High School Science: From Big Bang to Single Cells
Common Core Standards
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
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Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a
text.
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Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia
sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 1
Know
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Habits
Students will know ancient people used
myths to explain the mysterious process of
creation.
Students will know that spontaneous
generation on modern day Earth is
impossible.
Students will know Alexander Oparin’s
theory that living things could have arisen
from non-living things on Earth.
Students will know how Stanley Miller and
Harold Urey’s simulation experiment
supported Oparin’s hypothesis.
Students will know what amino acids have
to do with proteins.
Students will know the significance of Urey
and Miller’s experiment with amino acids.
Students will know the chemical reactions
involved in the formation of protein.
Students will know how amino acids joined
together on primitive earth to form proteins
and the precursors of modern day cells.
Understand
Communication: Students will
improve communication skills through
writing, speaking, listening, makingnotes, and reading.
Skills
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Common Core Standards

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Students will understand that theories are mostly
constructed to explain, predict, and to master 
phenomena (e.g., inanimate things, events, or
behavior of animals).
Students will understand that the world is an
interpretation (or model) of scientific theories,
only insofar as the sciences are true.

Students will be able to integrate
quantitative or technical information expressed in
words in a text with a version of that information
expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram,
model, graph, or table).

Students will be able to distinguish among
facts, reasoned judgment based on research
findings, and speculation in a text.
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Students will be able to compare and
contrast the information gained from experiments,
simulations, videos, or multimedia sources with that
gained from reading a text on the same topic.
Essential Vocabulary
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spontaneous generation
Hubble Law
Big Bang Theory
theory
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Francesco Redi
Stanley Miller
Harold Urey
Sydney Fox
Alexander Oparin
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Foyer
Creation Myths
Hook, Kindle, Bridge
Window Notes
Workroom
 Be a part of Redi’s Team
 Note-making Graphic
Organizer
 Grouping and Labeling
 Following Oparin’s
Reasoning
 Reading & Notemaking
 Mystery
 Reciprocal Learning
 Team Game Tournaments
 Compare and Contrast
Library
Porch
Spontaneous Generation
 Peer Reading
Reflection in Style
Our Earth—A Close Up View
Oparin’s Argument
Miller and Urey
 New American Lecture
Amino Acids & Protein
 Jigsaw Strategy
Marvelous Microspheres
 Lab Experimentation
Assessment
 Memo
 Formative: 4-2-1 Freewrite
 Essay
 Spooky Book Cover
 Museum Exhibit
 Team Projects
 Expert Letter
 Task Rotation
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Introduction to the Unit
Hook: Most systems of myths have an explanation for the origin of the universe and its
components. These myths are known as creation myths. An explanation of the origin of the
universe is known as a Cosmogony. Creation myths as well as more modern theories such as
Laplace's Nebula Hypothesis, the Continuous Creation Theory and the Big Bang Theory are all
examples of Cosmogonies.
Kindle: Jigsaw Strategy
Work in small groups, each of you taking a different creation myth to explore. After reading the
myth designated to you, make Window Notes on your reading in your notebook.
Summarize the Story of Creation
Personal Feeling/Reactions
Questions the Myth Addresses
Insights into Culture, Beliefs, Understanding
Use your notes to share the piece you read with your team. As a group, determine what
commonalities you find in all of the stories. What is the difference between ancient creation
myths and theory?
Bridge: Creation myths are amongst mankind's earliest attempts to explain some of the most
profound questions about the nature and origin of the universe. These are questions that we
are still attempting to answer today. We will examine in this unit we will examine modern day
theories about the origin of the universe.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Jigsaw Strategy
Reading 1
Iroquois Creation Myth
Long before the world was created there was an island, floating in the sky, upon which the Sky
People lived. They lived quietly and happily. No one ever died or was born or experienced
sadness. However one day one of the Sky Women realized she was going to give birth to twins.
She told her husband, who flew into a rage. In the center of the island there was a tree which
gave light to the entire island since the sun hadn't been created yet. He tore up this tree,
creating a huge hole in the middle of the island. Curiously, the woman peered into the hole. Far
below she could see the waters that covered the earth. At that moment her husband pushed
her. She fell through the hole, tumbling towards the waters below.
Water animals already existed on the earth, so far below the floating island two birds saw the
Sky Woman fall. Just before she reached the waters they caught her on their backs and brought
her to the other animals. Determined to help the woman they dove into the water to get mud
from the bottom of the seas. One after another the animals tried and failed. Finally, Little Toad
tried and when he reappeared his mouth was full of mud. The animals took it and spread it on
the back of Big Turtle. The mud began to grow and grow and grow until it became the size of
North America.
Then the woman stepped onto the land. She
sprinkled dust into the air and created stars.
Then she created the moon and sun.
The Sky Woman gave birth to twin sons. She
named one Sapling. He grew to be kind and
gentle. She named the other Flint and his
heart was as cold as his name. They grew
quickly and began filling the earth with their
creations.
Sapling created what is good. He made animals that are useful to humans. He made rivers that
went two ways and into these he put fish without bones. He made plants that people could eat
easily. If he was able to do all the work himself there would be no suffering.
Flint destroyed much of Sapling's work and created all that is bad. He made the rivers flow only
in one direction. He put bones in fish and thorns on berry bushes. He created winter, but
Sapling gave it life so that it could move to give way to Spring. He created monsters which his
brother drove beneath the Earth.
Eventually Sapling and Flint decided to fight till one conquered the other. Neither was able to
win at first, but finally Flint was beaten. Because he was a god Flint could not die, so he was
forced to live on Big Turtle's back. Occasionally his anger is felt in the form of a volcano.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Reading 2
African Bushmen Creation Myth
People did not always live on the surface of the earth. At one time people and animals lived
underneath the earth with Kaang (Käng), the Great Master and Lord of All Life. In this place
people and animals lived together peacefully. They understood each other. No one ever wanted
for anything and it was always light even though there wasn't any sun. During this time of bliss
Kaang began to plan the wonders he would put in the world above.
First Kaang created a wondrous tree, with branches stretching over the entire country. At the
base of the tree he dug a hole that reached all the way down
into the world where the people and animals lived. After he
had finished furnishing the world as he pleased he led the first
man up the hole. He sat down on the edge of the hole and
soon the first woman came up out of it. Soon all the people
were gathered at the foot of the tree, awed by the world they
had just entered. Next, Kaang began helping the animals
climb out of the hole. In their eagerness some of the animals
found a way to climb up through the tree's roots and come out
of the branches. They continued racing out of the world
beneath until all of the animals were out.
Kaang gathered all the people and animals about him. He
instructed them to live together peacefully. Then he turned to
the men and women and warned them not to build any fires or
a great evil would befall them. They gave their word and
Kaang left to where he could watch his world secretly.
As evening approached the sun began to sink beneath the horizon. The people and animals stood
watching this phenomenon, but when the sun disappeared fear entered the hearts of the people.
They could no longer see each other as they lacked the eyes of the animals which were capable
of seeing in the dark. They lacked the warm fur of the animals also and soon grew cold. In
desperation one man suggested that they build a fire to keep warm. Forgetting Kaang's warning
they disobeyed him. They soon grew warm and were once again able to see each other.
However the fire frightened the animals. They fled to the caves and mountains and ever since the
people broke Kaang's command people have not been able to communicate with animals. Now
fear has replaced the seat friendship once held between the two groups.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Reading 3
Australian Aborigine Creation Myth
There was a time when everything was still. All the spirits of the earth were asleep - or almost all. The
great Father of All Spirits was the only one awake. Gently he awoke the Sun Mother. As she opened her
eyes a warm ray of light spread out towards the sleeping earth. The Father of All Spirits said to the Sun
Mother,
"Mother, I have work for you. Go down to the Earth and awake the sleeping spirits. Give them
forms."
The Sun Mother glided down to Earth, which was bare at the time and began to walk in all
directions and everywhere she walked plants grew. After returning to the field where she had
begun her work the Mother rested, well pleased with herself. The Father of All Spirits came and
saw her work, but instructed her to go into the caves and wake the spirits.
