UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher’s name:
Grade Level: 10
Ms. Baum and Ms. Stevenson
Date of lesson: 3/15/11
Topic: Evolution--Fossils
Objectives:
Students will be able to recognize the importance of the fossil record in relation to
evolution. They will also be able describe how fossils are made and construct a sample
phylogenetic tree by the end of the lesson.
Maine Learning Results Alignment:
Maine Learning Results: Science and Technology- E. The living Environment
E5. Evolution: 9-12
Grade 9-Diploma Biology
Students describe the interactions between and among species, populations, and
environments that lead to natural selection and evolution.
Rationale: Students meeting this standard will be asked to explore and explain how
fossils are formed and the significance of both fossils and the fossil record in regard to
evolution. Students will also create a sample phylogenetic tree supporting the evolution
of a given species. They will discuss their classification of organisms and be asked to
explain the tree that they created. This will require students to fully understand how
fossils play a role in evolution.
Assessment:
In groups or pairs students will explore the fossil record and its importance in validating
evolution. Each group will be given the task of creating a phylogenetic tree. Students
must explain the classifications they make with both their partners and the class. There
will be some questions that arise throughout the process that students must discuss: How
are these organisms similar? Different? Why or why not? These questions will prompt
students’ thoughts about fossils and the fossil record. We will also check for
understanding through a class discussion. After students have completed their
phylogenetic trees, the class will discuss their ideas as a whole. A BIG question will also
be posed to the students. This BIG question is what we would like the take home message
to be. The Big question that will be asked is “What role does the fossil record play in
evolution?” And “What do you think would happen if there were no fossil record?”
Students should be able to answer this question by the end of the lesson. Students
understanding will be checked by the participation in activities and the completion of
their phylogenetic trees.
Integration:
Students will also be addressing Maine Learning Result standard E5. Students will use
knowledge of how fossils are created and the fossil record in order to complete the class
activity. Students will present their product to the entire class and provide reasoning for
the design or their chosen phylogenetic tree. Students will make connections from the
class activity and class discussion to the theory of evolution. Throughout the lesson, we
will also be incorporating some aspects of NOS and will continue to teach students to
think and process new information scientifically and methodically.
Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationales:
 Standards: What standards are you meeting with this lesson plan?
 Rationale: How does this lesson demonstrate my competency with the standard(s)?
Standard 1 and 2 - The student teacher understands the central concepts, tools of
inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning
experiences that make these aspects of subject matter more meaningful to students.
This lesson achieves the goals set forth by Standard one and two by making the subject
matter a more meaningful experience to students. The BSCS 5E lesson plan is modeled in
a way that engages students by looking at student’s previous knowledge and using that as
a foundation for the rest of the lesson. The model also includes a phase where students
are able to explore by creating a phylogenetic tree. Following this phase, the content will
be explained in more detail where the students will already have an experience (creating
the phylogenetic tree) to add more knowledge to and relate to. In order to ensure students
understand the concepts, the elaborate phase will extend on their prior learning
experiences. Each of these steps will build upon each other and use relevant, real world
examples in order to make the subject matter more meaningful to the students.
Standard 3 - Demonstrates knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn
and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual,
physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.
This lesson achieves the goals set forth by Standard three by creating a learning
environment that is welcoming and accepting of all different learners. Student will be
able to collaborate regularly with their peers in order to feed off of each other’s thoughts,
ideas, and creativity. Students will be able to learn in an auditory, visual, logical, verbal,
bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal way throughout the BSCS 5E model
of this Evolution lesson, which will focus on the significance of fossils. Students will also
have time to self-reflect and will create an environment, which promotes creative and
engaging learning.
Standard 5 and 6- The student teacher understands and uses a variety of
instructional strategies to evaluate and to ensure the continuous intellectual, social,
and physical development of the learner.
A variety of instructional strategies will be used that will meet the needs and learning
styles of many of the different learners intellectually, socially, and physically.
Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment
strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.
Students will have the opportunity to reflect and explain what they learn throughout the
lesson, individually, in groups, and amongst the class. They will have the opportunity
throughout the lesson to ask questions for clarification or that may connect the content to
the real world. Feedback will be given throughout the class. Students will also have the
opportunity to extend their understanding to the real world by researching a topic and
reporting back to the class.
Differentiated Instruction:
Strategies
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How will you teach the content to students?
Please use Differentiated Instruction and Instructional Strategies as a
reference.
How will you use technology to enhance student learning?
Interpersonal: Students will be working in pairs, or small groups and will also
participate in group discussions throughout the lesson.
Intrapersonal: Students will have the opportunity to reflect throughout the lesson,
especially when trying to answer the “Big Question.”
Visual: Students will be able to use their visual spatial skills when creating their
phylogenetic trees and being able to look and observe at real fossils.
Kinesthetic: Students will have the opportunity to move around and interact with each
other as well as with actual fossils at the beginning of the lesson. During the main
part of the lesson, students will be able to manipulate the paper fossils with their
hands and will walk around comparing each tree during the Gallery Walk.
Verbal: Students will be able to converse with each other throughout the lesson in their
small groups and during the class discussions. Each group will also have
opportunities to explain their phylogenetic trees and how they chose to classify
each organism.
Logical: Students will be able to use their problem solving skills when they are given an
unknown paper fossil and have to determine where on the phylogenetic tree it
should be placed based on their previous classifications.
Modifications/Accommodations
I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and
accommodations.
Absent: If you are absent during any part of the lesson, I expect you to look at the class
wiki to see what you missed and what you will need to make up for when you return. For
this lesson, specifically, I expect you to make an appointment to see me upon your return
so that we can discuss what you missed and make appropriate arrangements for making
up the work.
Extensions
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How will you challenge students to go beyond the stated objectives?
What other resources will you have available?
Please use Extensions as a reference.
Students will be encouraged to apply what they learn about fossils, the fossil record, and
phylogenetic trees and relate it to evolution. Students will also be asked to extend their
knowledge on the phylogenetic tree to show examples of convergent and divergent
evolution. I will encourage students to do extra outside research to think of other
examples of each of these terms in order to make it a more relatable and real world
experience. I will also give students the opportunity to do research on a topic that
interests them (relevant to fossils and evolution) and provide a short write up and briefly
teach the class what they learned about their topic.
Materials, Resources and Technology:
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What resources will you need to gather prior to teaching the lesson?
What materials will the students need?
What do you need to do in order to be ready to use technology?
For this lesson, we will need to print out four sets of fossils (one for each group). Each
student will also need to be given a copy of the worksheet (see attached). Each group
will also be provided with glue sticks, big-sheeted butcher paper, markers, yardsticks, and
scissors.
Sources for Lesson Plan and Research:
The BSCS 5E model was modeled by Dr. Grace Eason in EDU 360. The fossils that were
chosen to create the phylogenetic tree were found at http://www.biologycorner.com/
worksheets/fossilrecord.html. We will be making this lesson our own by creating a lesson
that uses the BSCS 5E model in order to teach one aspect of evolution: fossils. Although
we used the fossils from the biology corner website, we made our own lesson out of it by
having students create a phylogenetic tree and answer questions that we provided them in
order to understand the significance of the fossil record and phylogenetic trees.
Bybee, R.W., Taylor, J.A., Gardner, A., Van Scotter, P., Powell, J.C., Westbrook, A., and
Landes, N. (July 2006). The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Origins,
Effectiveness, and Applications. BSCS. (18 pages).
Orgill, M. and Thomas, M. (January 2007). Analogies and the 5E Model. The Science
Teacher. 40-45.
LESSON OUTLINE
SEE GAME PLAN