................................................................................... 5
THEME #2: I’m A African ....................................................................................................................... 9
THEME #3: Discuss, Explore, Debate ................................................................................................. 13
THEME #4: Interactive ........................................................................................................................ 15
QUIZ.................................................................................................................................................... 16
KEY CONCEPTS ................................................................................................................................ 17
RESOURCES ...................................................................................................................................... 18
REMIX The Rap Guide to Evolution: Remix Project............................................................................... x
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ABOUT THE RAP GUIDE TO EVOLUTION
Baba Brinkman’s The Rap Guide to Evolution uses hip-hop as a vehicle to communicate the facts of
evolution while illuminating the origins and complexities of hip-hop culture with Darwin as the inspiration.
Dr Mark Pallen, author of The Rough Guide to Evolution, challenged Brinkman to create a “rap version of
the Origin of Species” for Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday in 2009. In order to ensure scientific and historical
accuracy, Brinkman consulted Pallen throughout the creative process, making The Rap Guide to Evolution
the first peer-reviewed hip-hop show. Pallen has described Brinkman as having “swallowed the idea and
turned it into a work of genius.”
As The Scotsman’s review explains, “Where most people would be happy just to convey the gist of Darwin’s
theories in rhyme, Brinkman adds a twist: this isn’t just a show about evolution delivered in a hip-hop style,
it’s also a show about the evolution of hip-hop. Just as some species in the natural world prosper and others
die out, Brinkman explains, so some rappers adapt and survive while others ‘go extinct like Vanilla Ice’.
Evolution, it transpires, has much to teach us about hip-hop, and vice versa: bling is a fitness display; the
process of natural selection operates on iPod playlists and teenage pregnancy in the ghettos can be read as
an evolutionary strategy designed to maximize the chances of genetic material being passed on in a highrisk environment.”
The Rap Guide to Evolution won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award in Edinburgh and was
nominated for a Drama Desk Award in New York. In 2013 it was awarded the NCSE’s Friends of Darwin
Award. The show ran off-Broadway for five months and has toured the world.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Writer and Performer
DJ / Music Producer
Director
Projection Design
Set Design
Lighting Design
Sound Design
Producer
Baba Brinkman
Jamie Simmonds
Dodd Loomis
Wendall K. Harrington
Derek Stenborg
Jason Boyd
Ken Travis
Dovetail Productions / Sharon Levy
ABOUT BABA BRINKMAN
Baba Brinkman is a Canadian rap artist, writer and actor. He has a Masters in Medieval and Renaissance
English Literature, writing a thesis which drew parallels between the worlds of hip-hop music and literary
poetry.
Brinkman has written four hip-hop theatre shows including The Canterbury Tales Remixed and The Rap
Guide to Evolution. He is also a successful solo hip-hop artist, having released 10 albums since 2004, and
founder of indie label Lit Fuse Records.
His hip-hop shows have toured the world and he has visited more than 100 high-schools and colleges in
over a dozen different countries brining the works of Chaucer and Darwin to life on stage. Brinkman has
performed at Edinburgh Festival, Soho Theatre (off-Broadway) and for TED conferences. He currently
resides in New York.
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THEATRE ETIQUETTE
Live theatre differs greatly from other medium such as film or television. For audiences, the experience of
seeing a live performance differs to that of watching a pre-recorded one. For performers as well, working to
a live audience is vastly different to performing in a studio to a camera.
What constitutes appropriate audience behaviour at a live theatre event?
Certain behaviour is expected of audiences at live theatre events. Please ensure that you observe the
following;
 Arrive on time. Missing the start of a performance will diminish your enjoyment and/or understanding of
the piece. It will also disrupt the show for others.
 Turn off any mobile phone, MP3-player or other electronic device. These are disruptive to the
performance and distracting to audience members and performers.
 If necessary, visit the bathroom prior to the commencement of the performance. Going to the bathroom
during the performance disrupts the show for yourself as well as others.
 A member of the front of house staff will usher you to your seats. Follow their directions.
 When the lights dim, it is a signal to quiet down.
 During the performance observe the following;
No photography
No talking
No eating food
Remain seated
 Applauding or cheering is the most appropriate way to acclaim the performance and performing artists.
Ordinarily this occurs at the conclusion of the performance.