This time she ventured into the dark caves on the mountainsides. The bright light that radiated
from her awoke the spirits and after she left insects of all kinds flew out of the caves. The Sun
Mother sat down and watched the glorious sight of her insects mingling with her flowers.
However once again the Father urged her on.
The Mother ventured into a very deep cave, spreading her light around her. Her heat melted
the ice and the rivers and streams of the world were created. Then she created fish and small
snakes, lizards and frogs. Next she awoke the spirits of the birds and animals and they burst
into the sunshine in a glorious array of colors. Seeing this the Father of All Spirits was pleased
with the Sun Mother's work.
She called all her creatures to her and instructed them to enjoy the wealth of the earth and to
live peacefully with one another. Then she rose into the sky and became the sun.
The living creatures watched the Sun in awe as she crept across the sky, towards the west. However when
she finally sunk beneath the horizon they were panic-stricken, thinking she had deserted them. All night they
stood frozen in their places, thinking that the end of time had come.
After what seemed to them like a lifetime the Sun Mother peeked her head above the horizon in the
East. The earth's children learned to expect her coming and going and were no longer afraid.
At first the children lived together peacefully, but eventually envy crept into their hearts. They
began to argue. The Sun Mother was forced to come down from her home in the sky to mediate
their bickering. She gave each creature the power to change their form to whatever they chose.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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However she was not pleased with the end result. The
rats she had made had changed into bats; there were
giant lizards and fish with blue tongues and feet.
However the oddest of the new animals was an animal
with a bill like a duck, teeth for chewing, a tail like a
beavers and the ability to lay egg. It was called the
platypus.
The Sun Mother looked down upon the Earth and
thought to herself that she must create new creatures
less the Father of All Spirits be angered by what she
now saw. She gave birth to two children. The god was
the Morning Star and the goddess was the moon. Two
children were born to them and these she sent to Earth.
They became our ancestors. She made them superior to
the animals because they had part of her mind and
would never want to change their shape.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Reading 4
Chinese Creation Myth
In the beginning, the heavens and earth were still one and all was chaos. The universe was like
a big black egg, carrying Pan Gu inside itself. After 18 thousand years Pan Gu woke from a long
sleep. He felt suffocated, so he took up a broadax and wielded it with all his might to crack
open the egg. The light, clear part of it floated up and formed the heavens, the cold, turbid
matter stayed below to form earth. Pan Gu stood in the middle, his head touching the sky, his
feet planted on the earth. The heavens and the earth began to grow at a rate of ten feet per
day, and Pan Gu grew along with them. After another 18 thousand years, the sky was higher,
the earth thicker, and Pan Gu stood between them like a pillar 9 million li in height so that they
would never join again.
When Pan Gu died, his breath became the wind and clouds, his voice the rolling thunder. One
eye became the sun and on the moon. His body and limbs turned to five big mountains and his
blood formed the roaring water. His veins became far-stretching roads and his muscles fertile
land. The innumerable stars in the sky came from his hair and beard, and flowers and trees
from his skin and the fine hairs on his body. His marrow turned to jade and pearls. His sweat
flowed like the good rain and sweet dew that nurtured all things on earth. According to some
versions of the Pan Gu legend, his tears flowed to make rivers and radiance of his eyes turned
into thunder and lighting. When he was happy the sun shone, but when he was angry black
clouds gathered in the sky. One version of the legend has it that the fleas and lice on his body
became the ancestors of mankind.
The Pan Gu story has become firmly fixed in Chinese tradition. There is even an idiom relating
to it: "Since Pan Gu created earth and the heavens," meaning "for a very long time."
Nevertheless, it is rather a latecomer to the catalog of Chinese legends. First mention of it is in
a book on Chinese myths written by Xu Zheng in the Three Kingdoms period (CE 220-265).
Some opinions hold that it originated in south China or southeast Asia.
There are several versions of the Pan Gu story.
Among the Miao, Yao, Li and other nationalities of south China, a legend concerns Pan Gu the
ancestor of all mankind, with a man's body and a dog's head. It runs like this: Up in Heaven the
God in charge of the earth, King Gao Xin, owned a beautiful spotted dog. He reared him on a
plate (pan in Chinese ) inside a gourd (hu, which is close to the sound gu ), so the dog was
known as Pan Gu . Among the Gods there was great enmity between King Gao Xin and his rival
King Fang. "Whoever can bring me the head of King Fang may marry my daughter, " he
proclaimed, but nobody was willing to try because they were afraid of King Fang's strong
soldiers and sturdy horses.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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The dog Pan Gu overheard what was said, and when Gao Xin was sleeping, slipped out of the
palace and ran to King Fang. The latter was glad to see him standing there wagging his tail. "You
see, King Gao Xin is near his end. Even his dog has left him," Fang said, and held a banquet for
the occasion with the dog at his side.
At midnight when all was quiet and Fang was overcome with drink, Pan Gu jumped onto the
king's bed, bit off his head and ran back to his master with it . King Gao Xin was overjoyed to
see the head of his rival, and gave orders to bring Pan Gu some fresh meat. But Pan Gu left the
meat untouched and curled himself up in a corner to sleep. For three days he ate nothing and
did not stir.
The king was puzzled and asked, "Why don't you eat? Is it because I failed to keep my promise
of marrying a dog?" To his surprise Pan Gu began to speak. "Don't worry, my King. Just cover
me with your golden bell and in seven days and seven nights I'll become a man." The King did as
he said, but on the sixth day, fearing he would starve to death, out of solicitude the princess
peeped under the bell. Pan Gu's body had already changed into that of a man, but his head was
still that of a dog. However, once the bell was raised, the magic change stopped, and he had to
remain a man with a dog's head.
He married the princess, but she didn't want to be seen with such a man so they moved to the
earth and settled in the remote mountains of south China. There they lived happily and had
four children, three boys and a girl, who became the ancestors of mankind.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Notes
Name
Title of Story________________________________________________________________
Summarize the Story of Creation
Personal Feeling/Reactions
Questions the Myth Addresses
Insights into Culture, Beliefs, Understanding
What do you notice about the similarities in the stories?
What do you notice about the differences?
What mysteries of the universe are you trying to unravel?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Lesson 1:
Objective: Learn how Francesco Redi disproved the theory of spontaneous generation.
Hook
A common theme found in creation myths is the idea of spontaneous generation—living things
arising from non-living things.
The reason the myths of spontaneous generation persisted throughout different cultures for so
long was that spontaneous generation seemed to really happen. People saw living flies
suddenly appear on piles of decaying meat. They saw living mice scamper out of the bales of
wheat in people’s barns.
That animals seemed to arise from non-living things was enough proof for the theory of
spontaneous generation. The ancient people did not ask for scientific evidence. They simply
believed what they were told.
Kindle: Discussion
What is the danger in simply believing what you are told?
Bridge: Francisco Redi was a scientist who did not simply believe everything he was told. He
wanted to find things out for himself. Read through the following passage about Francesco
Redi’s experiments and carefully examine the accompanying diagrams.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Peer Reading Strategy
1.
Select a partner to work with.
2. Identify yourself as either Reader A or Reader B.
3. Both partners read Reading A.
4. Reader A will summarize the reading answering the following questions
without referring back to the reading or their notes.
 What made Redi a good scientist?
 What hypothesis was he trying to prove?
 How did he go about proving his hypothesis?
 What myth was he trying to ‘debunk?”
 What was the purpose of his control group?
 Why did Redi seal the second jars?
 What did Redi discover from his experiment?
 How did his findings differ from the control group and the
experimental group?
5. Reader B may use the text and his/her notes to make sure Reader A answers
the questions correctly and give a thorough summary of the reading.
6. Both partners read Reading B and reverse roles.
7. Reader B summarizes the reading using the following summary questions to
guide them:
 What contribution did Redi make to science?
 Why did the debate over spontaneous generation continue even after
Redi’s experiment?
 What other scientists challenged the theory of spontaneous
generation?
 How did these scientists go about proving their hypotheses?
 Who finally laid the theory of spontaneous generation to rest?
 How did he prove his theory?
 How did his work change beliefs?
