Hominid CSI
Riccardo Magni
Pioneer Valley High School
Santa Maria Jt. Union High School District
rmagni@smjuhsd.org
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Unit Information
Description:
In this project, students will learn more about the human evolution. They will be
assigned a hominid to research. Ultimately, they will use what facts they can find to
hypothesize why they think that it went extinct. They will use the Internet to gather data
and use PowerPoint to present the data. The students will also use an LCD projector to
display their PowerPoint presentation to the class.
Major Goals:
 Students will learn about hominids
o examine differences between chimps and humans
o examine differences between Australopithecines and Homos
 Students will learn that species change over time
o Brain size has increased.
o Bipedalism has increased.
 Students will learn that species go extinct
o All hominids are extinct
o There are animals and plants going extinct in the wild today.
 Students will learn how to display information in PowerPoint
o How much information is too much
o Different colors/sounds/graphics make the presentation appealing
 Students will learn how to gather information on the internet
o Some websites are safe
o Some websites are more accurate than others
 Students will learn how to save information on to their network account
o Proper labeling of files
o Organizing their files for easy retrieval
Target student age/level:
Biology students, grades 9-11
Time Required:
4 class periods (90 minute blocks)
Content Standards:
Biology Standards
7. The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on many factors
and may be stable or unstable over time. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than the
genotype of an organism.
b. Students know why alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual may be
carried in a heterozygote and thus maintained in a gene pool.
c. Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a gene pool.
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d. Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least
some members of a species will survive under changed environmental
conditions.
8. Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing
environments. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival
of groups of organisms.
b. Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at
least some organisms survive major changes in the environment.
d. Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation.
e. Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological
diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.
Investigation and Experimentation Standards
1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting
careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing
the content in the other four strands, students should develop their own questions
and perform investigations. Students will:
a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked
probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect
data, analyze relationships, and display data.
d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
e. Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.
g. Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as
scientific representations of reality.
k. Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.
Technology Standards
B1.2
Use appropriate software to design and produce professional-quality
images, documents, and presentations.
B2.1
Know multiple ways in which to transfer information and resources
(e.g., text, data, sound, video, still images) between software programs
and systems.
B2.3
Use multiple online search techniques and resources to acquire
information.
B2.4
Know the appropriate ways to validate and cite Internet resources.
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Lesson Plans:
 (Day 1)
o Daily Question – “What is a hominid?”
o Show PowerPoint about Natural Selection
o Use in class examples of change over time
o Show Nova Video “First Steps”
o Pass out worksheet “First Steps”
 (Day 2)
o Show PowerPoint about what goes into the PowerPoint
o Assign hominids to students
o Discuss safe/accurate internet searches
o Make sure that all students have their login information
o Go to computer lab and research the hominid
 (Day 3)
o Answer any questions for Day 2
o Review rubric about how PowerPoint is going to be graded
o Go to computer lab and begin the PowerPoint
o Answer questions/troubleshoot
o Proofread PowerPoint presentations
 (Day 4)
o Present PowerPoint presentations
o Discuss what the class learned from this activity
o Take the exam about hominids
Assessment and Evaluation:
See attachments.
Resources:
 Computer Lab
 Microsoft PowerPoint
 Internet connection
 Internet Explorer or Firefox
 LCD projector
 Flash drive
 VCR/DVD player
 NOVA DVD “First Steps”
About Hominids:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/ancient-seafarers/
http://anthro.palomar.edu/hominid/australo_2.htm
http://www.biology-online.org/10/14_early_hominids.htm
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa45
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About Safe Searching on the Internet:
http://websearch.about.com/od/safesearch/a/sftychecklist.htm
http://www.safesearchkids.com/
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/search.htm
Video:
NOVA: First Steps
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/becoming-human-part-1.html
Ape to Man
http://www.californiastreaming.org/streaming/digitalVideoDetail.asp?videoID=18755&s
ections=all&searchFor=evolution&type=streaming&theSubjectID=54
Evolution Revolution (National Geographic)
http://www.californiastreaming.org/streaming/digitalVideoDetail.asp?videoID=14414&s
ections=streaming&searchFor=evolution+&type=streaming&theSubjectID=52
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