All of the above are to ensure that you and other audience members get the most out of the production and
your visit to the theatre.
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LEARNING ACTIVITIES
THEME #1: ARTIFICIAL SELECTION
AusVELS Information:
Discipline
Science
Domain
The Arts (Music)
Personal Learning
Communication
Information and Communications
Technology
Thinking Processes
Strand
Science Understanding
Science as Human Endeavour
Sub-Strand
Biological Sciences
Nature and the Development of
Science; Use and Influence of Science
Evaluating; Communicating
Science Inquiry Skills
Dimension
Exploring and Responding
The individual learner; Managing personal learning
Listening, viewing and responding; Presenting
ICT for visual thinking; ICT for communicating
Reasoning, processing and inquiry; Creativity; Reflection, evaluation and
metacognition
Show the class this video: http://rapguidetoevolution.co.uk/artificial-selection
Ask the class to discuss / consider the key scientific points Baba is making in the following rhymes.
Depending on the class, you could review the key scientific concepts and terms (in bold) and ask them to
give similar analogies.
1. Lyrics:
“Variation can be found in the styles on display
Rappers all have different techniques when they’re on stage
And the results can be seen in the audience’s face”
Questions:
What kind of “results” are seen in the faces (or consumer behaviour) of hip-hop audiences, and how does
this influence the styles and techniques and ultimate success of rappers?
If evolution consists of variation + selection + heritability, what are the equivalent factors in the music
industry?
2. Lyrics:
“This is the rap version of the ‘Doctrine of Malthus’
The proportion of hungry mouths to food resources
In the form of captive audiences”
Questions:
What is the ‘Doctrine of Malthus’ and how did it influence Darwin’s work?
The hip-hop analogy Baba makes is The Fugees’ observation that there are “Too many MCs, not enough
mics”. How is this similar to Darwin’s insight? How is it different?
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3. Bonus Activity:
Assign students to add their own original “annotations” and explanations to Baba’s lyrics at RapGenius.com:
http://rapgenius.com/Baba-brinkman-artificial-selection-lyrics
Students should report on the annotations they added. Do they agree with the annotations other users have
already contributed? Do they disagree? Why? (Hint from Baba Brinkman: there are serious errors in the
current set of comments.)
Alternatively, if access to the website is limited for your class, print out the lyrics from the next page and
have students annotate with sticky notes. Students should report on the annotations they have added and
compare these with the rest of the class. Where do they agree? Where do they disagree?
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Artificial Selection – by Baba Brinkman
Artificial selection, it starts with a question
How did people ever get cows, chickens and pigs
And other animals and plants to act so domestic?
We took them from the wild and we bred them, brethren
Welcome to the Charles Darwin Bicentennial
So, why does everybody think this guy is so special?
Maybe because a man was born two centuries ago
Who, as far as anyone knows, was the first
To recognize the underlying pattern behind the pageant
Affectionately known as “life on this planet”
He was the first to understand it
The first to translate his amazement
At the wonder of life, into a way to explain it
So this is a celebration of Darwin’s greatness
In the form of a rap – some would say “a debasement”
I would say “be patient”, just think of this as
A manifestation of the evolutionary equation
A recapitulation of life, a re-enactment
So, how do you go from amoebas to rappers?
You open The Origin of Species, and you read its chapters
The first chapter is about the impact of people’s actions
On farm animals, pets, and domestic crops
Where did they come from? From original stocks
Of wild animals and plants, which were selected and crossed
For the best properties, and thus became the effect of their cause
But of course, not every selection was conscious
Still, even if breeders in ancient Egypt couldn’t see this
And had no idea how to rework the features
Of a species of sheep or increase the sweetness
Of their peaches every season, when they chose to seed it
Or to feed it or to breed it or to weed it out and delete it
‘Cause they didn’t see it as needed, whether the preferences in question
Were for bigger chicken breasts or whippets with a thinner mid-section
Or if it was just an inner predilection to pick the best in
Any mixed collection, that’s artificial selection
Artificial selection, it starts with a question
How did people ever get cows, chickens and pigs
And other animals and plants to act so domestic?