8. Together summarize what is most important from the two readings.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Reading A
Jars, Jars, and More Jars—The Work of Francesco Redi
Until less than a century ago, most people were convinced that living things arose
‘spontaneously’ from non-living matter. A 17th century Italian named Francesco Redi was one
of the first scientists to challenge the widely accepted notion of spontaneous generation.
Redi could not believe that frogs and fish arose from mud or that mice arose from wheat even
though everyone said that they did. Redi went on a search for facts and truth. In 1668, he set
up an experiment designed to disprove the notion of spontaneous generation. Particularly, he
wished to show that worms and flies did not ‘spontaneously generate’ from decaying meat.
Redi began by placing bits of meat—veal, snake, fish, and eel—in four different clean jars. He
left these jars completely uncovered. This first group of jars was the control group. The jars
were left open to demonstrate what usually happens to meat left out in the open air.
Experimental Group
Control Group
Redi gathered a second set of four jars which he filled in the same manner that he had the first
jars. The difference, or the variable, in this second set of jars was the elimination of air. Redi
sealed off the tops of the jars in the second set so as to keep any air from entering.
When Redi examined the jars a few weeks later, he found that flies had gathered and laid eggs
in the open jars. Soon after the eggs were laid, Redi noticed maggots crawling around on the
meat in the open jars.
In contrast, he did not find any flies or maggots around the meat in the covered jars. He
concluded that the maggots he found in the uncovered jars had hatched from eggs laid by the
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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flies found in those jars. Since the maggots hatched from the eggs of living animals, rather than
simply generating out of thin air, Redi concluded that the maggots did not simply ‘arise
spontaneously’ as people had thought.
Many people did not trust Redi’s experimental results and still believed in spontaneous
generation. They argued that the reason no maggots appeared in the sealed jars was because
they needed air to arise spontaneously.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Reading B
The Slow Death of Spontaneous Generation (1668-1859)
Russell Levine and Chris Evers
From the time of the ancient Romans, through the Middle Ages, and until the late nineteenth
century, it was generally accepted that some life forms arose spontaneously from non-living
matter. Such "spontaneous generation" appeared to occur primarily in decaying matter. For
example, a seventeenth century recipe for the spontaneous production of mice required placing
sweaty underwear and husks of wheat in an open-mouthed jar, then waiting for about 21 days,
during which time it was alleged that the sweat from the underwear would penetrate the husks of
wheat, changing them into mice. Although such a concept may seem laughable today, it is
consistent with the other widely held cultural and religious beliefs of the time.
The first serious attack on the idea of spontaneous generation was made in 1668 by Francesco
Redi, an Italian physician and poet. At that time, it was widely held that maggots arose
spontaneously in rotting meat. Redi believed that maggots developed from eggs laid by flies. To
test his hypothesis, he set out meat in a variety of flasks, some open to the air, some sealed
completely, and others covered with gauze. As he had expected, maggots appeared only in the
open flasks in which the flies could reach the meat and lay their eggs.
This was one of the first examples of an experiment in the modern sense, in which controls are
used. In spite of his well-executed experiment, the belief in spontaneous generation remained
strong, and even Redi continued to believe it occurred under some circumstances. The invention
of the microscope only served to enhance this belief. Microscopy revealed a whole new world of
organisms that appeared to arise spontaneously. It was quickly learned that to create
"animalcules," as the organisms were called, you needed only to place hay in water and wait a
few days before examining your new creations under the microscope.
The debate over spontaneous generation continued for centuries. In 1745, John Needham, an
English clergyman, proposed what he considered the definitive experiment. Everyone knew that
boiling killed microorganisms, so he proposed to test whether or not microorganisms appeared
spontaneously after boiling. He boiled chicken broth, put it into a flask, sealed it, and waited sure enough, microorganisms grew. Needham claimed victory for spontaneous generation.
An Italian priest, Lazzaro Spallanzani, was not convinced, and he suggested that perhaps the
microorganisms had entered the broth from the air after the broth was boiled, but before it was
sealed. To test his theory, he modified Needham's experiment - he placed the chicken broth in a
flask, sealed the flask, drew off the air to create a partial vacuum, then boiled the broth. No
microorganisms grew. Proponents of spontaneous generation argued that Spallanzani had only
proven that spontaneous generation could not occur without air.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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The theory of spontaneous generation was finally laid to rest in 1859 by the young French
chemist, Louis Pasteur. The French Academy of Sciences sponsored a contest for the best
experiment either proving or disproving spontaneous generation. Pasteur's winning experiment
was a variation of the methods of Needham and Spallanzani. He boiled meat broth in a flask,
heated the neck of the flask in a flame until it became pliable, and bent it into the shape of an S.
Air could enter the flask, but airborne microorganisms could not - they would settle by gravity in
the neck. As Pasteur had expected, no microorganisms grew. When Pasteur tilted the flask so
that the broth reached the lowest point in the neck, where any airborne particles would have
settled, the broth rapidly became cloudy with life. Pasteur had both refuted the theory of
spontaneous generation and convincingly demonstrated that microorganisms are everywhere even in the air.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Practice
Be a Part of Redi’s Design Team
Redi wants your help. After he conducted his famous experiment, there were still
doubters. He wants to conduct a second experiment to appease his critics, but he is not sure
what he needs to do.
A. Design an experiment that shows that maggots would not spontaneously generate from
decaying meat even if they DID have air. On your lab sheet be sure you indicate the
purpose of the experiment, equipment needed, procedures that need to be followed,
expected results, and what the results suggest or prove. Use Redi’s first lab sheet to
guide you.
Lab Sheet
Purpose
Materials
Procedure
Hypothesis
Conclusion
The purpose of this experiment is to show that flies and maggots do no
spontaneously arise from decaying meat.

8 clean jars

4 covers for jars

small bits of veal, snake, fish and eel meat
Step 1: Place bits of meat in four different jars.
Step 2: Leave these jars open and uncovered. This is the control group.
Step 3: Place bits of meat in the remaining four jars.
Step 4: Cover these jars tightly so no air can enter.
Step 5: Let the jars stand for a few weeks.
Step 6: Examine the jars and see what you observe. Not any differences between the
two sets of jars.
Flies will appear around the uncovered jars. They will lay eggs on the decaying
meat. Maggots will appear on the meat in the open jars. No maggots will appear on
the meat in the sealed jars.
The maggots that appeared on the meat in the uncovered jars did not arise from
spontaneous generation or else they would have appeared in the covered jars as
well. Flies were able to lay eggs on the decaying meat in the uncovered jars and the
eggs hatched into maggots. Therefore, the maggots come from flies and not from
the decaying meat.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Lesson 2
Objective: Learn Alexander Oparin’s hypothesis about
how living things could have originated from non-living
material on primitive Earth.
Extra, Extra
Read All About It!
The work of Francesco Redi and other prominent scientists eventually disproved the theory of
spontaneous generation. Though such discoveries are wonderful in that they finally dispelled
myths about the origin of animals, they were also disturbing as well. Evolutionists were
particularly upset. Redi’s work conflicted with the part of their theory that stated that life must
have originated from non-living matter at some point in time.
Suppose you were a newspaper editor during Redi’s time. Two stories are submitted to you
about the latest scientific breakthroughs. One is titled, “Redi or the Evolutionists: Who is
Mistaken?” and the other is titled, “Scientists Speculate that Redi AND the Evolutionists are
BOTH Correct!” It is your job to decide which story to run and to justify your choice to the
editor in chief.
Redi OR the Evolutionists
Who is Mistaken?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Redi AND the
Evolutionists are BOTH
Correct!
Page 19
You are free to choose either story as long as you can defend your choice in a way that
convinces the editor in chief. It must include:




an explanation of the controversy and the different positions presented in the two
articles;
the choice you make;
an explanation of how you made your choice; and
the reasons why the newspaper’s readers will be happy with your choice.
Remember, your job depends on make a good choice and defending your choice well. You
decide that it is in your best interest to do some research before you make your choice. Redi’s
experiments have shown you that life cannot spontaneously arise in the present time. But,
maybe conditions on primitive earth were different enough from the conditions on modern
earth that spontaneous generation could have occurred then.
