Detailed lesson plan:
Science lesson plan – Evolution Practical
Aims and objectives
In this activity, students will:
Learning Intentions
In this activity, students will:
1. To understand that human evolution research starts with a question and that many questions about human evolution remained unanswered.
2. To learn that science is an ongoing process of making observations, asking questions, collecting evidence, and making inferences and predictions based on that evidence, which then often leads to additional questions.
Materials
Pencils
“Human Evolution: A Discovery Within” Worksheets (1 per student)
Human Evolution Resource Guide
Academy Videos from BioForum on Human Evolution
Teaching strategies (including timing of activities)
ACTIVITY TIMING:
Think, pair and share on ‘human evolution’ with board work 20 minutes
Link in the introducing ‘NSTA website’ 10 minutes
Practical work on human evolution 50 minutes
Whiteboard discussion – wrap up 15 minutes
Activity
Introduction
Procedure
1. Tell students that you are going to be sharing some information with them from scientists who study human evolution.
2. Introduce the websites on the Human Evolution Resource Chart to students.
3. Share one or more of the BioForum videos with your students.
4. Tell students that this activity is going to make them think about all the questions that they have about human evolution, and whether the answers are known or unknown.
5. Divide students into pairs.
6. Tell students to work in pairs to think about the various questions. Emphasize that each student should complete their own sheet based on their own questions. Working in pairs is just to help each other generate ideas.
7. Tell students that the left column of the sheet is to write down their questions. The second column is to write the answers that they find from using the resources on the Resource Chart. Students should indicate which resource they use to answer the question. The third column is to write down what evidence scientists use to answer the question or for questions unanswered what type of evidence might scientists might find in the future that could answer your question.
8. Pass out the Human Evolution: A Discovery Within Worksheet. Go over the example in the first row with students. When discussing the second column, tell students that their questions can be researched online using the different resources provided on the Resource Chart.
9. Give students time to work with their partners to develop the rest of their questions.
10. After 20 minutes of brainstorming have the students share their questions.
11. Give students time in class or assign homework to read through the websites and watch the BioForum videos to find answers to their questions
Wrap-Up
Once students have filled out their worksheets, bring the whole class together to have a discussion.
Ask students the following questions:
• Were you able to find answers to all of your questions? (Students may or may not find the answers to all of their questions)
• Why do you think you were unable to find answers to all of your questions? (Not all questions have been answered and science is an ongoing process)
• Did everyone find the same answers to a question? (Students may notice that some websites give different information depending on the site)
• If two people found different answers to the same question, why might this be? (Different scientists sometimes have different interpretations of the same paleontological evidence)
• What challenges might paleoanthropology researchers face when trying to find an answer to a particular question? (Evidence may not exist in the fossil record)
Science lesson plan – Evolution Practical
Aims and objectives
In this activity, students will:
- Learn how human evolution research starts with a question.
- To understand that many questions about human evolution remained unanswered.
- Learn that science is an ongoing process of making observations, asking questions, collecting evidence, and making inferences and predictions based on that evidence, which then often leads to additional questions.
Learning Intentions
In this activity, students will:
1. To understand that human evolution research starts with a question and that many questions about human evolution remained unanswered.
2. To learn that science is an ongoing process of making observations, asking questions, collecting evidence, and making inferences and predictions based on that evidence, which then often leads to additional questions.
Materials
Pencils
“Human Evolution: A Discovery Within” Worksheets (1 per student)
Human Evolution Resource Guide
Academy Videos from BioForum on Human Evolution
Teaching strategies (including timing of activities)
ACTIVITY TIMING:
Think, pair and share on ‘human evolution’ with board work 20 minutes
Link in the introducing ‘NSTA website’ 10 minutes
Practical work on human evolution 50 minutes
Whiteboard discussion – wrap up 15 minutes
Activity
Introduction
- Ask students what they know about human evolution. After allowing 5 minutes for students to brainstorm associated words and phrases, ask students to share their ideas in small groups. Collect the topics that were recorded by asking students to write them on the board. As each group comes up to the board, ask students to make tally marks next to the topics that other groups already wrote on the board. After everyone records their data, circle the most frequently mentioned words on the board. This will give you a starting point for introducing the concept of human evolution and connecting it with their prior knowledge. For example, if students mentioned the name “Lucy,” use the website list at the end of the lesson to pull a short summary of this discovery. Or, if the words include for instance, “fiction” or “false,” have a discussion with your students about evolution and address their questions. You can use the NSTA website as a reference: http://www.nsta.org/publications/evolution.aspx
Procedure
1. Tell students that you are going to be sharing some information with them from scientists who study human evolution.
2. Introduce the websites on the Human Evolution Resource Chart to students.
3. Share one or more of the BioForum videos with your students.
4. Tell students that this activity is going to make them think about all the questions that they have about human evolution, and whether the answers are known or unknown.
5. Divide students into pairs.
6. Tell students to work in pairs to think about the various questions. Emphasize that each student should complete their own sheet based on their own questions. Working in pairs is just to help each other generate ideas.
7. Tell students that the left column of the sheet is to write down their questions. The second column is to write the answers that they find from using the resources on the Resource Chart. Students should indicate which resource they use to answer the question. The third column is to write down what evidence scientists use to answer the question or for questions unanswered what type of evidence might scientists might find in the future that could answer your question.
8. Pass out the Human Evolution: A Discovery Within Worksheet. Go over the example in the first row with students. When discussing the second column, tell students that their questions can be researched online using the different resources provided on the Resource Chart.
9. Give students time to work with their partners to develop the rest of their questions.
10. After 20 minutes of brainstorming have the students share their questions.
11. Give students time in class or assign homework to read through the websites and watch the BioForum videos to find answers to their questions
Wrap-Up
Once students have filled out their worksheets, bring the whole class together to have a discussion.
Ask students the following questions:
• Were you able to find answers to all of your questions? (Students may or may not find the answers to all of their questions)
• Why do you think you were unable to find answers to all of your questions? (Not all questions have been answered and science is an ongoing process)
• Did everyone find the same answers to a question? (Students may notice that some websites give different information depending on the site)
• If two people found different answers to the same question, why might this be? (Different scientists sometimes have different interpretations of the same paleontological evidence)
• What challenges might paleoanthropology researchers face when trying to find an answer to a particular question? (Evidence may not exist in the fossil record)
- Formative assessment for the lesson that relates back to the outcomes. Think, pair and share, teacher observation during practical.
- Indication of how you are going to recognise what level the student has achieved