We took them from the wild and we bred them, brethren
But there’s nothing artificial about domestication
Ant colonies keep domestic aphids
It’s just an arrangement where one hand washes the other
We protect the cow, and the cow offers the udder
And even if there’s never a conscious discussion
If our little selections and little preferences
Can change and enhance the critical differences
Between wild and domestic breeds over the centuries
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Then maybe that can explain… everything
In nature it isn’t us that makes the selections
It’s just survival and reproduction in the midst of competition
Where slight differences that arise randomly
Get selected by the pressures applied environmentally
And eventually species divide like a family tree
Into everything alive, from a fly to a manatee
So how does this apply to the craft of the MC?
Well, variation can be found in the styles on display
Rappers all have different techniques when they’re on stage
And the results can be seen in the audience’s face
Like, for instance, at this moment, you all look amazed
Like guppies removed abruptly from their aquatic space
Your minds are probably racing over questions of style and race
And genre and time and place, and some of your eyes are glazed
Like “For God’s sake, how long will this take?!?”
But if you all feel that way, then soon I’ll be replaced
By someone more entertaining, like maybe Lil Wayne
This is the rap version of the doctrine of Malthus
It’s the proportion of hungry mouths
To food resources in the form of captive audiences
Where crowds of two or more will always
Be at least half as common as performers
Can you see the mathematical problem?
But survival on stage is a non-random process
‘Cause those who get massive responses tend to influence
Those who aspire to get massive responses
So if you say I sound like, for instance, Eminem, then I’ll say
“That’s preposterous!” But if you catch me grabbing my crotch
And acting obnoxious, then I might have to acknowledge
That this is a form of imitation modified by experience
Which is similar to the genetic basis of inheritance
Except it’s part Darwinism and part Lamarkism
With genes and culture co-evolving as we rock to the rhythm
But whether you think cultures really evolve
Or if it’s just a silly metaphor that’s pretty but false
Or whether you’ve never even thought about that
I still think Darwin can teach us a lot about rap
And vice verse; ‘cause it’s all about that
Competition for status with intricate language
Delivered in battles, and it’s all about getting that
Fitness advantage and the different adaptive behaviour patterns
That have us acting crazier than capercaillie mating dances
But hey, that’s natural selection; so just sit back and listen
And witness the evolution of the rap profession
Artificial selection, it starts with a question
How did people ever get cows, chickens and pigs
And other animals and plants to act so domestic?
We took them from the wild and we bred them, brethren
From Rap Guide to Evolution
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THEME #2: I’M A AFRICAN
AusVELS Information:
Discipline
Science
Domain
Personal Learning
Communication
Information and Communications
Technology
Thinking Processes
Strand
Science Understanding
Science as Human Endeavour
Sub-Strand
Biological Sciences
Nature and the Development of
Science; Use and Influence of Science
Evaluating; Communicating
Science Inquiry Skills
Dimension
The individual learner; Managing personal learning
Listening, viewing and responding; Presenting
ICT for visual thinking; ICT for communicating
Reasoning, processing and inquiry; Creativity; Reflection, evaluation and
metacognition
Show the class this video: http://rapguidetoevolution.co.uk/i’m-a-african
Ask the class to discuss / consider the key scientific points Baba is making in the following rhymes.
Depending on the class, you could review the key scientific concepts and terms (in bold) and ask them to
give similar analogies.
1. Lyrics:
“Check the massive evidence of Homo Erectus
And Australopithecus afarensis in the fossil record
And then try to tell me that we’re not all connected
The fossil record has gaps, but no contradictions”
Questions:
What is the current evidence found in the fossil record? How are humans “all connected”?
What does it mean for a collection of evidence to have “gaps but no contradictions”?
2. Lyrics:
“No, I wasn’t born in Ghana but Africa is my mama
‘Cause that’s where my mama got her mitochondria”
Questions:
What is mitochondria and how is it inherited?
Who was “mitochondrial eve”?
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3. Bonus Activity:
Assign students to add their own original “annotations” and explanations to Baba’s lyrics at RapGenius.com:
http://rapgenius.com/Baba-brinkman-im-a-african-lyrics
Students should report on the annotations they added.
Can they find new or independent sources for the information and annotations found on Baba’s website?
(http://rapguidetoevolution.co.uk/i%E2%80%99m-a-african )
Can they improve on those annotations? (Hint from Baba Brinkman: the annotations on
rapguidetoevolution.co.uk were written by Baba and his science consultant Djuke Velduis, a Cambridge PhD
in bio-anthropology, but they are not complete).