You go to the newspaper’s research office and ask for some information about conditions on
primitive earth. The newspaper’s librarian give you a copy of a magazine called “Planet Earth,”
which she says is known for its accuracy and readability. It is a magazine written for students,
so the language should be simple enough to understand. You begin to flip through it and find
an article called, “Our Earth—A Close Up View” that looks like it might be useful. There is also a
chart that accompanies the article which you think might help you organize your thoughts. You
might need to do a little more research on the internet to conclude your research, but it is
worth the time. Your boss is one tough customer!
You sit down in one of the research room’s comfortable chairs, take out your note pad and
begin to read and make notes.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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OUR EARTH---A CLOSE UP VIEW
You float through the blackness and notice nothing of
significance for miles and miles. Finally, you see
something that appears to be nothing more than a speck
of dust. You pull down the magnifying attachment on
your helmet and you see a clump of matter. It is not
even the size of a quarter, so you don’t pay much
attention to it. You float along for a few more hours, but
nothing exciting seems to be
happening. You decide to
settle in for a nap. Mid-yawn
you hear a loud explosion! It
must be the ball of dust! What
a big bang! You zoom through
space on the most incredible
roller coaster ride ever,
wondering what caused the
explosion. There is so much debris floating around you
in space that you can’t believe it all came from just a tiny
ball of dust. The material in that ball must have been
packed so tightly! All of outer space seems to be filling
up with pieces from the dust ball. You are afraid of
getting hit by the stuff whizzing around you and decide
that it is time for you to leave.
You rush ahead 10 million years to see if things have
changed at all and find yourself in the midst of a huge
ball of clouds and dust. You watch carefully and notice
that all of the junk floating around is slowly moving
together. It actually appears to be shrinking down into a
ball smaller than the one that you arrived in. You
wonder if you, too, will be pulled towards the center of
the ball. Then you remember that you can make your
space suit resist the force of gravity. Whew! You watch
as gravity finishes pulling all of the matter floating
around into a tightly packed ball. As the ball becomes
even more tightly packed, you decide to zoom ahead in
time to see what is going on. Before you can push the
correct buttons in your space suit, however, there is a
huge explosion—kind of like one massive fireworks
display. The force of everything being packed together
must have caused the ball of dust to ignite. You realize
Authors:
Abigail Silver
Joyce
as it grows
and brilliantly
lights&up
theJackson
sky that this ball
is the star that we know today as our sun.
You hit the fast forward button on your space suit so
that you can see the planets forming. You are
especially excited when you arrive in time to see our
own Earth forming. You put on your zoom lens so that
you can take a closer look. As of yet, planet Earth is a
little more than a large circular mass of dust and clouds
so you decide to move on into the future.
When you arrive, you are surprised to see the Earth
has more water than land! The whole scene reminds
you of a large tea-kettle because all of the water is
bubbling and steaming. The earth underneath must be
so hot! You begin your descent so that you can check
out the land and notice something that looks like rain
falling from the sky. You look up and notice that there
are clouds above your head. They must be from all of
the steam that is rising up from the oceans. A minute
more and you get the scare of your life as a bolt of
lightning nearly takes off your head! Your spacesuit is
not lightning proof so you decide to leave. You didn’t
even know that lightning existed billions of years ago!
You float over an area where the weather doesn’t
seem to be so bad and watch the storm for hours and
hours. It is the largest downpour that you have ever
seen. The oceans rise even higher than they were
before and the valleys in the land fill to almost
overflowing with water. It is like big earth bowls being
filled with soup. You finally tear your eyes away from
the water and examine the small patches of land that are
showing above the water. You can hardly believe your
eyes when you see hundreds of volcanoes erupting.
You soar over the top of one of the volcanoes and
collect a sample of the gases being spit out. You send
the sample to your computer to have it analyzed and are
surprised to find that the volcanoes are giving
off many of the same gases and chemicals as modern
day volcanoes do. There is hydrogen, water vapor,
nitrogen, methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and
carbon dioxide. You can’t believe that oxygen, which
is so common on Earth, is impossible to find on
primitive Earth. You are lucky your spacesuit has a
large oxygen tank or you would not survive. You ask
your computer how anything can live on a planet
without oxygen. It tells you that life could not have
begun if oxygen was present on primitive Earth in large
quantities. Only a reducing atmosphere without oxygen
Page
would have allowed simple molecules to
join21
together
to make complex ones.
Conditions on Primitive Earth
Conditions on Modern Day Earth
N
o
t
e
s
What has remained the same about conditions
on planet earth?
What has changed over time?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 22
Making the Cut
Which article do you select? Write a Memo to your boss explain which story you decided to
run in the paper and justify your decision based upon your facts gathered from your own
research.
MEMO
To:
From:
Date:
Topic:
Explanation:
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 23
Reflection
4-2-1
Free Write
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 24
Lesson 3: Bubble Gum and Man-Eating Monsters
Objective: Learn Alexander Oparin’s hypothesis about how living things could have originated
from non-living material on primitive Earth.
If you believe that BOTH Redi and the evolutionists could have been correct, then you are not
alone. A Russian scientist named Alexander Oparin believed that both Redi and the
evolutionists could have been right.
Redi had shown that spontaneous generation could not occur on modern-day earth, yet his
experiments did not prove that spontaneous generation could never have occurred in the past.
According to Oparin, conditions on primitive Earth were so different from conditions on
modern-day Earth that spontaneous generation could have occurred then, even if it is
impossible today.
Oparin’s theories disturbed many people. The idea that living things could have arisen from
non-living things at any time in history was a scary one! Maybe spontaneous generation could
happen again!
Just imagine…what if a piece of bubble gum under your desk spontaneously
turned into a man-eating monster?’
Oparin told people that such a transformation was impossible because spontaneous generation
could never occur on modern-day Earth. The condition on primitive Earth that allowed
spontaneous generation to occur no longer existed.
Oparin’s words were reassuring, yet most people couldn’t help feeling a little bit ‘spooked’
anyway.
R. U. Scared, a famous science fiction writer of the 21st Century, has recently completed a book
that focuses on the idea of spontaneous generation. He knows as well as we do that
spontaneous generation cannot occur on modern-day earth. However, he also knows how
scary the idea of living things coming from non-living things would be to most people.
Mr. Scared’s plot, itself, pretty spooky. Yet, he thinks that his book could benefit from a really
eerie cover illustration. He has asked you to submit a design to him—one that will play upon
people’s fears and make them begin to wonder whether the gum under their seat really MIGHT
turn into a monster! Feel free to use any materials you wish to create your cover.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 25
Many talented illustrators will also be submitting potential covers to R. U. Scared so be sure
yours is particularly attractive—and SPOOKY! Make sure to fill out an entry application form
and include your name on your design. Mr. Scared’s agent, who just happens to be your very
own teacher, will judge the covers and choose a finalist in the competition.
Illustrator’s Name___________________________________________________________
Illustrator’s Age_______________
Title of Cover__________________________
Materials Used to Create the Design
Price Illustrator is Willing to Sell the Cover Design for:_________________________________
Illustrator’s Signature__________________________________________________________
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 26
Oparin’s Argument
Oparin would have laughed at the idea of
bubble gum suddenly turning into a monster
because he knew that the process of
transforming non-living material to living material took a very long time. Living things don’t just
“pop out” of non-living things. They emerge slowly in a process that involved many steps.
The first step involved the formation of organic compounds that contain carbon from the
simple elements that were available on primitive earth. A group of compounds called amino
acids was one of the first to form, according to Oparin. Amino acids are simple but important
compounds. They are necessary for human life to exist.
Oparin never did a real experiment to prove that amino acids could have formed from the
simple elements present on primitive Earth. But, he managed to make a pretty convincing
argument, anyway. The following activities are designed to help you understand some of
Oparin’s arguments.
Once you have worked through the activities, you will be asked to create a convincing
argument for Oparin’s case on paper. It must include all of the BOLD FACED words that appear
in the activities that follow. Those bold faced words are the keys to understanding Oparin’s
arguments. You should also include any words or phrases that YOU feel are important to
Oparin’s argument.