Alternatively, if access to the website is limited for your class, print out the lyrics (next page) and have
students annotate with sticky notes. Students should report on the annotations they have added and
compare these with the rest of the class.
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I’m A African – by Baba Brinkman
I’m a African, I’m a African
And I know what’s happenin’
I’m a African, I’m a African
Archaeologists know what’s happenin’
You a African? You a African?
Do you know what’s happenin’?
I’m a African, I’m a African
Geneticists know what’s happenin’
No I wasn’t born in Ghana but Africa is my mama
‘Cause that’s where my mama got her mitochondria
You can try to fight if you wanna, but it’s not gonna change me
‘Cause it’s plain to see, Africans are my people
And if it’s not plain to see then your eyes deceive you
I’m talkin’ primeval; the DNA in my veins
Tells a story that reasonable people find believable
But it might even blow your transistors;
Africa is the home of our most recent common ancestors
Which means human beings are all brothers and sisters
So check the massive evidence of Homo erectus
And Australopithecus afarensis in the fossil record
And then try to tell me that we’re not all connected
The fossil record has gaps but no contradictions
And it complements the evidence in your chromosomes
So I came to let you know about your ancestral home
I’m a African, I’m a African
And I know what’s happenin’
I’m a African, I’m a African
Archaeologists know what’s happenin’
You a African? You a African?
Do you know what’s happenin’?
I’m a African, I’m a African
Geneticists know what’s happenin’
Yeah, it’s plain to see, you can’t change me
‘Cause I’ma be a Homo sapien for life
Yeah, it’s plain to see, you can’t change me
‘Cause I’ma be a Homo sapien for life
Yeah, the red is for the blood in my arm – it runs in the veins
Of all my cousins from the same African mom
And the black is for the melanin, which I guess I lost
A mutation with benefits that offset the costs
At least in the North, after massive glaciation
My family passed through some adaptive radiations
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We started as Africans, and then became Eurasians
And then one final migration made us Canadians
But it’s back to my origin, ‘cause I understand
For every colour of man, Africa is the motherland
So I’m comin’ back, that’s my right of return
I’m only speakin’ the facts, which I invite you to learn
We came from Africa first; Charles Darwin predicted it
‘Cause that’s where modern chimps and gorillas live
So the green is for the envy in the eyes of intelligent design
Advocates and scientific illiterates
I’m a African, I’m a African
And I know what’s happenin’
I’m a African, I’m a African
Archaeologists know what’s happenin’
You a African? You a African?
Do you know what’s happenin’?
I’m a African, I’m a African
Geneticists know what’s happenin’
Yeah, C-A-N-A-D-A
Asia, U-K, U-S-A
R-U-S-S-I-A
No, it ain’t ‘bout where you stay
It’s ‘bout the motherland
C-H-I-N-A
A-U-S-T-R-I-A
Oz, Tazmania, and Ukraine
No, it ain’t ‘bout where you stay
It’s ‘bout the motherland
M-O-N-G-O-L-I-A
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
Sweden, Denmark, and Norway
No, it ain’t ‘bout where you stay
It’s ‘bout the motherland
C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A
Costa Rica, I-N-D-I-A
First nations in A-L-A-S-K-A
No, it ain’t ‘bout where you stay
It’s ‘bout the motherland
From Rap Guide to Evolution
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THEME #3: DISCUSS, EXPLORE, DEBATE

Music-Based Discussion / Exploration Questions
AusVELS Information:
Domain
The Arts
Personal Learning
Communication
Thinking Processes
Dimension
Exploring and Responding
The individual learner; Managing personal learning
Listening, viewing and responding; Presenting
Reasoning, processing and inquiry; Creativity; Reflection, evaluation and
metacognition
More advanced students might consider, what causes a rap artist to thrive? Is it down to the rapper’s
genes? Their environment? The whim of the public? Have students suggests examples of rapper who got
very famous and other rappers who failed to leave their mark, and discuss why.
Are there ‘universals’ that artists have to adhere to in order to ‘make it’ (i.e. survive to reproduce, make
records and stay in the business) regardless of time and place, or are they culturally-dependent. (Examples
of universals might be an emphasis on risqué or daring behaviour to appeal to a younger audience, use of
sex and violence as attention-grabbing subject matter, use of devices like comedy, lyricism, and storytelling
to capture an audience, etc.)

Science-Based Discussion / Exploration Questions
VELS Information:
Discipline
Science
Strand
Science Understanding
Science as Human Endeavour
Science Inquiry Skills
Domain
Personal Learning
Communication
Information and Communications
Technology
Thinking Processes
Sub-Strand
Biological Sciences
Nature and the Development of
Science; Use and Influence of Science
Planning and Conducting; Processing
and analysing data and information;
Communicating
Dimension
The individual learner; Managing personal learning
Listening, viewing and responding; Presenting
ICT for visual thinking; ICT for communicating
Reasoning, processing and inquiry; Creativity; Reflection, evaluation and
metacognition
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection is currently the only well-supported
theory for explaining the complexity of life, but it is still being tested and refined as new evidence is
discovered. This provides an opportunity to discuss the evidence that we have for natural selection
occurring e.g.:

The ongoing struggle between disease and our immune systems –
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/04/natural-selection-is-still-with-.html

Our ability to digest milk by virtue of the enzyme lactase –
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_evolution/2012/10/evolution_of_lactose_tol
erance_why_do_humans_keep_drinking_milk.html
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Have students discuss the difference between a “theory” in the scientific sense (i.e. an explanatory
framework used to account for a diverse set of facts and observations while generating new hypotheses that
can be tested) and a “theory” in the common vernacular sense (i.e. a hunch or a conjecture).
What’s the evidence?
Questions to ask students:
1. How does the process of natural selection work? See example –
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_25
2. How was Darwin’s theory received? By the public? By Christians? By scientists? See example –
http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/darwin200/pages/index.php?page_id=d7
3. How might different species affect each other’s evolution?
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THEME #4: INTERACTIVE
AusVELS Information:
Discipline
Science
Strand
Science as Human Endeavour
Science Inquiry Skills
The Humanities
History
English
Language
Literacy
Domain
The Arts
Personal Learning
Interpersonal Development
Communication
Information and Communications
Technology
Thinking Processes
Sub-Strand
Nature and the Development of
Science; Use and Influence of Science
Planning and Conducting; Processing
and analysing data and information;
Communicating
Historical Knowledge and
Understanding
Language for Interaction; Expressing
and Developing Ideas
Texts in Context; Interacting with
Others
Dimension
Exploring and Responding; Creating and Making
The individual learner; Managing personal learning
Working in teams
Listening, viewing and responding; Presenting
ICT for visual thinking; ICT for communicating
Reasoning, processing and inquiry; Creativity; Reflection, evaluation and
metacognition
• Activity 1 - DEBATE
Ask the students to split into even numbered groups and ask them to consider whether scientific knowledge
can spread as meme. What about fashion or music?
For more advanced classes, you might like them to debate for / against the notion that:
“The success of religion in terms of its ability to be adopted by millions of people is in itself a cultural variant
of natural selection in action.”
• Activity 2 – WEAK AND STRONG
The concept of the ‘weak’ and the ‘strong’ comes up frequently in Baba’s Natural Selection rap:
“The weak and the strong
Who got it goin’ on?
Whoever leaves the most spawn!
The weak and the strong
Darwin got it goin’ on
Creationism is dead wrong!”
Ask students to discuss what the problems are with describing species or individual organisms in this way?
Who or what is being described as “weak vs strong” in Baba’s chorus?
• Activity 3 - ANNOTATE
Have students add annotations to Baba’s other Rap Guide to Evolution lyrics in accordance with their
preference, and report on their findings. All of the rapgenius lyrics can be found here:
http://rapgenius.com/albums/Baba-brinkman/Rap-guide-to-evolution
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QUIZ – true or false
1. Darwin was the sole originator of the theory of natural selection.
FALSE: Alfred Russell Wallace, one of the 19th Century’s most remarkable intellectuals, was also
instrumental. Not only did he co-discover the process of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin
in 1858, but he also made many other very significant contributions, not just to biology but also to subjects
as diverse as glaciology, land reform, anthropology, ethnography, epidemiology, and astrobiology. For more
information see: http://wallacefund.info/
2. Darwin developed his theory without any knowledge of Mendel’s work on heredity.
TRUE: Darwin was unaware of Mendel’s work in inheritance of traits using pea plants.