Use the next page to place the bold faced words and the words you have selected into three to
five related groups. Bold faced words and phrases may be used more than once. Give each
group a title that describes what the words in the group have in common. These groups will
take the place of an outline when you are ready to write your essay. Each paragraph should be
about another one of the groups you formed.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 27
Before we begin to carefully examine Oparin’s reasoning, let’s get a little background material
on amino acids, the simple compounds that Oparin said would form from non-living materials
available on planet Earth.
Amino acids are compounds. Let’s look at the diagram below. It is a picture of a simple amino
acid called Glycine. The diagram may seem a little scary at first, but it really is not. An amino
acid is a bunch of elements connected together in a group. Use the diagram to help you figure
out exactly which elements amino acids contain. Write the names of those elements on the
lines below. The first one has been done for you.
C= Carbon
O= Oxygen
H= Hydrogen
N= Nitrogen
= chemical bond
Amino Acids seem to contain the following elements:
nitrogen,_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 28
Now, See if you can follow Oparin’s Reasoning?
Were all of the elements you found in amino acids available on primitive Earth and in its
atmosphere? (refer to your museum lecture notes or any other references if you need to).
 Yes
 No
In order for elements to join together in a group, you need a powerful energy source.
Were there any powerful energy sources available on primitive Earth? Explain.
Was Oparin correct in believing that everything necessary to make amino acids could have
been found on primitive Earth?
Many scientists agreed that all of the ‘ingredients’ necessary for life were present on primitive
Earth; BUT, they were still not convinced that all of those ingredients would simply join
together and form amino acids the way that Oparin said they would.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 29
Must something happen simply because all of the ingredients are there?
Discuss this with a partner, write your thoughts and reasoning down here.
If you took out all of the ingredients necessary to bake a cake, left them in the kitchen, and
turned on the oven, would you find a freshly baked cake waiting for you in an hour?
Reflect and Discuss
Look back at the question, “Must something happen simply because all of the
ingredients are there?” Have you changed your opinion at all?
Let’s say that you didn’t know the answer to the question about the cake. If you were a
scientist, you might perform a simulation experiment.
Look up the word simulate in the dictionary. Write your own meaning of the word.
People perform simple simulation experiments all of the time. Read the following short stories
and see if you can explain why the character did what they did.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 30
Ellen planned on wearing high heels to her
Sweet Sixteen party. She had never worn
high heels before. The day before the
party, she put on her party dress and the
heels she planned on wearing. She then
proceeded to walk around the house
several times.
Pete was nervous about taking the test to
get his driver’s license. A week before the
test, his father got into the car with him
and pretended to be the man who would
give Pet the driving test. He made Pet do
everything that he would have to do on the
day of the actual driving test.
Did anyone in either of these stories simulate conditions? Explain.
What is the purpose of simulating conditions?
Think of other situations where simulating conditions might be necessary (e.g. simulation flights
for the Air Force, simulation drills for dealing with community disasters at hospitals, etc.).
Now, think back to Alexander Oparin. He was the scientist who believed that every ingredient
necessary for the origin of life was available on primitive Earth.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 31
How could Oparin have made use of a simulation experiment?
Alexander Oparin, himself, never made use of a simulation experiment to test his hypothesis
that living things did arise from non-living things on primitive Earth. Yet, 1953, two other
scientists name Harold Urey and Stanley Miller did. The next lesson will describe the simulation
experiment they performed.
But, before moving on, complete your essay “Oparin’s Argument” and submit it to your
teacher.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 32
Groups and Labels: Oparin’s Argument
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 33
Essay: Oparin’s Argument
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 34
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 35
The Museum
Wants YOU!
Lesson 4
Objective: Learn how Harold Urey and Stanley Miller used a simulation experiment to
reproduce the conditions on primitive Earth.
You have taken a summer job with a local science museum that is developing exhibits relating
to the scientists who investigated the origin of life. You are being asked to develop an
informative display to explain the experiment of two scientists named Stanley Miller and Harold
Urey. Miller and Urey worked in 1953 on a simulation experiment designed to see whether
living things could have arisen from non-living things on primitive Earth, as Oparin had
suggested. The apparatus, ingredients, and energy sources that they used were artificial
substitutions for the actual conditions that existed on primitive Earth.
In order to understand the experiment, you must understand the conditions on primitive Earth
they were trying to simulate. If you are unfamiliar with the conditions that existed on primitive
earth, the museum has sent along a transcript from its last lecture series that dealt with the
origins of planet Earth. The museum has also sent a copy of the blank lecture organizer that
visitors to the museum use to take notes. Your teacher will use the transcript to help in giving a
lecture similar to the one the museum gave. You should take notes on the organizer page as if
you were really at the museum lecture. The notes will help you create your exhibit.
The museum has also acquired a copy of Miller and Urey’s science journal for you to use. It is
reprinted for your use. The journal includes a rough sketch of the equipment that the two
scientists used, but the sketch is not clear. None of the apparatus is labeled and the diagram
would appear to be much too confusing to the average museum visitor. It seems that the two
scientists underlined the equipment that was shown in the sketch, but forgot to label the
sketch themselves. Before you begin, you might want to read through the diary to see if you
can use the underlined words to label the accompanying sketch
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 36
TASK: Create an Exhibit
It is your task to create an exhibit that is clear,
interesting, and attractive to look at. The only
requirements the museum is giving you are listed below.
The rest is up to you and your imagination. However,
your exhibit will be evaluated by the museum director
based on its informational content, its clarity and
originality.
Your exhibit MUST:
 explain the fundamentals of the scientists’ experiment;
 provide a model of the equipment used that is clearly
labeled;
 explain any scientific terms that might be unfamiliar to
museum goers;
 tell the visitor what actual conditions that existed on
primitive Earth are being simulated in the experiment
(e.g. the warmed flask of water in the experiment was
designed to represent the boiling hot seas that existed
on primitive Earth.); and
 explain why scientists were convinced that spontaneous
generation could have occurred on primitive Earth.
Some other conditions that you should think about:



What did the chemicals in the experiment represent?
What did the electric spark in the experiment represent?
What did the cool water that dripped down from the condenser represent on
primitive Earth?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 37
New American Lecture
Lecture Notes
New American Lecture Teacher Information
We certainly know that our universe exists,
however, this knowledge alone has not satisfied
mankind's quest for further understanding. Our
curiosity has led us to question our place in this
universe and furthermore, the place of the universe
itself. Throughout time we have asked ourselves these
questions: How did our universe begin? How old is our
universe? How did matter come to exist? Obviously,
these are not simple questions and throughout our
brief history on this planet much time and effort has
been spent looking for some clue. Yet, after all this
energy has been expended, much of what we know is
still only speculation.
Notes:
Create a visual to help you remember key
ideas. Write a “One Sentence Summary” of what is
most important to remember. Share your notes with a
partner. Are your notes more alike or different?
Ask students to make a note.
Discussion Time
We have, however, come a long way from
the mystical beginnings of the study of cosmology
and the origins of the universe. Through the
understandings of modern science we have been
able to provide firm theories for some of the
answers we once called hypotheses. True to the
nature of science, a majority of these answers
have only led to more intriguing and complex
questions. It seems to be inherent in our search for
knowledge that questions will always continue to
exist.
Ask students to discuss.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Meet in small groups and discuss the following
question:
How do scientists view the universe as a
mystery to be solved?
What are some questions you personally have?
Note: Teacher leads classroom discussion. Point
out the difference between a hypothesis and a
theory.
Page 38
Science believes in the beginning, our
universe existed only as a densely packed ball of
matter, as small as a speck of dust. For a reason
that is still a mystery to scientists, the ball
exploded violently and sent matter flying out into
space at incredible speeds. The force of the
explosion, nicknamed “The Big Bang” was so great
that even today, the universe continues to
expand and fly apart at speeds nearing the speed
of light.
After viewing the clip, make some notes. Share
your notes with your group. Discuss in whole
class setting.
Facts Gathered
Reactions, Feelings
Unanswered
Questions
New Ideas
Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1AXbpYndG
c&feature=fvw
Make a visual that shows what primitive Earth
must have looked like.
It is believed that much of the earth’s
surface was covered with enormous seas. Heated
by the molten Earth, the seas reached boiling
temperatures. Steam that escaped from the seas
rose up and formed extremely large cloud masses
that hovered above the Earth. As the clouds
cooled, the water forming them condensed and
fell to earth as rain. The clouds became
electrically charged and lightning appeared. Bolts
of lightning constantly flashed through the sky,
accompanying the violent rains that poured down
on planet Earth.
Create a visual note.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 39
On the land, volcanoes erupted and
spouted out the gases that were to form the
primitive atmosphere on planet Earth.
Scientists believe that the ancient volcanoes
belched forth gases similar to the ones given
off by modern-day volcanoes. For that reason,
it is believed that the atmosphere of primitive
Earth was composed mostly of hydrogen gas
(H2), water vapor (H2O), nitrogen (N2),
methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), carbon
monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Oxygen existed on primitive earth, but
only in extremely small quantities. Because of
the rarity of oxygen, the atmosphere of
primitive Earth was a reducing atmosphere—
one that would favor the joining together of
simple molecules to form more complex ones.
Discussion:
What makes Earth a fortunate rock?
What is the Big Bang Theory?
Could there be other fortunate rocks out
there?
Note: Lead a classroom discussion with
students.
Discussion Time
Reflect and Discuss:
As scientists, one theory leads to more
questions. It is the question that is important
and the journey to find answers that help us
define and redefine our thinking. Today,
through space exploration we have more
questions than ever before and we are still
trying to solve the mysteries of the universe.
How has technology helped science to better
understand our universe?
How is science both puzzling yet inspirational?
Ask students to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVsHjnYo9s&p=B2B0433A87CB3F93&index=12&playnext=2
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
What is the significance of the information
gathered from Hubble Space Telescope?
Page 40
Miller and Urey’s Lab Journal
1953. We have built a model to test Oparin’s hypothesis.
The beaker at the bottom left of the set-up is filled with water that is heated by the flame
underneath. Methane (CH4), ammonia (NHS), and hydrogen gas (H2) are then added to the
water vapor that rises through the glass tubing. Electrodes pass a continuous electric spark
through the mixture. Then, the mixture is cooled by a condenser that converts the gaseous
mixture back into a liquid state. The cooled water containing the newly formed compounds flows
down the glass tubing until it reaches the device that filters out the compounds and stores them.
That sample of compounds can then be chemically analyzed in a lab. Analysis showed our samples
to contain organic compounds. How EXICITING! It looks like Oparin was CORRECT!
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 41
Lesson 5 Jigsaw Approach to Learning: Working as a Team
Objective: Learn how Amino Acids joined to form protein on primitive Earth.
In this section of the unit, you will find it is different than other sections you have worked on.
Instead of examining the work of a particular scientist, you will study science in general—
biology and chemistry to be more exact.
Since there is SO MUCH information to learn, you will work in three different EXPERT GROUPS.
Each group will be responsible for learning the information contained in one of the three
research folders in this section. Each group will have to complete a project related to its
research. The group members will then be responsible to share and teach the other members
of the class.
The topics and responsibilities are divided as follows:
Task:
1
2
3
How are proteins
formed?
Create a model and write a
descriptive essay for a text
book company.
Why was the
formation of amino
acids in Urey and
Miller’s experiment
significant?
Task:
What are the
chemical reactions
involved in the
formation of
proteins?
Task:
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Write a children’s book
explaining the significance of
the experiment to Science.
Create a toy for Smart-Kids-R-Us, a
famous children’s toy company
that will allow children the
opportunity to practice forming
proteins by joining amino acid
blocks together and removing the
water molecules.
Page 42
It is important for each expert group to prepare well and make a clear but informative
presentation. The groups listening will make notes. It is in everyone’s interest to take the
presentation seriously because there will be a tournament at the end of the section to see how
much you know about the content. You will be responsible for the information presented by
both your own team and the other groups. Use your New American Notebook organizer to
help you make notes during the presentations.
Tournament Rules:
You will be assigned to a RESEARCH TEAM of 5 to 8 members. Your teacher will set aside a
study period during which you time your research team should review the materials from the
group presentations. Members of the team who were the ‘experts’ on a particular topic should
help those who still have questions.
When the study period is over, your team will be split up and sent to various TOURNAMENT
STATIONS in the classroom. There, team members will be asked questions based on the
material they studied in their research group.
Each tournament station will have three sets of questions. There will be six level one questions,
six level two questions, and 6 level three questions. People at the tournament station will sit in
a circle and take turns answering questions. When it is your turn, you may choose to answer a
question at any of the levels. You will earn points for correct answers based on the difficulty of
the question:
Level I Question= 1 point
Level II Question= 2 points
Level III Question= 3 points
You must keep careful record of the points you earn.
Play will continue until all the questions have been answered correctly. At that time, you
should return to your RESEARCH TEAM. Choose a team leader to add the number of points
earned by each team member. Have him/her report your team’s total score out to the class.
The team with the highest total score will be the winner.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 43
Research Team 1
All Connected
The simulation experiment showed that SMALL organic compounds could have formed
spontaneously on primitive Earth. Yet, it did not explain how LARGE organic compounds like
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats could have formed.
Scientists wondered whether lots of smaller compounds could have joined together to make
larger ones.
Think of something in real life that you make by
joining lots of small pieces together. Make a
drawing in the space provided. Label the small
parts and show how/by what they are
connected.
Many small compounds called Amino Acids were formed during Urey and Miller’s simulation
experiment. These amino acids were found in the sample liquid that Urey and Miller collected
and sent to be analyzed in the lab.
The presence of amino acids in the sample really excited the scientists because amino acids are
what proteins are made of.
Small amino acid molecules join together to make up a larger protein molecule. The amino
acids are linked together by CHEMICAL BONDS.
Cut out the pieces and use them to construct a
model of a protein. Paste the pieces in place in
your Writing to Learn Journal. Then, label the
amino acids, the chemical bonds that link them
together, and the whole protein.
Look at your model. Why do you think scientist
call amino acids the “building blocks” of protein?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 44
My Model
Scientist nicknamed amino acids as building blocks of protein because……
REASON
PROOF
1.____________________________________
________________________________
_____________________________________
________________________________
Te
________________________________
_________________________________
2. _____________________________________
_________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. ____________________________________
__________________________________
___________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 45
FOUNDATIONS
Let’s take a closer look at the amino acid building blocks.
There are 20 common amino acids that are used by humans. Each amino acid has its own
unique purpose. It looks and behaves differently than all the other amino acids. Yet, there are
similarities between the amino acids. ALL amino acids have the same basic foundation.
Think about a house. All houses—no matter how different they look from one another—must
have a similar foundation that holds them together. With houses, it is the various attachments
to the foundation (e.g. chimney, garage, paint color, etc.) that makes them different from one
another. With amino acids, it is the various attachments to the foundation, called R groups,
that make them different.
We won’t examine the R groups because they do not directly relate to the formation of
proteins. Instead, we will examine the foundation of all amino acids.
There are two parts of the foundation that are
important in the protein making process.
1. The AMINE Group:
1 Nitrogen
2 Hydrogens
2. The ACID, or CARBOXYL group
1 Hydrogen
2 Oxygens
Discussion: Can you see where the name amino acids originated?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 46
Group 1
PERFORMANCE TASK
A Science textbook company has heard that your team is not only talented illustrators, but you
also are experts on the foundations of amino acids as well. They want to hire your team to help
them write a piece for their new edition of a high school biology text. They need a descriptive
essay to include in the text on amino acids. They want a model to include in the text that
shows students the structure. They have provided you with a sample chart of THREE of the
simplest amino acids, but that is all---glycine, valine, alanine . It is up to your team to:
 Indicate the amino and acid groups in each amino acid.
 Create a catchy title for the model.
 Include some type of key that helps the reader of the text easily
identify which part of each amino acid is which—e.g. which is the
amine group and which is the acid group).
 Write a clear, coherent description using proper signal words and a
descriptive writing frame.
 Include questions for review in four different styles of thinking.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 47
Research Team 2
Tell the Story….