3. Evolution stops once a species becomes a species.
FALSE: Evolution does not stop once a species becomes a species. Every population of living organisms is
undergoing some sort of evolution, though the degree and speed of the process varies greatly from one
group to another.
4. Darwin fought against religion.
FALSE: Many have seen the evolutionary theory as an attack on religion, where the fight was between God
and Darwin. It is a widespread misconception that Darwin intended to harm religion or religious belief. His
work was about raising awareness of life on earth on a scientific basis. See:
http://www.darwinarkivet.dk/en/myths/the-atheist/
NOTES:
More common misconceptions and explanations relating to The Origin of the Species, the theory of natural
selection and the life and times of Charles Darwin can be found here:
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/misconceptions_teacherfaq.php and
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13620-evolution-24-myths-and-misconceptions.html
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KEY CONCEPTS
Natural Selection is an algorithm with three parts: 1) variation, 2) differential reproduction, 3) heredity.
(Differential reproduction if often referred to as “selection”)
Unity of common descent means that all living things share a single-celled common ancestor billions of
years in the past. All living things are therefore “cousins” or branches on the tree of life.
We are all Africans; humans are all part of one species which has its roots in Africa less than 100,000
years ago. Hence, racial differences are evolutionarily recent and literally skin-deep.
Cultural Evolution works very similarly to biological evolution, with hip-hop culture being one example. The
artists that became famous (i.e. the most “fit” in terms of success in reaching an audience) do so because of
the “selections” made by their fans.
Sexual Selection is the product of competition for mates rather than for survival. In nature, competition for
mates produces ornaments like elaborate feathers and antlers. In culture, it produces fashion ornaments like
bling and high heels. Rap music, poetry, and comedy may all be expressions of sexually selected human
abilities.
Violence can be adaptive, since many forms of violence are specifically intended to dominate rivals,
access their resources and defeat them in a competition for mating opportunities, all of which can be
evolutionarily beneficial.
Non-violence and cooperation can also be adaptive, and the difference has to do with environmental
context, and which strategy best promotes the interest of the organisms involved. Social species such as
ours have evolved ways to suppress selfish and violent behaviour, for instance reputation damage and
direct punishment.
Knowledge is power, since a clear understanding of evolution can help us to avoid the pitfalls and vicious
cycles that are part of its legacy, while steering ourselves towards the innovation, cooperation, and
increasing human wellbeing that are also part of its legacy.
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Resources
The Rap Guide to Evolution
 Online resources and videos available at – http://rapguidetoevolution.co.uk
Evolution in the Classroom
 The Wellcome Trust website has expansive materials and articles to help teachers bring evolution into
the classroom –
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Education-resources/Teaching-and-education/Big-Picture/Allissues/Evolution/index.htm
 These include teaching notes and topic guides –
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Education-resources/Teaching-and-education/Big-Picture/Allissues/Evolution/Teachers-resources/index.htm
Natural Selection
 Balancing selection - http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Education-resources/Teaching-and-education/BigPicture/All-issues/Evolution/Articles/WTD026064.htm
 Do religious beliefs provide a selective advantage? http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Educationresources/Teaching-and-education/Big-Picture/All-issues/Evolution/Articles/WTD026070.htm
 Directed evolution / artificial selection - http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Education-resources/Teaching-andeducation/Big-Picture/All-issues/Evolution/Articles/WTD026063.htm
Understanding Evolution
 The University of California Museum of Paleontology website is great for all sorts of easily accessible
facts and information which can be adapted to suit a variety of teaching needs –
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/
 The Smithsonian also provides sets of teaching plans for a variety of grades –
http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/lesson-plans
Write a Rap
 RapPad combines a bunch of music tools that help analyse and write lyrics – www.rappad.co
 Arts Centre Melbourne’s CCsMASH is an online audio mash-up project where students can mix and
create their own loops and music – www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/discover/online-learning/cc-smash
REMIX The Rap Guide to Evolution
Baba has been kind enough to provide Arts Centre Melbourne with an a cappella track of his song
Natural Selection for us to use in the online REMIX PROJECT.
Head to the website and learn how to create your very own remix featuring Baba’s vocals!
Check it out at http://remixrapguide.artscentremelbourne.com.au
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