The sample of organic molecules collected by Miller and Urey and sent for chemical analysis
represented a major breakthrough for scientists. Brainstein Publishing for Children has hired
your team to write a children’s book that explains the significance of and the history behind
Miller and Urey’s experiment. They would like the book to appeal to children aged ten to
twelve. It should be accurate, informative, attractive, and easy to read.
Brainstein Publishing has submitted the following contract for your approval. When you have
read through it, sign it to show you understand the agreement and the criteria on which your
work will be judged by the publishing firm.
Brainstein Publishing Company
We Love Helping Your Child Grow
We expect your book to meet the following standards:
 The text must include at least ten accurate facts from the fact strips phrased in
your own words and NOT in the words of the scientists who submitted them to
you.
 The book must be at least twelve sides.
 The text must have appealing illustrations.
 The text must be neatly presented and easy for children to understand.
 The book must have a creative title.
 The book must have the authors’ names and illustrator on the cover page.
Al Ways Reed________
President
Authors:_________________________
Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
___________________________
Signature
Page 48
Fact Strips
The following fact strips were submitted to you by a biologist who is the science consultant for
your book. They contain the scientific information necessary to explain the importance of
Miller and Urey’s Model. There is also information that reviews the theories of other scientists
who investigated the mystery of the origin of life.
Cut out the strips and READ through all of them. They are not in any particular order, so your
team must organize them. There is no one correct order. Feel free to be creative and organize
the strips in any way that makes sense to you. If you feel that the biologist has not been
thorough in any way, feel free to research the internet and create ‘fact strips’ that will help you
fill in any missing information.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Page 49
According to Oparin, all of the ingredients necessary
for the origin of life were available on primitive Earth.
Conditions on primitive Earth were very different from
conditions on modern Earth today.
Oparin believed that the conditions on primitive Earth
would have favored the formation of organic molecules
from non-living, abiotic, matter.
Redi’s discovery caused a problem for evolutionists.
Something that may be impossible now, might have
been possible at another time in history.
Analysis showed that Miller and Urey’s experiment
had generated a variety of organic molecules.
Amino acids are considered the “building blocks” of
proteins.
The jump from non-living to living must have been
made at some point in time.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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The fact that amino acids were generated was an important discovery
for those who wanted to know how life had begun on planet Earth.
Urey and Miller developed a model to simulate
conditions on primitive Earth.
The compounds that Urey and Miller gathered from
their experiment were chemically analyzed.
According to Oparin, all of the ingredients necessary
for the origin of life were available on primitive Earth.
Redi and other scientists had disproved the theory of
spontaneous generation.
Chemical analysis showed that many of the
compounds analyzed chemically were amino acids.
Miller and Urey’s experiment showed that organic compounds such as amino
acids, which are essential to cellular life, could be made easily under the
conditions that scientists believed to be present on the early earth.
The fact that amino acids were generated was an important discovery
for those who wanted to know how life had begun on planet Earth.
Scientists wondered how living things, biotic, could
have come from non-living, abiotic, things.
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Use the Window Notes Organizer to summarize key ideas from your Fact Strips and in planning
your children’s book.
Important Facts, Details
Reactions from Scientific World
Questions or Mysteries
Significance
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Research Team 3
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Recall:
http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/9834092339/student_view0/chapter26/animation_-_millerurey_experiment.html
The reason the discovery of amino acids in the simulation experiment of Miller and Urey was
important was that amino acids were known to bond together to form proteins.
Let’s take a look at the chemical reaction that allows the amino acids to bond together in a
chain.
amino
acid
amino
acid
amino
acid
amino
acid
The reaction’s name is somewhat complicated, but the reaction, itself, is not actually that
difficult to understand.
The reaction that joins amino acids together to form a protein is called a dehydration synthesis
reaction. Look up the word dehydration if you don’t know what it means. Complete the
organizer in your vocabulary notebook.
Word
Meaning
dehydration
Context
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Visual
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Based on the meaning of dehydration, what do you think needs to be removed from amino
acids to form a protein?
Share your thoughts with a partner.
Before moving on, let’s do a quick check:
Do you know what water is made up of?
WATER is made up of_______________________ and
___________________________________________.
If we need to remove water from amino acid in order to form proteins, we need to find two
hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in the amino acids that we want to join together.
Can we find two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in the pair of amino acids pictured
below? Circle all of the available hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms.
For fun, take a guess as to which hydrogen
and oxygen atoms you think will be used to
make the water molecule.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Were you correct?
Those three atoms (2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen) join together to
form water.
What is left of the 2 amino acid foundations joins together too. The new bond that holds the
amino acid foundation together is called a peptide bond.
You can join as many amino acids together as you want using the same process, dehydration
synthesis. The more amino acids you join together, the longer your protein will be. Create
your own visual below showing an amino showing 3 amino acids long. Make sure you have
labeled the new peptide bonds that were formed in the process.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Smart-Kids-R-Us
Your team has decided that illustrating textbooks and writing scientific articles just aren’t for
you. There are more ways to have fun with science, so you decide to look around for a job
where you could put your science talents to use and have fun at the same time.
The position you finally accept was that of a “Science Consultant” to Smart-Kids-R-Us, a famous
children’s toy company known for its educational toys and games.
Your first task is to design a toy or a game that will allow children to practice forming proteins
by joining amino acid blocks together and removing water molecules. Your toy should:
 have enough pieces to create a protein that is at least 4 amino
acids long
 have enough pieces to form the appropriate number of water
molecules and peptide bonds
 have enough pieces for at least four people to play.
You must also design an attractive package or box for the toy or game with directions for
playing. The design must include:
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a brief explanation of the lesson your toy will teach
the name of your toy or game
a suggested age group that your toy is appropriate for
a suggested retail price and a
warning label.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Synthesis Lesson 5
Team Game Tournaments
Level I Questions
Value: 1 point per question
1.
Which is larger—amino acids or proteins?
2.
Why are amino acids known as the ‘building blocks’ of proteins?
3.
The amino acids in proteins are joined or held together
by___________.
4.
What does the following picture represent?
5.
Draw a visual representation for an acid group?
6.
What is spontaneous generation?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Team Game Tournaments
Level II
Value 2 points per question
1.
What did Redi prove in his experiments?
2.
Why is Miller and Urey’s experiment known as simulation
experiment?
3.
What important compounds were discovered in the sample that
Miller and Urey sent to be chemically analyzed?
4.
Why could living things have come from non-living things on
primitive Earth when such a transformation is impossible today?
5.
Various attachments to amino acids’ foundations that make the
amino acids different from each other are called
______________________.
6.
When you remove a water molecule from two amino acids, a
new bond forms to hol what’s left of the amino acids together. That bond
is called a _____________________ ______________________.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Team Game Tournaments
Level III
Value 3 points per question
1.
2.
3.
4.
What does dehydration have to do with the process of joining
two amino acids together?
One water molecule is made up of three atoms. What are they?
If you join 7 amino acids together to form a protein chain, how
many water molecules will you form?
What is wrong with this picture?
H20
5.
Why did Redi’s discoveries upset the evolutionists?
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6.
Would it be possible to make a protein composed of 100 building
blocks? Why or why not?
Lesson 6
Objective: Learn about the work of Sidney Fox and investigate the differences between cells
and microspheres.
Do you remember the first activity we did in this unit on myths written about the origin of life?
Well, here we go again. The passage you are going to read now is another type of myth that
explains how amino acids on primitive Earth were able to find each other and join together. As
you read, make visual notes in the margin.
Once upon a time, when planet Earth was just a baby, most of her surface was covered by
enormous oceans. Primitive Earth’s oceans were many times larger than the oceans we see today. In
fact, there was so much water on primitive Earth that land barely existed. Here and there, little bits of
land poked their heads above the water, but that was about the extent of it.
One particular piece of land called Mr. Volcano Rock was taller than any of the other pieces of
land. For that reason, it was his job to stick his head out of the water every morning and see what was
going on. He would then call out to the other bits of land around him and let them know just what was
going on in the oceans around them.
When the other pieces of rock saw Mr. Volcano Rock crying one morning, they were very
worried.
“What is wrong?” they asked.
“I see something very sad,” replied Mr. Volcano Rock, “and that is why I am upset. I see lots of
lonely amino acids floating around all by themselves. They spend all of their free time looking for other
amino acids to join up with, but so much water separates them that they can’t find their friends.”
“I must do something to help!” exclaimed Mr. Volcano Rock. “Everyone knows amino acids need
to join together with their friends so that they can make proteins!”
Mr. Volcano Rock decided to act immediately. First, he called to the might oceans. “Mighty
oceans! Splash some of your waters filled with amino acids up on my rocky surface!”
Next, he called to the hot sun. ”Powerful sun! Heat up my rocky surface so that the oceans’
waters will evaporate! I want to make sure that the amino acids on my surface will no longer be
separated by lots of water.”
Both the oceans and the sun obeyed the commands of Mr. Volcano Rock, the matchmaker.
Soon, there was nothing but a happy bunch of dry amino acids connected to one another on Mr.
Volcano’s surface. “How wonderful to see the family of amino acids together,” sighed all of the other
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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pieces of land.
The author of the myth ended his tale with the amino acids lying on the surface of Mr. Volcano
Rock’s surface—connected as a family unit, but it seems like there should be more to the story.
Use what you have learned about amino acids and proteins to create a new ending for the
myth. Include illustrations.
The Rest of the Story…..
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Marvelous Microspheres
A scientist named Sidney Fox determined exactly what would happen if dry amino acids were
left near each other on a hot surface.
The amino acids actually do get together and form protein chains, just as Mr. Volcano Rock
hoped they would.
These proteins, like the ones formed on Mr.
Volcano’s surface, are then sprayed and splashed
by the ocean waves until they wash back into the
water. BUT….
an important change occurs! The proteins don’t simply float around in the water like the amino
acids had. You will have a chance to perform an experiment to find out just what the proteins
travel around in.
Do you have any
ideas?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Laboratory: Marvelous Microspheres
PURPOSE: To make microspheres from amino acids.
MATERIALS:

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









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hot plate
ring stand and clamp
balance
stirring rod
microscope slide with coverslip
microscope
500 ml. beaker
2- 125ml Erlenmeyer flasks
dropper
50 ml. graduated cylinder
tongs
timer/clock
aspartic acid
glutamic acid
glycene
1% NaCI solution
PROCEDURE
1.
Fill 500 ml beaker with 250 ml water and place on hot plate. Wait for water to
boil.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Clamp 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask to ringstand while waiting, add 1 g of aspartic acid,
glutamic acid, and glycene to the flask. Mix with stirring rod.
Once water in the beaker boils, move ringstand so that flask of aminos sits in the
hot water bath (beaker).
Heat the amino acids for 20 mintues.
Let the NaCI solution boil.
Add the boiling solution to the hot amino acids. Stir.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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7.
8.
9.
This solution should be allowed to boil for 30 seconds.
Then, remove the solution from the water bath and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Prepare a slide with a drop of the solution and a cover slip. Examine under the
microscope.
OBSERVATIONS
The technical name for the “bubble-like” things that you viewed under the microscope is a
group of microspheres.
Why does the name “microspheres” seem to be an appropriate name?
What does “micro” mean?
What is a “sphere”?
The reason that the discovery of microspheres was so exciting was that microspheres look and
behave must like living cells even though they are not actually alive. In fact, microspheres so
closely resemble living cells that scientists often cannot tell the differences between the two.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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SCENARIO
You have entered a laboratory where scientists face that exact dilemma. Half of them think
the sphere-like objects on the microscope slides are microspheres. The other half thinks that
it is observing a new species of bacterial cells. A description of what both groups are viewing
is shown below in a copy of the scientists’ laboratory manual. They have asked you and your
lab partner for your professional opinion.
We have observed several sphere-shaped bubbles under the
microscope. We are unsure as to their identity. They have a
membrane-like environment that sets them apart from their
surrounding environment. Some materials appear to be passing through
the membrane to the inside of the spheres. The spheres seem to be
forming smaller versions of themselves, but we have not yet observed
any real reproduction. We will continue to watch and observe…..
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Two Minds are Better than One
You think that you and your lab partner should learn a little more about the similarities and
differences between microspheres and living cells before you offer your expert advice to the
scientists. You divide your work up into two research teams to see what you can discover.
Partner 1 should research microspheres. You find an article in the school library and made a
Xerox copy of it. Highlight, underline, mark up the text as you read. Pay particular attention to
the pertinent information and be prepared to share what you have learned with your partner.
You should describe in words or pictures the appearance of a microsphere. You may want to
use the slides created during your lab work as a reference.
Partner 2 should research living cells using the same article and process as your partner. It is
important for you to accurately describe the appearance of a bacterial cell. You should make
an effort to observe such a cell on a microscope slide or find examples on the internet.
After meeting with your lab partner and discussing your notes, complete the Compare and
Contrast organizers provided for you.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Bacterial Cell
Microsphere
Microspheres may closely resemble living cells, but in actuality they are really very
different and should not be confused. Microspheres are round, microscopic droplets that
contain clumps of protein within them. Bacterial cells may be rod shaped, spherical shaped, or
spiral shaped. Living cells have many working parts within its cell membrane that work together
as a living system necessary for life. Microspheres, like cells, are set off from their environment
by a membrane that surrounds them. Both cells and microspheres are capable of letting certain
substances from their environment pass through the membrane into their interiors.
Microspheres are able to ‘bud’ and form new microspheres, but unlike cells they cannot
reproduce. Microspheres cannot maintain a stable growth pattern as living cells can.
Additionally, microspheres cannot metabolize, this means they cannot get energy and use
energy from their surroundings, which is an important function of living cells.
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Compare
microsphere
Criteria
living cell
shape
size
structure
capabilities
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Important Similarities
Living Cells and Microspheres
Differences Living Cells
Differences Microspheres
Conclusion:
1.
Is the living cell and the microspheres more alike or more different?
2.
What might be the causes for the differences?
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3.
What conclusions can you make about microspheres?
4.
What advice can you now give the scientists seeking your help?
Write a letter to the scientists explaining to them the differences between the
microspheres and living cells. Advise them on how they can distinguish living cells from
microspheres in the future.
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Task Rotation
Hope You Had Fun!
We have finally reached the culminating assessment for the unit. You still need to
complete one final project.
Choose one of the tasks below that appeals to you most. This is for your final grade.
Mastery Style
Interpersonal Style
Go to the library or use the Internet to find
additional information about one of the
following topics:




The Big Bang Theory
Francesco Redi
Alexander Oparin
Spontaneous Generation
Use STORYBOARD to create a presentation
on the subject. Your project must have
appropriate visuals, accurate facts, music,
and a written script to accompany the
presentation. The Storyboard should not
last MORE than 3 minutes.
Understanding Style
“If I have been able to see further than
others, it is because I have stood on the
shoulders of giants.”
Pick a scientist you have studied, other
than Redi. Explain what the above quote
could refer to. Tell why the scientist you
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
Pretend you are one of the scientists
that you studied in this unit. You are
the guest of honor at an awards dinner
for famous scientists. People have been
congratulating you on your
accomplishments all now and now they
are asking you to say a few words to the
audience.
Prepare a short speech and present it
your classmates as you think your
scientist would. If you think your
scientist would have stuttered and
scratched his beard every few minutes,
you stutter or scratch your beard too!
Self Expressive Style
You studied the work of scientists and
examined their theories on the universe.
You watched video clips from the
Hubble Space Telescope and looked
deep into space. Today, the United
States is providing less and less money
to NASA for space exploration. Write a
persuasive letter to the President
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selected might make such a statement.
explaining whether you think this is wise
and justify your reasoning. Be sure to
explain how this decision will have
impact (good or bad) upon the future of
our nation.
REFLECTION: LOOKING BACK ON YOUR LEARNING
Mastery
Interpersonal
What did you enjoy most during this unit?
What are the five most important concepts
you want to remember from this unit?
What did you enjoy least?
Understanding
Self Expressive
How is a theory different from a myth?
How can science both enlighten and enrage
people?
How is a hypothesis like a myth?
Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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Authors: Abigail Silver & Joyce Jackson
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